Sharon Rendon, Director of Professional Learning, sharonrendon@cpm.org
On January 1, 2018 I had the privilege to move into the role of Director of Professional Learning for CPM Educational Program. I am following the legacy of Chris Mikles, who has laid a wonderful foundation for teacher education within CPM. She started with basically nothing and built a set of workshop agendas, site visit protocols, conference sessions, teacher notes, organized Study Team and Teaching Strategies, and so much more. Through the years she has recruited many of us to work alongside her and contribute to this important part of CPM. She will be missed and I cannot thank Chris enough for all her efforts to provide a great base for teacher learning that I now get to continue leading.
I started teaching CPM in 2002 at Central High School, in Rapid City, South Dakota. I had the opportunity to teach the Algebra Connections, Geometry Connections, and the Algebra 2 Connections materials for five years. I was also able to teach the Precalculus course. I had many “aha moments” and made many mathematical connections as a teacher that year. As with many others, Chris Mikles was my workshop leader and came to provide my site visits the first year. And now I get the privilege of taking over from her as the Director of Professional Learning.
My passion for adult learning began when I had the opportunity to coach during the last few years I was in the classroom. After leaving the classroom, I was able to lead the teachers in the Rapid City Area Schools as the Secondary Math Coordinator. In this position I gained numerous leadership skills and continued to enhance my coaching, and my passion for adult learning soared. I served in this role for five years before CPM offered me the position of Coaching Coordinator. I have also been privileged to serve on the board for the premier math leadership organization NCSM for the past five years. This group has provided me with a wealth of knowledge, collaboration, and support in the various leadership positions I have held within the organization.
In my various leadership roles, I have always been guided by this quote from Roland Barth in Learning by Heart, “Ultimately there are two kinds of schools: learning enriched schools and learning impoverished schools. I have yet to see a school where the learning curves…of the adults were steep upward and those of the students were not. Teachers and students go hand and hand as learners…or they don’t go at all.” Everyone in the teaching profession needs to be in the business of continual learning. I am excited to continue to support teachers.
My vision for professional learning is based firmly on the belief that everyone is doing their best, and, when given the suitable access to knowledge, strategies, and support, they will be empowered to serve their students in a more meaningful way. In the arena of professional learning, those leading need to be a source for research and information, a provider of strategies, and sometimes even a cheerleader or encourager. CPM has a strong legacy of offering outstanding professional development for teachers. I plan to use this position as an opportunity to build on that history, and continue to enhance the learning opportunities for teachers, leaders, and ultimately students.
I look forward to collaborating with you and hearing your ideas for how CPM can continue to change secondary math experiences for teachers and students across this country and provide more math for more people.