Good Morning Tatum ISD

I'm not much on selfies, but you need
to know what I look like...

My name is John Wink, and I am happy to be joining you as your director of curriculum, instruction and assessment.  The Pursuit of Excellence blog will be my primary form of communication with you.  I prefer blogs over email simply because blogs encourage dialogue and collaboration among multiple people as we work and learn together to ensure excellence for all.

A Little Bit about Me (personally)

I am from Longview where I attended and graduated from LHS in 1990. From there I earned a degree in vocal performance from SFA where I met my wife, Carolyn.  She is a police officer in Kilgore.  Together, we have a 4H club of our very own:  Hunter, Hannah, Holly, Haley.  Outside of work, I enjoy writing, reading, running, being outside, and hanging out with my family.

A Little Bit about Me (professionally)

After SFA, I went back to Longview HS to serve as choir director for 6 years.  I earned my Masters from Texas A&M University-Texarkana and moved to Hallsville MS where I served as middle school assistant principal for 2 years and then principal for 4 years.  In 2008, I served as principal at Hallsville HS for 3 years and most recently served as principal at Gilmer Elementary (PK-4) for the past 3 years.  My passion is helping every child become a success by serving teachers in every way that I can.

A Little Bit More about Me (philosophy)

I believe all kids can learn, and together it is our job to do whatever it takes to help them learn.  In order to achieve excellence, it starts with relationships.  If we can build powerful relationships with students and with our fellow colleagues that are grounded in trust, mutual respect and service to another, excellence will come naturally.

I really like the fact that Tatum's mottos hinge on the ideas of "Excellence for All" and "Where Every Student is Special".  In order for excellence to be achieved, we must take a quote from the great Vince Lombardi who said the following:

"Excellence must be pursued.  

It must be wooed with all of one's heart and all of one's might."  

In other words, excellence is not a result but a constant pursuit of learning for ourselves first.  If we are in pursuit of learning for ourselves, it is much easier to guarantee learning for every child.  My goal in life is simple, to be a learner first and a teacher second.

Over the Next Couple of Weeks

As we complete this school year, I hope to get to meet each and every one of you.  I plan to learn as much as I can about the great things in place.  After just one day, I am extremely impressed with all of the creativity and innovation happening throughout the district.  The systems for collaboration and communication tell me that Tatum ISD doesn't just have a motto.  It is living out that motto.  

I will be soliciting your input of through surveys and Google Docs.  I hope that you will give me your honest feedback about how the curriculum department can best support you with professional development, resources and supports.

Subscribe to my blog - I hope you will take a second and subscribe to follow this blog in the email subscription tab in the upper right hand corner of this page.

Let's Connect

I am kind of a digital nerd based on the fat that I am constantly connecting through blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and yes, even Pinterest.  The reason that I like social media is because we can learn so much more from our fellow educators around the world.  I have made many connections with teachers and administrators around the world who have stretched my thinking and  learning by opening my eyes to millions of unique ways to pursue "Excellence for All". 

• Click here if you want to connect on my personal Twitter page.
• Click here if you are interested in reading my personal blog.
• Click here if you prefer to connect on Google+.
• Click here if you would like to check out my boards on Pinterest.
• Of course, you can always email me if you have any questions.

Drop Me a Comment

So tell me what makes Tatum an awesome place to work and learn.  Tell me what I need to learn before the school year ends.  I am here to learn and support you, so in closing, thank you for the opportunity to work and learn with you.  I truly hope you have a great May and an even better end of the school year.

For Kids,

John