Tenets of Faculty Excellence
The Hockaday School seeks faculty who exemplify high ideals and who employ best practices that are hallmarks of excellence. These faculty of excellence actively promote the mission and priorities of The Hockaday School, educating young women to assume positions of responsibility and leadership in a rapidly changing, interconnected world. They strongly support single-gender education and understand how girls learn best. They value and respect their colleagues and further school-wide, divisional, and departmental goals.
List of 5 items.
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Faculty of Excellence exemplify and promote strong ethical principles in the school community.
Their high moral standards, honorable behavior, and personal integrity govern their deliberations and actions. As faculty of excellence, they serve as role models for inspiring and helping students to choose what is right and good. -
Faculty of Excellence enrich the learning environment because they possess a generous spirit and a positive attitude.
They act as team players, serve as self-starters, and address needs with good cheer. -
Faculty of Excellence make their passion for their subject matter and for teaching obvious.
Their overt enthusiasm and curiosity result in students looking forward to attending class. They continually enhance their teaching by infusing classes with recent events, discoveries, research, current technology, or stories relevant to their students’ lives. -
Faculty of Excellence inspire students to be active learners.
By focusing on problem-solving, synthesizing information, and integrating knowledge, they challenge students to develop critical thinking skills and personal voice. They engage their students in such a way that students will take risks, going beyond what they know and thinking about what they don’t know. -
Faculty of Excellence continually seek improvement.
They continually ask themselves if there is a more effective way to teach that would make learning more interesting or relevant or enjoyable to their students. They use self-reflection, class observations, conversations with colleagues, and structured professional development opportunities.
List of 5 items.
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Faculty of Excellence use multiple approaches to reach students.
By researching and employing developmentally appropriate pedagogy, teachers of excellence vary presentation style, classroom activities, and assessment methods to address different learning styles. Continual observation of their classroom and feedback from students inspire teachers to make ongoing adjustments to their teaching. -
Faculty of Excellence partner with students, colleagues, and parents in the learning process.
They are seen as “available.” They communicate proactively and effectively to coordinate resources to best support student success. -
Faculty of Excellence show a genuine concern for their students.
They are empathetic, understand children, and possess a deep optimism about young people. Faculty of excellence monitor students’ progress, spend extra time with them outside of class to provide extra help, and find appropriate ways to support student activities. -
Faculty of Excellence establish high academic standards.
They challenge their students to complete meaningful and varied assignments, establish rigorous but fair grading criteria, and view assessments as tools in the learning cycle. By providing ongoing feedback and encouragement, teachers help students stretch and grow as learners. -
Faculty of Excellence fulfill professional responsibilities in a timely and thoughtful manner.
They are respectful of others and can be depended upon to demonstrate personal responsibility and accountability in carrying out school policies and procedures.
The Hockaday School
Within the private school community, The Hockaday School is an independent college-preparatory day school for girls from grades PK–12 located in Dallas, Texas. Students realize their limitless potential through challenging academic curricula, arts, athletics, and extracurricular programs so that they are inspired to lead lives of purpose and impact.