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ATWOOD (February 13) — Penny Schwinn, Tennessee’s new commissioner of Education, was well pleased following her visit to two local schools in Carroll County. Both are among the limited number of Reward Schools in the state.
While a tight schedule did not allow her time to visit with media representatives at McKenzie, she did have comments following her afternoon visit at West Carroll Junior-Senior High in Atwood.
She said, “This is an incredible school. There are a few things that made it incredible. One, I saw teachers who love what they do, passionate about what they do, and passionate about the kids. I heard from kids who know what they want to do and how they are going to get there. And most importantly, they felt like they are home. When they came to school, they felt just like they are home. There is something special about that. I don’t think we talk enough about feeling that level of community when you are at school. I was very moved and impressed by that. I met leaders who knew their kids, they had vision for comes next. You need leaders who know where they are going, you need teacher-leaders who care deeply about the content and the child, and you need students who are excited about learning. I saw all that.”
She continued, “Part of the work of being commissioner is to make sure you know what is happening in classrooms across the state. She said she uses that to help develop the policies across the state.”
In a roundtable discussion, Commissioner Schwinn met with students Andrew Springer, Natalie Moore, Hope Coleman, Kassidy Simmons, Kaylie Harris, Savannah Sutton, Marah Bryant, Courtney Minton, Seth Edwards, Tatym Keymon, Riley Weaver, Jack Lawrence, Lainee Hawkins, Jana Clark, Anessa Higgs, and River Hays.
Each of the students told of their post-secondary plans, how they have benefited from the instruction and care of teachers and administrators at West Carroll. The also made a few recommendations to improve the path to the future.
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