Jacob Dunn

Born Again | Husband | Father | Assistant Principal @wcpioneers | Former History Teacher | Education Coach | Ed Tech Guy |

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

So proud of our team at @wcpioneers. 3 Peat!

[WC Pioneers @wcpioneers]

🔴🔵 THREE YEARS IN A ROW! 🔵🔴
Warren County High School is proud to announce that we have earned a LEVEL 5 COMPOSITE TVAAS RATING for the THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR!
What does Level 5 mean? It is the highest rating possible in Tennessee’s academic growth system. It means there

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

My first year teaching, I was as lost as last year's Easter egg. Some days you could hear the chaos in my room right through the wall.

The veteran teacher next door heard it. He didn't judge me. He pulled me aside after school and offered to help, and he meant it.

Teachers, if the room next to yours sounds rough this month, knock. Leaders, ask every first year teacher who they go to next door, and if they don't have anybody, find them somebody.

Who was the teacher next door for you?

[Coach Brad Waggoner @CoachWaggonerGT]

‼️ High School Football Reality ‼️

Most people, don’t really understand what it means when a senior football players season ends. They don’t understand the true finality of it for 95% of these young men. You can play baseball/softball/basketball in rec leagues forever. You can always play a game of pick up basketball. You can play golf and tennis as much as you want when you get older. You can run Track and enter a 5K or marathons till you die. But most high school football players will never ever put on a helmet and play the same game again. You go from being totally and completely immersed in a game you love to being totally and completely shut out from it. That is incredibly difficult. Football is not a lifetime sport… but high school football IS a once in a lifetime experience.

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

Today is Veterans Day. In small Tennessee towns, our veterans aren't far off. They drive our buses, coach our teams, teach down the hall, and sit in the pew in front of us on Sunday.

I taught U.S. History for years, and one real person telling one true story could teach more than a week of my notes.

If you can, invite one veteran into one class this month. Give students three questions ahead of time: Where did you serve? What would you like to share about your experience? What do you want my generation to know? Then let them listen.

To every veteran working in a school today: thank you for serving twice.

Teachers, what's the best question you've ever heard a student ask a guest?

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

Put a name and a check date beside all three. That's the whole tool, about twenty minutes at your next leadership meeting.

If you'd like help running one with your team before semester planning, I'd be glad to.
[email protected]

What's one thing your campus could prune before Christmas? (4/4)

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

By mid November, most school plates are full and nobody has taken anything off.

Before you add one more thing before Christmas break, run a Prune, Plant, Keep. It's my school version of Start, Stop, Continue, with one change that matters.

Prune comes first. (1/4)

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

Share and cluster. Then agree on just one item in each column.

Prune goes first because it frees up the time Plant is going to need.

If nothing gets pruned, nothing new really gets planted. It just gets piled on top. (3/4)

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

Clocks fell back last night, and I'll take that extra hour. Most days I'm trying to find teachers a little more time, and this morning God just hands one to all of us. Spend it on rest, on church, on your people. Monday will keep. Have a blessed Sunday, y'all.

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

Halloween on a Saturday around McMinnville. Porch lights on, leaves in the yard, and little ones in costumes running ahead of their mamas and daddies. I reckon small towns still do this one right. Y'all be safe out there tonight.

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

What an amazing week it's been at Warren County High School! Tuesday night, the Tree City Choir performance set the tone for a great week. One of my favorite highlights is when we let our students trick or treat in the halls and hold our costume contest. Pioneer pride all week long. 🎃

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

Teachers, if you're bone tired this Friday, you're not doing it wrong. You've poured into kids all week, and that takes something out of a person. Go home. Leave school at school tonight. Hug your people. Monday you'll be right back at it, and the kids will be glad you are.

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

Every brainstorm ends with more ideas than a team can do. Sort them on two questions. How much will it help? What will it cost in time and energy? High help, low cost, start Monday. High help, high cost, plan it on purpose. Low help, high cost, let it go. Think big. Act small.

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

There's a lot of talk about scripted lessons. When I started in 2008 as a non traditional teacher, my textbook came with scripts. I didn't like them, so I wrote my own. A script can give a new teacher the words. Coaching gives them the why, and the why is what lasts.

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

@laffoon_jon Ouch, but true.

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

@Mr_Raichura Excellent work. As an Administrator I would love to have you teach in my school. It was a joy to watch this clip of a lesson.

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

None of this takes a grant. It takes attention. Check on your new teachers this week, and ask your staff what's eating their time. If your leadership team wants to work through it together, I'd be glad to help. [email protected] (4/4)

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

The Tennessee Education Research Alliance put out a summary this month on teacher retention. One line stuck with me. Teachers who plan to leave often point to school culture and leadership. Teachers who plan to stay point to those same things. That's on us, leaders. (1/4)

[Jacob Dunn @JacobDunn]

Tennessee teachers are also less satisfied with their jobs when more of their time goes to student discipline. A clear, steady discipline system that admin backs up every time is teacher care, plain and simple. It gives teachers their classroom back. (3/4)