Looks to build open, positive relationships to amplify student success
The job of director of curriculum and instruction is meant to survey all educational aspects of a school district. Everything from critiquing curriculum, monitoring teacher and student performance data and informing members of the superintendent’s team about the workings of the district — the job duties are vast.
Sherry McAteer took this position in the Clearview Regional School District in February and is in the process of building relationships with the Pioneer students, teachers and administrators.
As to be expected with a position like this, many levels of education must be completed and certificates gained before doing the job.
McAteer gained most of her education at Rowan University, earning her BA in English and MA in writing with a focus on composition writing. She spent time teaching in the Deptford Township school district between earning these degrees.
In all, McAteer spent nearly 20 years professionally in Deptford teaching English in both the middle and high school while concurrently teaching writing classes at Rowan University and multiple classes at Camden County College.
However, there came a point when she sought a position outside of the classroom.
“I became interested in improving public education,” she said.
This endeavor, she said, was born most likely from teaching at the collegiate level for several years.
“I could see the skills [adult learners] were missing from pre-k through grade 12,” McAteer said.
Before entering the Clearview Regional’s administrative world, McAteer spent 13 years in administrative roles in Deptford working to improve anything and everything academic, including working as a night-school principal for a time, after earning a principal’s certificate.
However, McAteer is a Harrison Township resident.
“One of my passions is community,” she said and explained being able to connect the larger community with that of the school helps create one larger, healthier atmosphere.
While McAteer enjoyed her time in Deptford, she noted Clearview Regional is a smaller district, one she is able to engage with fully and in which she feels more focused.
Being able to interact regularly with administration, staff and teachers on Clearview’s two-building campus offers McAteer the opportunity to do her job in a more organic fashion.
“I can literally be in both schools interacting with the kids. For me, I get bored without the kids, they are why we are all here. They can help lead you to the right decision if you just ask them. I think that is a really important part of administration, connecting with the kids.”
Diving into the guts of her position, she said, “Nowhere is perfect.”
McAteer stressed her main job is to identify needs in the district and create a process to meet those needs.
While she said the students are doing well, she wants to make sure the good work done in the past is carried forward and every student is given the opportunity to reach their highest potential.
“So that would not only be the high achieving students who take a full AP load, but that would also be the students that need academic interventions,” she said.
“I want to bring a focus to all kids,” she noted and explained the focus was there in the past, she just needs to keep improving.
Another initiative McAteer is engaging in mirrors a success of the Mantua School District, the character education program.
Noting Mantua’s award of “District of Character” this year, McAteer said she is keeping in close contact with administrators from both Mantua and Harrison Township school districts to potentially incorporate a similar program.
“I am interested in strengthening communication in the tri-district,” she said. “Clearview is a campus full of kids from Harrison and Mantua townships, so I really want to engage with them a lot on a high level.”
While McAteer is in her first year at Clearview and is in the process of creating her vision, she mentioned one tool she is focused on is technology.
Beyond promoting technology as a teaching resource, McAteer is encouraged by the active Twitter use of Clearview staff. She explained Twitter is a growing resource in the academic community, and teachers and administrators utilizing the social media platform for professional development are opening avenues of communication with the larger academic community, which may have positive impacts on students.
“You see great ideas from educators all over the world,” she said.
And by active Twitter use by Clearview staff, McAteer said she able to see what is happening in the classrooms on a regular basis.
“It helps me stay connected with classrooms, and it helps us all build our professional networks,” she said.
In the middle school specifically, “Twitter Madness” is a storm of tweets by teachers to document what is happening in each classroom, new academic apps that are garnering success, a look at completed student projects and more. The hashtags #CRMSTwitterMadness, #PioneerPride and #ViewOneGoodThing are just a few of the several Clearview Regional hashtags that offer McAteer a consistent look into the classroom and the success of students. Harrison Township School District is doing something similar with #180brags.
As she ventures further in the school year, McAteer said another main focus is to “build open, positive relationships with [teachers], to have an open exchange of ideas.” This, she says, is instrumental for the success of the students, a group of people she said “welcomed her with open arms.”
Overall, McAteer said she wants the Clearview Regional School District to offer “an excellent education for all students. I want our schools to be safe and a challenging learning environment for all kids that walk through the door.”
