Good tests/academic success

Friends

No homework

Having fun/laughing/smiling/happy

Others are nice

Teachers

Nice kids/staff

Clubs/extracurricular

Resources

Information/Knowledge/Understanding in subject areas - 227

Knowing what to expect/feeling prepared - 188 

Good grades - 160

Time management/organization/note taking/EF skills - 111

Support system (Friends or staff)/social skills - 86

Study skills/test taking - 34

Pay attention in class/focus - 24

Self-confidence - 22

Extracurriculars/clubs/outside jobs - 11

Deal with or manage stress - 10

Wellbeing (e.g., getting enough sleep) - 4

Good behavior/not getting in trouble - 3

Get into college - 2

Life skills (taxes and driving) - 2

Good/Great - 65

Fun - 63

Amazing - 41

Boring - 31

Awesome - 29

Interesting - 28

Cool - 24

Educational/Learning - 24

Kind - 18

Helpful - 17

Fine - 16

Welcoming - 16

Stressful - 14

Exciting - 13

Inclusive - 13

Nice - 13

Safe - 12

School - 12

Creative - 9

Unique - 9

Accepting - 8

Decent - 8

Friendly - 8

Inspiring - 8

Community - 7

Supportive - 7

Caring - 6

Tiring - 6

Average - 5

Engaging - 5

Different - 4

Long - 4

Happy - 4

Hard - 4

Positive - 4

Academic - 3

Chill - 3

Comfortable - 3

Excellent - 3

Incredible - 3

Joyful - 3

Leadership - 3

Modern - 3

Normal - 3

Outstanding - 3

Respectful - 3

Smart - 3

Adventurous - 2

Alot - 2

Astounding - 2

Challenging - 2

Chaotic - 2

Confusing - 2

Crazy - 2

Epic - 2

Exhausting - 2 

Extraordinary - 2

Hardworking - 2

Homework - 2

Innovative - 2 

Inspirational - 2

Intelligent - 2

Loud - 2

Memorable - 2 

Motivational - 2

Present - 2

Pride - 2

Spirited - 2

Together - 2

Understanding - 2

Accommodating

Adaptable

Advanced

Alright

Anxiety

Astonishing

Athletic

Big

Bittersweet

Cheerful

Compelling

Complex

Complicated

Confident

Connected

Disciplined

Diverse

Empowering

Energetic

Enjoyable

Entertaining

Enthusiastic

Eventful

Fair

Fancy

Flawless

Flexible

Good-hearted

Grateful

Grit

Growth

Heteronormative

High-achieving

High-expectations

Homeroom

Incomplete

Influential

Imperfect

Important

Judgemental

Legendary

Loyal

Magnificent

Mindful

Objective

Opportunity

Optimistic

Painful

Perfect

Perseverance

Present

Privileged

Progressive

Quantitative

Questionable

Rich

Rude

Selfish

Slow

Special

Spectacular

Spontaneous

Strong

Successful

Super

Technological

Terrible

Thoughtful

Trying

Unexpected

United

Volatile

Voluptuous

Wholesome

Work

Academic Impact

Help students reach their goals/growth academically - 16

Problem solvers - 9

Appreciation of music - 3 

Independent thinkers - 2 

High quality instruction in literacy - 2

Solving math and reading problems - 2

Transform the way math is instructed district-wide and instructional changes and growth that teachers can make

Fill in student skill gaps for them to be successful 

A love of my own content area 

Early intervention

That making mistakes is okay 

Finding a student with a hearing loss before it was noticed by parents

Asking questions

Passion for physical activity

Consistency

Teach them something they remember

Social-Emotional/Character Impact

Social-emotional growth - 12

Self-confidence/Self-esteem - 12

Kindness - 11

Hard work/resilience/perseverance through challenges - 10

Determined, compassionate leaders - 6

Advocacy Skills - 5

Help them grow more than test scores - 4

Positive attitude - 4

Just make students better people - 3

Creativity - 3

Embody their best selves and feel good about themselves - 3

Grit - 2

Growth mindset - 2

See students for their strengths - 2

Empathy - 2

Communication - 2

Stand up for what they believe in 

Sharing joy with others

Teaching life skills 

Caring and thoughtful students 

Proud of their effort

Organizational Impact

Love of learning, life-long learners to navigate the world around them - 67

Feel loved, valued, cared about and supported by their teachers - 64

Building strong relationships with students - 21

Collaborative, global citizens/productive in society - 19

Feel comfortable and safe at school - 14

Be a Positive Role Model - 8

Overall positive student experience - 6

Listen to students - 5

Supporting other teachers - 2

Sense of belonging/community - 2

Teaching other teachers how to implement strategies into instruction

Encouragement

Positive family connections

Build memories together 

Student-Centered

Kids smiling, happy students, laughing, or leaving each day or class with a smile - 73

