Education Commissioner Candice McQueen on Friday surpassed her goal of connecting with 10,000 Tennessee teachers through a statewide tour of classroom visits. The commissioner, who initiated this tour as a way to listen and learn from Tennessee educators, committed to this goal shortly after being sworn in to her position in late January 2015.
Over the course of the past year and a half, Commissioner McQueen has visited more than 74 districts, 121 schools, and has observed classrooms in every region of the state, from Johnson City to Memphis. After logging 10,662 miles on the road, she has spent time with teachers, students, and administrators, listening to stories of their successes and challenges while sharing her experiences across the state on the department’s Classroom Chronicles blog.
“I’ve learned invaluable feedback from listening to teachers this past year and seeing first-hand how state policies play out at the classroom level,” Commissioner McQueen said. “My biggest takeaway is that we must continue to elevate and incorporate educators’ and students’ voices into what we do at the department and how we make policy decisions.”
Commissioner McQueen said she is committed to incorporating the feedback she has heard and the needs she has seen into the decisions made at the department, pledging to continue the Classroom Chronicles Tour during the 2016-17 school year.
This second leg of the Classroom Chronicles tour will focus on college and career readiness, focusing on how educators are shifting cultures and expectations throughout K-12 to prepare their students for life after graduation. During these future visits, the commissioner will aim to hear from not just teachers, but from students as well.
“We are eager to continue these conversations, and I look forward to visiting more of our schools in this next year,” Commissioner McQueen said.
Visit the blog, Classroom Chronicles, for highlights, photos, and videos from the commissioner’s tour: http://tnclassroomchronicles.org/.