Susan Harris MacKay
Learning to Read the Research on Learning to Read
I have spent many hours during this holiday week in a rabbit hole. Late last week, several parents sent me notes asking for my opinion…
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Why “Story Workshop” is not “Retelling-Someone-Else’s-Story Workshop”
A lot of things happen during Story Workshop at Opal School: Finding stories which may develop into writing pieces in many different genres Writing stories,…
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Getting Started with Story Workshop
Story Workshop is an approach supporting young children’s literacy built upon on four pillars: the sharing of stories; immersion in the arts; time for play;…
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What Happens After the Mistake?
I made a mistake the other day. It’s probably true that I made more than one. But the one I’m thinking about, the one that…
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Spreading Love While Marching for Love While Being Loved
On March 14, in solidarity with children all over the United States, Opal’s students and teachers walked out of school at 10 am, local time.…
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Marching for Love
When I took the Opal Advisory Council’s advice to the Opal teaching staff the day after our meeting, I also brought the same reading material:…
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Doing Something When Nobody Knows What to Do
On Tuesday (3.6.18) this week, as we were preparing for our monthly parent advisory meeting, an email arrived from the Superintendent of Portland Public Schools.…
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You are Worthy of Love and Belonging
I listened to This American Life’s episode, Three Miles, earlier this week – and I can’t get it out of my head. Here’s the synopsis…
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Looking for Invention
With generous funding from The Lemelson Foundation, Opal School is embarking on an exciting journey this fall to research Invention Education alongside our friends and…
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Engaging Families as Partners
This past week, we welcomed families to Opal School for its 17th year. And, as is true so often, we also welcomed change. For new…
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