"As long as my sixth graders showed an average improvement of five years, the principal and district pretty much left me alone to create my own curriculum and teach whatever I wanted"

This quote by Dan Simmons suggests that as long as his sixth graders showed an average improvement of five years, he was provided a lot of liberty in regards to producing his own curriculum and mentor whatever he desired. This indicates that the principal and district believed his teaching abilities and wanted to offer him the autonomy to design his own lessons and mentor techniques. This might be since of his past successes in mentor, or because of the trust they had in him. It also recommends that the principal and district were concentrated on the results of his mentor, and wanted to provide him the liberty to teach as he saw fit as long as the trainees were making development.