Student engagement - 60

Seeing students learn, grow and have fun doing it - 50

Students being successful/achievement/making progress- 43

Positive interactions or relationships with students - 23

Students master skills or when they didn’t understand before “ah-ha” moments - 22

When students collaborate or help other students - 9

Kids socializing/positive interactions with other students - 8

Students are kind/respectful to one another - 7

Students know they are supported and feel safe in the classroom - 5

Students communicate with teachers (e.g., say hello/goodbye or share successes) - 5

Making connections with material - 4

When students accept or ask for help - 3

Helping a student through a difficult time - 3

Hardworking students - 3

When students complete work - 2

Students become leaders - 2

Students learn something that will impact them in the future - 2

Meeting a child’s health needs/healthy students - 2

Students work toward independent functioning in the classroom - 2

Morning classroom meetings

Students feel loved and supported

Students are regulated 

Students engaged in extracurricular activities

Receiving student artwork/note 

Leadership-Centered/Organization

Supported and encouraged by administration - 12

Positive interactions or relationships with staff - 9

Receiving praise or recognition - 5

Staff have all the information/tools possible for their work day - 3

Being acknowledged by students and staff - 2

Having reasonable expectations

Good staff morale

Helping teachers grow 

Staff-Centered/Daily Tasks

Collaborate/communicate with coworkers or team - 30

Laughter and having fun with colleagues or at work in general - 25

Being able to see all students on my schedule/getting everything done planned - 8

Teacher engagement/support - 5

Not being paged for problems/no crises/behavioral issues - 4

Utilizing/having a plan time - 4

Not feeling exhausted/overwhelmed by the end of the day - 4

School spirit - 3

Celebrating each other or the small wins - 3

Kindness or care from colleagues - 3

Happy parents/positive parent communication - 2

Behavior expectations being upheld - 2

Being able to teach - 2

Having lunch with team/coworkers - 2

Someone else compliments students  - 2

Helping other teachers feel confident and empowered - 2

Own professional growth - 2

Using my skills to benefit the district

Not sitting in meetings

Breaks in day to take care of my needs (e.g., use the restroom, answer emails)

Responsive adults

Variety of instruction (co-teach, plan, create)

