We’ve been infected with this kind of pathological impatience that makes us want to have the knowledge but not do the work of claiming it. I mean, the true material of knowledge is meaning. … And the only way to glean knowledge is contemplation. And the road to that is time. There’s nothing else. It’s …
Last week, a post from Erin Dunn Baker showed how one teacher’s experience at Opal School influenced inquiry with the third graders she works with. Here, Susie Morice describes how her study of Opal School is shaping her thinking. Susie’s post first appeared on the blog of the Santa Fe Center for Transformational School Leadership. Transformational Schools by …
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] When the organizers of the TEDx West Vancouver conference called to ask if someone from Opal School would like to share at their event, I shot up my hand. I knew it would be a powerful exercise in synthesis – forcing me to develop clarity around what I care most about in the work …
Opal School is part of the Ashoka Changemaker Schools Network, a group of schools distinguished in their efforts to support empathy and agency. Last year, supported by funding from Ashoka, we held a series of site visits and conversations with three other schools who participate in the network: Mission Hill K-8, a Boston Public Pilot …
Re-reading this article tonight, after a particularly creative third grade Literacy Studio today, I was thrown against the cold reality of the mindset of those who really would have us believe that control, certainty, and the dehumanization of the students in our care is the way to a more robust economy and stable society. In Creativity …
It’s August and at Opal School that means there are 3 of us here ready to begin the ball toss that will evolve into our 13th year of school. Every year, this ball we toss first is a little different than the one we tossed the August before. At Opal School we listen, we pay …
We partner with the A Year at Mission Hill project because we believe in its premise: Through looking carefully at quality in varied educational contexts, we can find common threads. This week’s video looks at assessment. It asks a profound, complicated question: How do we know what children are learning – and how do we …
Opal School is a learning place for both the young people who come to class daily as well as for educators who attend our workshops and web-based projects. Recently, teachers, administrators, and specialists came from far and wide to attend a multi-day session focusing on playful inquiry. Our work together served as both provocation and …