[…]slides, and goals without scruples. I learned how each of my peers functioned, what their “go-to” strategies were, and how much scaffolding they used. Each of us had a very unique style and strategy. The humbling thing, though, was that most of it was quite effective. In fact, there were lots of lessons I started skeptically, only to find that my peers had efficient or fun solutions to issues I hadn’t even considered. Despite our hard-fought battles over curriculum and instruction, we were all pretty darned good teachers. Using others’ work gave me time to communicate more closely with individual […]
[…]understanding. Following graduation, Adam taught Regents Prep Earth Science in the South Bronx through the Teach for America Summer Institute. After completion of the Institute, he taught Pre-AP Conceptual Physics in New Haven, Connecticut for one semester. He returned to southern California to fulfill his desire to positively impact his home community, where he taught college prep physics and AP Physics 1 as a long-term substitute before enrolling in graduate studies. Volunteer Experience For three years, Adam served as the Director of Education for CityLab at the University of California, Los Angeles, a student-run organization that brought the wonder and […]
[…]school year. Hobbies Kwesi enjoys spending time with his wife and children, walking, collecting comic books, and listening to podcasts. Academic Background University of Pennsylvania (Master of Science in Secondary Education) Rutgers University (Master of Business Administration in Information Systems) Pennsylvania State University (Bachelor of Science in Electrical […]
[…]nose and doing the good work, you all deserve medals (the “medals”, let’s note, are rarely forthcoming.) Don’t get me wrong; we’ll take more pay, more windows, more gardens, more time. But there is laughter, and music, and creativity, and hope in this work. There is nothing-matters-more in this work and there are moments of pure and delightful absurdity in this work. There is reckoning with pain and ugliness as a community, there is dancing, there is surprise and wonder and revelation. There is exploring plants and bugs with all five of our senses— yes, all five, yes, bugs too. […]
Introduction “Hey, I think I found one! Come take a look, it’s right here.” “Really?” “Is it like the other one?” It doesn’t take long for the dozen or so people hiking up Pothole Dome to scramble up the slope and gather around the person who first called out. A handful get notebooks out and make quick sketches while others snap pictures. Then someone, hoping to get a closer look, lays belly-down on the warm granite slab. “Notice how the mark looks different than the other cracks and are all oriented the same direction,” she says. Another person chimes in, […]
[…]and struggle to make new friends. I will always remember how welcoming they were and how comfortable they made me feel. I knew the support I would gain from being a part of this group would make a difference for me from the start. At lunch, I learned how the group was established. Two teachers in the region, Meg Gildea and Abby Daane, wanted to develop a larger learning community among teachers in the Pacific Northwest to increase opportunities to learn from each other and their different contexts. Abby and Meg started NWRF with informal dinner meet-ups. As the group […]
[…]myself through the keyboard and the screens, hoping the human connection isn’t lost. Creature Comforts It’s not all bad. Here at home I can control my physical environment a bit more. Take a bathroom break when I need it. It’s cold in Minnesota, and my hands are freezing, but rather than turn the heat up I find a sweater and brew a cup of tea. Any kind will do. Jasmine for when I am feeling reflective. I think about how my dad loves this tea and taught me not to steep it too long so it doesn’t get bitter. Chai […]
[…]can be, and what radiant hymns ring out when they surpass our expectations. As a scientist, I am uncomfortable with the amount of subjectivity I bring to my job everyday, but as a human being I am equally uncomfortable with the amount of objectivity my profession requires. – Katrina Jones, 2015 Teaching Fellow Teaching has taught me to have more patience and understanding for my students. Many students have so many challenges to overcome at home that they need care and concern to succeed at school. – Kim Lintker, Senior Fellow I’ve learned that there are some core psychological […]
[…]my own story, I am not scaring my students or delegitimizing myself, as I feared. Instead, their comfort level increases when I make the space for students to bring their own struggles with mental health and other possibly hidden identities into the classroom. By sharing the very stories I used to worry would bring judgment or fear, I give permission for students to bring their whole selves, wherever they are in their own journeys, to our class. I often notice students relax when I share my story, not tense up in fear or judgment. IV. Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, […]
