Culture Makers + Word Breakers
The language we choose in our teaching changes the worlds children inhabit now and those they will build in the future. — Peter Johnston, Opening…
Tag: community
Our 100 Days Plan
With January’s fickle weather, it felt like we were never going to settle back into our regular school and home routines. After the winter break, in the…
An act of freedom
It’s been a stunning, bewildering, shocking ten days. I’ve heard people across the political spectrum call the rapid-fire developments chaotic and confusing. It’s hard to…
Intention Setting and Habits of Mind
Last March, Cedar Teacher Caroline Wolfe wrote a blog post about some of the resources that we use at Opal School when thinking about goals…
Giving Thanks; Pursuing Hope
This morning, Opal School gathered for its annual Gratitude Ceremony. Each class demonstrated its unique response to the invitation to contribute: one composed poems about the ways…
Being Safe to Risk
What lives between the comfort zone and the danger zone? It’s a place where you feel safe to risk. It’s the zone we work to…
Surprises
Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought. ― Albert Szent-Gyorgyi As the children shared images and reflections of…
Riding the Chocolate Train
Within a social-constructivist context, shared experiences offer children a chance to build their understandings of themselves, each other, and the world. Earlier this week, the Cedar…
Pressing the Reset Button
As teachers we are continuously reflecting upon promoting healthy and productive classroom cultures. In designing experiences for children, we consider what we know about optimal…
Partner Explore: Connecting with Materials, Ideas and Each Other
Recently, as the children have been getting more familiar with the routines and setting of school, they are becoming more comfortable with one another, too. As a…