I am an educator, but I am also a Portlander. I love my city and always make sure to pay attention to what is happening around town for personal reasons, but also look for events, exhibits, and occurrences that connects to what our learning community is working with at that moment in time. It is …
In the Willow Community of fourth- and fifth-graders this year, one big question we are chewing on is: How might we raise a generation of citizens that know how to sustain a healthy democracy and a healthy planet? We are exploring this question through the lens of American history as we pay attention to the interdependent …
Read more “How can we step out of our comfort zones to think critically about stories of injustice?”
What we heard from the dialogue is that the children perceived the windows as a distraction to their work. What we did not hear was the children thinking about the possible perspective of the guests of the other people that might have an opinion about this situation.
At the beginning of the year, our teams of teachers draft intentions for the year. These intentions take the form of big, meaty questions that invite the children to chew on social, political, and historical issues that align with the values and guiding principles of our school. As the learning community becomes immersed in these …
At the beginning of this year, we posted the intentions letter that we craft to focus our attention, activate our eyes and ears as the children play with new ideas, and offer opportunities insights towards next steps. As a teaching team, we worked to craft a big question that will serve us through our journey. Taking …
Every new year is a new beginning. Each time a group of students and teachers come together in September, they become a learning community. What that looks like, feels like, and sounds like depends on the specific children and teachers that make up that learning community. No two communities are exactly the same because they …
The beginning of a new school year is an exciting time. The newness, the fresh start, and the anticipation are always with me as I enter the school for the first time after summer’s end. Personally, it means that I can bring all that I’ve been thinking about, reading about, and chewing on into reality. …
This year, in the Sitka learning community of 8 – 10 year-olds, we have been chewing on a big question: How does exploring the relationships between water and people help us understand systems? We decided to use water as a lens in hopes that it would provide opportunities to look closer into the idea of …
“A writer’s notebook is like a ditch – an empty space you dig in your busy life, a space that will fill up with all sorts of fascinating little creatures. If you dig it, they will come. You’ll be amazed by what you catch there.” -Ralph Fletcher, A Writer’s Notebook Receiving a writer’s notebook has …
I am a teacher, and it seems (and I know I am not alone in this ) that my teacher brain does not turn off when I leave the school grounds. I am constantly thinking, wondering, and exploring as I search for connections, knowledge, and all the nuggets and gems that I can explore myself – …