1. Empowerment as Part of School Culture
Alyssa Smith, Fourth Grade Teacher
Empowerment and risk taking are at the forefront for personal growth as a student or teacher. "If something I try fails, so what. Today's failure will inevitably ensure that something meaningful happens next time we revisit that failed idea."
2. "An Energy You Can Feel"
Amanda Lavoie, Lower Elementary Teacher
The Montessori program fosters a peacefulness and international mindedness that's a perfect blend with the International Baccalaureate. While the origin of Montessori learning dates back to the early 1900s, the same concepts have been adapted to more contemporary mediums.
Suggested Reading: History of the Montessori Education
3. Transdisciplinary Learning as an Essential Skill
Alissa Helgesen, Lower School Science and Math Coordinator
"Who cares about place value if there's no purpose for it? They start to find logical connections we start to provide them with opportunities to apply these skills because we're looking for a balance of skill building, conceptual understanding, and problem solving."
Suggested Reading: Why "Yet" is the Keyword to Empowering Our Young Mathematicians
4. Reflection as a Reminder of Process Toward Product
Kathleen Flaherty, Lower School Spanish Teacher
The opportunity for students to reflect and see where they came from has allowed them to transform self-doubt into self-love, while empowering them to embrace contemporary challenges.
Suggested Reading: How Do Children Learn From Failure?
5. ¿Cómo es español en Whitby?
Luz Palmero-Alvarez, Spanish Curriculum Leader and Luis Rivera, Upper School Spanish Teacher
It's important to provide diverse, dynamic, and developed Spanish programs to both native and non-native students no matter where they are along their language journey.
Suggested Reading: 9 Factors that Influence Language Learning
6. Arts as a Doorway Into Thinking Beyond the Stage
Allyn Rathus, Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum Leader
Participation in the Arts highlights the openmindedness in students by fostering consideration of different world perspectives, empathy for others and a realization that not every decision is black and white.
Suggested Reading: 6 Life Skills Kids Can Learn In Art Class