Principal's Message
A warm hello from the John F. Kennedy Elementary School!
I am thrilled to have this opportunity to introduce myself. First of all, I consider it an honor to work with children: especially JFK children. Everywhere you look when you come to the JFK Elementary School, you see smiles. For me, this is our number one indicator of success.
What about other indicators of quality? Well, let me share a bit about my philosophy. I believe that the most important thing we can do as educators is to focus on student results. How well do they perform in “real life” settings like speeches, role plays, and presentations? How well do they meet our standards and benchmarks? How well do they perform on standardized tests?
Those are academic results. I also believe strongly in student results that reflect the whole individual. How well do they interact with peers? How is their emotional well being? What are they passionate about? When we answer these questions with positive responses, then we are doing our job in the Elementary School. I also believe that to educate the whole child, we must get the families involved. Knowing the community is requisite. What are the values of the families with which we work? How can we involve families in positive ways?
None of what I just mentioned is possible without two very important things: excellent teachers AND a spirit of collaboration. Hiring excellent teachers is the most important factor in guaranteeing positive student results. We can have all the “bells and whistles” but without talented, dedicated teachers, we can never achieve our goals. Second, a spirit of collaboration is necessary to reach our goals. I want people who like to be “bothered;” who like to share their knowledge with others; who like to learn from others. Diversity is a strength, and the more diverse backgrounds that teachers have, the better.
I believe strongly that to provide the best education possible, a “balanced” approach is best: balance between whole language and basic skills instruction, balance between student centered and teacher guided lessons, balance between performance based assessment and test evaluations. Because many students tend to be visual and/or hands-on learners, I believe strongly that most teaching should incorporate this style of instruction. Children are explorers, and must have ownership of what they are studying. This is the joy of teaching and learning.
I am a lifelong learner myself. I enjoy reading and studying. I am currently finishing a second Master’s degree in Educational Leadership. I have taught in Elementary, Middle, and High School settings. I have been a Fulbright scholar, ran a Self Study for accreditation, been an English Coordinator, and implemented a ropes training course. I love to exercise, to eat, to travel, to enjoy the outdoors, and play just about every sport (especially golf). I have skydived, hiked some of the tallest peaks in North America, and run half marathons (if I could stop enjoying food so much, I would love to try a full marathon!).
I am honored to be the Elementary Principal at John F. Kennedy, The American School of Queretaro. Please write me or drop by to see me. I would love to chat about education and other things as well.
Mark Dunn
