What is the most important skill you learn at school? Is it the social skills: taking turns, sharing and asking questions? Or perhaps numeric skills: how to add and subtract and discovering more complicated solutions to math problems? What about reading? Reading impacts everything we do in our lives - DAILY When I was the Elementary Principal at the International School Bangkok, we made it a point to tackle reading. We researched the latest theories on reading, we taught our teachers how to teach reading, we taught our parent community how to support their children in learning how to read and we focused on sharing our passion for reading with the kids – nourishing in them a love of reading. The results were remarkable. We created a culture of reading. Everyone read - everyday. As the principal, I too made every effort to share my love of reading and modeled…
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The Lakefield Educator’s Apprenticeship Program
Nourishing our teachers within an exemplary learning community “Every year’s a LEAP year at Lakefield College School!” It’s the expression a beaming Joe Bettencourt, Assistant Head: Academics, used last Wednesday at our program meeting as he shared the many successes of our newest initiative: the Lakefield Educator’s Apprenticeship Program (LEAP). Coming out of a very successful pilot launch in 2013/14, LEAP is well into its second year with equally strong results. In addition to strengthening and advancing the 21st century learning experience for our boarding and day students, the purpose of LEAP is to support new teachers as they begin their professional career as educators. Through a competitive process attracting some of the best teacher graduates from across Ontario, four outstanding candidates are selected each year to participate in our program. Teaching Fellows contribute fresh talent, resources and support to our greater LCS faculty team who, in turn, provide mentorship…
What Great Boarding Schools Have in Common
Every day at LCS, we look for those things that inspire and energize us, teachers and students alike. The more we share and collaborate, the more motivated we become and the more we learn – together. We often describe the process as “learning through relationships,” a keystone to developing and strengthening habits of lifelong learning. I recently came upon an article, written by two leaders in the private education sphere, highlighting the qualities and priorities that boarding schools like LCS, “built to last,” tend to share: 25 Factors Great Boarding Schools Have in Common. In it, the authors write: “Great boarding schools persist over time because they appeal to families seeking an education of deep impact, focused not only on academic training, but also on the formation of good character, habits of lifelong learning, and active citizenship.” The article lists so many qualities that resonate with the richness of learning…