Hawley Receives Gold Star Award

By Larissa Lytwyn

Last spring, Hawley School was among 27 schools across the United States and Canada recognized by the International Reading Association for its outstanding reading and language arts program.

Hawley Principal Jo-Ann Peters received a plaque honoring the school’s achievement from the association at an honorary ceremony held last May in Washington, D.C.

This month, Hawley and its 27 peer-schools are September’s Gold Star Award recipients from the Teacher’s Desk, a website founded this past July by longtime educator Jacquie McTaggert.

The Teacher’s Desk, Ms McTaggert explained, is designed to empower parents to “help smooth the learning road for kids.”

The site offers parents a potpourri of information, including findings on recent educational studies, samples of award-winning academic curriculum, evaluations of latest trends in national and even international education and, of course, various achievements by North America schools.

“Principal Jo-Ann Peters and the staff at Hawley are to be commended for the outstanding job they do with students, and the honor they bring to the community,” Ms McTaggert said.

Hawley’s International Reading Association honor is indicative of this, she noted.

The association’s recognition was the culmination of the Hawley staff’s yearlong effort to revise and develop its language arts curriculum.

Teachers strive to implement reading and writing skills throughout students’ subject areas, from art class to science.

Other changes include efforts to refine faculty communication through teaming staff members together and increasing the number of faculty meetings held each academic year.

Ms Peters said she was “surprised” and “pleased” to receive the Gold Star.

In the mere two months since its launch, the Teacher’s Desk currently has more than a thousand subscribers representing 37 states across the nation.

“Through my 42 years of teaching, a profession I truly loved,” said Ms McTaggert, “I saw many things that parents could do to help their children experience more success.”

The Teacher’s Desk, she said, allows her to do this, “with a fair dose of humor!”

“I now do a lot of speaking at state reading conferences throughout the country,” she said. She said she plans to “showcase” Hawley as an example of “hardworking, dedicated” teachers, as well as “concerned parents” in future engagements.

Ms McTaggert’s schedule is posted monthly through the Teacher’s Desk on a link, “Spread the Word.”

“Much of my goal has to do with improving the public’s perception of educators by showcasing those who walk the extra mile and climb the highest mountain,” she said, “all for the betterment of kids. Hawley has certainly done that.”

She characterized a strong reading program as the “foundation” for a strong school.

“A strong reading program is also the sign of strong teachers and the leadership of a strong principal,” said Ms McTaggert. “Hawley has met those qualifications.”

Ms McTaggert said she updates the Teacher’s Desk monthly.

“Excellence deserves to be recognized,” she said.

To learn more about the Teacher’s Desk, visit www.theteachersdesk.com.