At a recent meeting where evaluation and assessment were the themes of the day, we talked about rubrics and what evaluators (in this case, teachers) can and should expect from those being evaluated (students for example). The facilitator (Giselle Martin-Kniep) challenged us to think that the “A” score is not a 4 but a 3. That is, on a scale of 1 to 4, meeting an expectation should be thought of as the A. It grounds us simply because it addresses the expected end. So what then is better than an A? How do we get to a 4? The answer…moving beyond being grounded and into being inspired! What a lovely thought!

In my mind, to be inspired means to be transformed not just by what has grounded your understanding (or that which demonstrates–proves and verifies–what you know) but to push your own understanding into pulling someone else’s. What inspires you?