Teaching and Learning
Conditions that invite invention
As J engaged in Story Workshop, he identified a need in the world – and he saw that he had the power to respond to that need.…
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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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Sharing Gratitude
On Friday morning, Opal School children, families, and teachers gathered together for our weekly school-wide gathering. This week, it was the Dogwood community of first…
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Fear can’t survive proximity
What happens when fear drives our actions – and how can we interrupt it? This is a story about four-year old Mason. He is a…
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Political Work
Last week’s retreat focused on developing learning communities characterized by courage and collaboration. During the brief days of the workshop, we were rocked by the story…
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Working Within Our Intentions
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…
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Practicing strength by being vulnerable
Maintaining connection while feeling big emotions is something that we work hard on and practice a lot at this school. We want children to experience…
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Play, school, and the future of jobs
As much as I find good reason to treat anything that comes out of Davos with a measured dose of skepticism – and as resistant…
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Unpacking Compassion
“Empathy is a gateway to compassion. It’s understanding how someone feels, and trying to imagine how that might feel for you — it’s a mode…
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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…
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