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…
Tag: relationship
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…
The Importance of Documentation and Reflection in Building Community
In the Cottonwood community, one of our main focuses in the beginning of the school year is community building – which is foundational to all…
The Writing Kind of Life
“A writer’s notebook is like a ditch – an empty space you dig in your busy life, a space that will fill up with all…
What are the children teaching me?
As a student teacher in Opal 3 this year, I continually find moments where my own growth parallels, intersects, is inspired by, and connects with…
What kind of community do you want to be in?
Many schools spend the first six weeks of school building community in order to establish a foundation that will support learning through the rest of…
How do conflicts, oopsies, and the strategies we use to work through them help support a community over time?
“It is important to practice problem solving strategies so we can use them solving our problems. We get better and better the more we practice!…
Tough Guy
Every word and action can send a message. It tells children — or students or athletes — how to think about themselves. It can be…
Constructing new ideas through dialog and the arts
During a recent Opal School Mentorship Program gathering, a group was discussing the quality of conversation they hear in Opal School classrooms. They were intrigued by the…
Supporting Habits of Heart and Mind in New Terrain
Since “retiring”, Opal School Founder Judy Graves has been busy continuing her efforts to inspire greater educational opportunity for all children. Here’s her report on her…