Calm, low stress

When I can make someone else’s day

Free food/coffee

Student-Centered

Academic Excellence/High Achievement/Empower students - 7

Teaching kids to be independent and critical thinking - 6

Service learning or community service a priority - 5

Fine Arts or other Arts electives (e.g., sewing)  - 5

Innovation or innovative technology - 4

Student support - 4

Specialized instruction/differentiation - 3

Student spotlight/recognition other than academics - 2

Higher focus on students with IEPs/504s or lower average learners - 2

E-sports or other electives (e.g., coding) - 2

Peer and teacher-led tutoring during the day

Early intervention needs 

Foreign language core class

Library information program

Have a PBiS program

Everyday PE for elementary 

Participate in extracurriculars 

Leadership-Centered/Organization

More SEL/better SEL program/curriculum looking at the whole child - 64

Additional staff/support in the classroom - 19

DEI - 18

More support and respect from administration - 17

Less emphasis on test scores/overtesting - 11

Collaboration within and between buildings - 10

Having plan time/equitable plan time - 10

Less tasks or another initiative - 9

Positive culture - 6

Smaller class sizes - 6

Attracting and retain good talent (especially admin) - 5

Updated buildings and more space - 5

Praising and rewarding teachers/staff - 5

Taking care of staff mental health/social emotional needs - 5

Better special education programs to meet student needs/best practice - 4

Follow rules/discipline/consistency in discipline - 4

Collaborate with the community - 4

Better connection between administration/school board/work groups  - 3

Reinstate snow days - 2

Higher salaries - 2

Truly understand teacher burnout - 2

Actually taking action to make progress

Flexible student schedules at MS

Consistent RTI Criteria

Four-day work week 

Having other districts visit D109

Do not tolerate/hold parents accountable if they treat staff unprofessionally

Staff-Centered

Listening to teacher input/being involved in decision making - 15

Communication/Transparency - 8

Trust in staff and feeling valued - 8

Additional professional development trainings that are meaningful - 7

Move away from lectures to more student-led activities - 6

Continue to use and successfully implement the wealth of resources - 3

High quality instruction - 3

Trained in curriculum/up to date curriculum - 3

Being team players - 2

Happy staff - 2

Teach social studies and not just through ELA 

Grade book design 

Opportunities for leadership among staff

Writing program for special education staff 

Teacher training in anger management/not yelling at teachers

Having technology available to all staff

Education based on relationships and love of learning

I believe it already is set apart - 8

Rewarding - 14

Challenging - 13

Fulfilling - 11

Growth/Growing - 9

Exhausting - 8 

Stressful - 8

Supported/

Supportive - 8

Ever-changing/

change/life-changing - 6

Good/Great - 6

Inconsistent - 6

Awesome - 5

Collaborative - 5 

Community - 5

Interesting - 5

Positive - 5

Amazing - 4

Meaningful - 4

Overwhelmed/

Overwhelming - 4

Welcoming - 4

Enjoyable - 3

Family - 3

Frustrating - 3

Hard - 3

Unique - 3

Busy - 2

Different - 2

Educational - 2

Energizing - 2

Engaging - 2

Epic - 2

Eventful - 2

Exciting - 2

Expectations - 2

Experience - 2

Flexible - 2

Friendly/

staff-friendly - 2

Home - 2

Imbalanced - 2

Inspiring - 2

Intense - 2

Life/my life - 2

Lucky - 2

Opportunity - 2

Pendulum - 2

Relationships - 2

Transformational - 2

Wonderful - 2

Accepting

Adventurous

Blessed

Caring

Commitment

Complicated

Conflicting

Connected

Dedicated

Determined

Diminishing

Disjointed

Distinctive

Dynamic

Ebb and Flow

Empowering

Enriching

Evolving

Exceptional

Excellence

Extraordinary

Fast-paced

Fortunate

Fun

High-Achieving

Holistic

Impactful

Important

Incredible

Innovative

Inspirational

Invigorating

Job

Logistical

Loved

Loyalty

Malleable

Maturation

Motivated

New

Novel

Practice

Pressured

Pride

Relationship-building

Remarkable

Resilience

Rich-Learning

Satisfying

Striving

Strong

Stymied

Super

Teamwork

Thought-provoking

Together

Top-Heavy

Trying

Tumultuous

Unsupported

Volatile

Academic

SEL/Life Skills

Community

Organization

Individualize Academics (IEP/Gifted/All Students); Not every child is the same - 3

Problem-solving skills/Out-of-Box thinking - 3

Structure and Community Involvement/Schools anchor the community - 3

Transparency and communication of all decisions - 4

Supporting new technology and the value of technology - 2

DEI - 3

Parent knowledge - Pre COVID vs. Post COVID or overall school knowledge - 2

Teacher support - 2

Test scores don’t matter

Education is more than just learning, need for SEL skills - 2

Community and in-person learning is important

Thru homework (district)

Appropriateness of benchmarks - standards vs. grades

Resiliency

Parent partnerships

Flexibility

Strong curriculum

Cultural competence

Camps/Experiences

Administration Turnover

STEM - At what cost?

Preparing students for a diverse world

Using strengths of Deerfield

Use of money appropriately/Financial

Foreign Language courses

More varied extra curricular

Childcare

“Pandemic-proof” mission

Learning Styles - In and Out of the Classroom

Responsibility for behavior

Parent Education

In-Person Learning is best

Arts

School preparedness vs. parents funding outside tutors

Option for remote

Evidence-based education

Connection to 113

Not a private school

Importance of learning - curricular flexibility

109 has “good optics”

Overall health and safety - not being fearful

Academic Engagement

Social-Emotional Skills

Life Preparedness

Love of lifelong learning (active) - 14

Confidence - 14

Understanding of self in context of the world (cultural competence) - 5

Executive Functioning Skills - 8

How to relate to others that are different, accepting, inclusive - 12

Prepared for the world - 5

Study Strategies - 8

Kindness, empathy - 7

Healthy Risk Taker - 3

Problem Solving Skills - 8

Key SEL Skills Proficiency - Resiliency, Goal-Oriented - 6

Political Awareness - 2

Prepared for HS/College - 7

Self-Advocacy - 6

Sense of responsibility - 2

Collaborative Learning - 4

Self-Regulation/Awareness - 4

Independence - 2

Mental Flexibility - 3

Mindfulness Skills - 3

Understand what it means to live a meaningful life

Critical Thinking - 3

Strong Social Network - 3

Parent Involvement 

Exposed to a huge variety of learning and arts - 2

Leadership - 3

Taught Trade

Foreign Language 

Self-Esteem - 2

Kids are inspired

Good with Technology - 2

Sense of Belonging - 2

Know each child’s inherent worth

Knowing how to find the answer may be more important than the answer

Healthy communication skills (adults and peers) - 2

How to professionally respond to emails

Engagement 

Meaningful Relationships with Staff and Peers - 2

Desire to take on challenges

Helpful - 2

Motivated/Ambition/Perseverance

Define by character, not academic achievement

Find or seek ways to share their passions

Growth Mindset

Recognizing own and others’ strengths

Navigating complex relationships