Slice of Life Day 1: Guiding Principles

For the 2010-2011 school year, I decided to take the year off from the classroom---so that I could write and be a newlywed. In retrospect, neither the writing nor the marriage worked so well, but I did have one grand opportunity that year. I was able to do some part time literacy consulting work with my friends at the Developmental Studies Center in Oakland, California. These educators and friends helped me to truly realize the power of both the academic and social growth of the child and the impact of intentional teaching around these two areas of development.
I’m back in the classroom (with sixth graders this year) and continue to learn from these wise and thoughtful colleagues at DSC, along with countless other amazing educators across the country so that I may give my students the best care and instruction I have to offer. I have embraced DSC’s guiding principles to do just that—guide me in the right direction when the pressure, the tests, the scripts, the scores, the mandates, “the pile-it-on, more is more” mentality weigh heavily on me. Here they are. Six key principles to help me to always do what’s right for children:

1. Build on Intrinsic Motivation
2. Build an Inclusive Learning Community
3. Integrate Academics with Social and Ethical Learning
4. Set up the Learning Situation so the Students do the Thinking
5. Provide Academic Rigor and Accessibility
6. Advance Teacher Practice

More tomorrow about how these principles have come to life in our classroom this year…

As my wonderful principal, Phyllis Faust, says to us every day…
To the possibilities……
Xoxo,
AM