How can we step out of our comfort zones to think critically about stories of injustice?

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 …

Possibilities Within Our Intentions

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 …

What does our community need?

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 …

Growing Theories and Provisional Thinking

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 …

I Felt Brave

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 – …