In the News
MƒA President John Ewing joined host Danny Bauer on the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast to talk about his leadership at MƒA, the MƒA community, and how MƒA engages school leaders. Ewing shared insight into what collaboration and continued learning looks like at MƒA, which starts with identifying teachers who know how to work together during the application and interview process:
“You’ll see teachers being naturally curious about what others are saying or presenting. They’ll ask perceptive questions where they’re genuinely interested in finding out more. And you’ll also see it when teachers, in subtle ways, support one another if they’re struggling [during the interview].”
Ewing also spoke about why the MƒA model focuses on excellence, as well as teachers who are already accomplished: to keep them teaching longer and to change the way society – and the teachers themselves – view teaching.
“In this country, we’re losing teachers at a remarkable rate. And often this happens just after teachers get really good at what they’re doing… We want to make teaching feel more exciting. We want to make sure teachers still feel connected to math and science, to make sure that they feel that they are mathematicians and scientists… We’re trying to change what teaching feels like. That cultural change is as important as anything else we do.”
When asked how he would build his dream school and the top priorities he’d focus on, Ewing laid out his vision:
- Choose the best teachers and make sure they’re spread around in many different subjects.
- Have administrators who could guide the process with a light touch and understand what it means to create an environment where students feel inspired about learning.
- Encourage school leaders to respect and trust the teachers to do what they need to do.
Listen to this and more in the entire Better Leaders Better Schools podcast.
Find the episode on iTunes.