Work Ethic in Action: Striving for Excellence

Excellence is often found in the extra effort we choose to give.

For Jireth E. Villatoro-Rivera, a sixth-grade English Language Learner at Corbin Middle School, a recent writing assignment required more than simply putting his thoughts on paper. While his classmates were focused on understanding the content and communicating their ideas, Jireth was doing that work while also navigating a language he is still learning.

And he embraced the challenge with intentional effort.

With guidance from his sixth-grade reading teacher, Mrs. Humfleet, Jireth worked carefully to understand his assignment and apply the CERS writing strategy used throughout Corbin Middle School. He put focused effort into organizing his thinking, understanding new vocabulary, and communicating his ideas in English.

When Jireth completed his assignment, he was excited—and proud—to see his finished work.

But he didn't stop there.

Working in collaboration with his ELL tutor and substitute teacher, Jireth created a personal word bank of new vocabulary words from his essay. He took the opportunity to build on what he had learned and expand his language skills.

That is Work Ethic in action.

One of the indicators of Work Ethic in the Redhound Way is Strives for Excellence. It means taking pride in your work, putting forth your best effort, and looking for ways to improve.

Jireth demonstrated just that.

His story reminds us that work ethic is not about how easy the task is or how quickly it can be completed. It is about the effort, ownership, and care a learner brings to the work. For Jireth, that meant putting forth extra effort to learn in a language that is still becoming his own—and taking pride in what he accomplished.

Jireth is showing us what it means to strive for excellence.

That's the Redhound Way.