I am still on west coast time, so as folks all around me are retiring to bed I am in my corner room at Episcopal burning the midnight oil. I wonder, who is in the chopper flying above me? Is it Olivia Pope? Not sure if I should have engaged in weeks of watching Scandal and The Americans before my trip to DC as I find myself looking over my shoulder and in every corner for political mischief, scandals, the President and spies. Oh DC, our nations capital:)
Today was a fabulous day at NAIS Teachers of the Future conference. While we mainly focussed on introducing ourselves and acquainting ourselves with the schedule and purpose of our time, both here and during the year as a cohort, I was inspired out of the gates. If you are wondering what NAIS Teachers of the Future is all about you should check it out here and continue to follow my blog about professional adventures and follow our group at #naistof on twitter. I am sure to have plenty of other resources and must follow on twitter folks for you too! It's only day 1.
Initially, I was a little confused as to the connection of the themes (Blended learning, Student Health and Well Being, Student Assessment, and Accreditation) of this years cohort. However, I was quickly enlightened and had my AHA moment. If we are going to move towards a blended learning mentality in our classrooms, then we obviously need to consider how that will play out in these other aspects of classrooms and schools. It made me think of my own personal struggle during my faculty assessment year in 2013. It's not just the classroom and teachers that need to evolve.
As John Chubb President of NAIS so wonderfully stated, "Independent Schools have to do better than sustain, they have to grow, lead and innovate". Thank you John Chubb for providing us a wonderful introductory "key note" about great teaching. You set a tone and inspired me to make these next few days great!
So here we are...21 out of 35 of us, under one roof, for 2 1/2 days. #NAISTOF
How do we get the best teachers in education? Great teachers learn their craft through practice, mentorship and collaboration. John Chubb
John Chubb's reflection on TOF conference 2013 can be read here.