Transformational Leadership
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,…
Tag: values
Listening to children listening to trees
As we aim to create a school founded in a strong image of the child, we need to constantly consider our image of childhood and…
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…
Schooling for a better world
My heart is heavy looking back on a violent year. In the past year, we’ve watched so many individuals gunned down, white supremacy viscerally stamped…
Gratitude
Today, Opal School gathered for our annual Gratitude Celebration. One of the students in Magnolia, Oliver, says that gratitude isn’t saying thanks for a gift…
Creating TEDx (remembering how to jump)
[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,…
Matters of Opportunity: Does opportunity matter?
We love hearing from colleagues beyond Opal School’s walls regarding how Opal School is provoking fresh thinking. Today’s post comes from Sarah-Luella Baker, who presented…
What does holding a strong image of the child mean in a complicated world?
At the end of September, Matt Karlsen and I spoke to several groups in the Vancouver area about conditions that support playful inquiry. Over the…
Communities of Resistance – Where each member thrives
In a recent episode of This American Life, W. Kamau Bell struggles with how to talk to his young daughters about race and racism. As…
Sharing what matters
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King, Jr. In observance of the Martin Luther King,…