I’ve always profited from taking risks with my education. Not to say that my most insightful papers were written in a batting cage, or that I had a moment of enlightenment whilst reading poetry on a 10 story ledge, but my experience has been that when you ignore that little doubtful voice in the back of your mind and jump … Read More
Suzuki violin
I think I learned more about teaching and learning from my training as a Suzuki violin teacher than from anything else I have studied. I first encountered this method as a traditional teacher who took a pair of students who had just moved to town from a big established Suzuki program elsewhere. It astounded me that the mother came to … Read More
The Three Most Important Questions in Education
It’s graduation season again – yet nobody seems to be celebrating. On college campuses, graduates are entering an economy in which the stable career paths of yesteryear are disappearing – and the specialized job opportunities of tomorrow have yet to appear. And in communities across the country, parents and young people are left wondering what exactly those past four years … Read More
Well Rounded Education is Best
I was in third grade when a very caring teacher, Mrs. DeCarlo, realized that although I was “smart,” I struggled in class and that maybe something was going on. I got evaluated for IQ and learning disorders and they discovered I was Dyslexic. Having a label to put with my struggles helped me to get the right interventions needed to … Read More
What's in that box?
In first grade my teacher, Ms. McDonald, came to class one day armed with a big cardboard box that was so big one of us could have fit inside it. We went quiet as we were all guessing what was inside and what this was all about. Ms. McDonald opened the box and pulled out another box that was white … Read More
My Poems
I am a high school English teacher. The learning communities that I have been a part of that were most powerful were my graduate classes in literature. In most of them a group of 15 or 20 people who loved literature sat in a circle and discussed novels and stories and poems. We batted about ideas, we interpreted and reinterpreted, … Read More
Steven Birkeland's Learning Story
My story is true and from the heart. In the Fall of 2009, I began the journey into my next step of my educational career. After two interviews and glowing recommendations from my supervisors, I was awarded a scholarship to attend Bank Street College of Education to pursue my Leadership in Educational Change degree to become a school leader. My … Read More
Paul Leather's Learning Story
Last summer, I participated in a graduation gateway exhibition of a young man, “Patrick”, at the Monadnock Community Connections School in Surry, NH. Patrick started MC2 four years ago with only one interest, his Supra car! He was able to build on that interest through four different internships and mentorships, to graduation with core academic skills. He graduated with 12 … Read More
Lisa Wininger's Learning Story
When I was very young, I always liked to run around outside and play in the woods, creeks, fields, and meadows. I found the natural world fascinating and spent as much time as possible in it, digging holes and trying to catch wildlife. When I was in elementary school in the 70’s, the environmental movement was just hitting its stride, … Read More
Jilanne Hoffmann's Learning Story
We enrolled our son in a Waldorf-inspired preschool at the age of 2.5. During the next two years, he thrived in an environment that emphasized respect and empathy for his peers that was modeled by his teachers. Electronic media were NEVER used. Children took many nature/outdoor hikes/walks. They helped teachers cook and clean. Learning was also CHILD-DIRECTED, with teachers encouraging … Read More
