​When microaggressions have been normalized for so long, it can be difficult to identify them, especially for those in a more priviledged situation.  In this post, you will find two videos that hope to answer these two questions:

• What is a microaggression?
• How do I respond to microaggressions?  

A big part of evolving as a society is recognizing when a person is feeling uncertain and unsafe.  It's all of our jobs to face this head on, so we can move forward to a more just society. 

Have you ever met a person online that you knew would be your best friend?  This is Vidhya Ganesan for me.  We met on Twitter of all places before it became X during the pandemic.  Then, we partnered for several books clubs to engage with meaningful dialogues.  Next, we decided to begin a sketch club to share our personal ideas. 

These are lessons that I've learned from Vidhya.

• You are never too old to learn something new.  This woman is continuously educating herself by participating in webinars, presenting at conferences, and taking courses.  She loves to learn and share her understanding with others. 

• Take a risk.  She is always encouraging me to take risks and try things out.  She is my continual cheerleader even when I fail. 

• Trust your instincts.  Your gut will never lead you astray.  Always trust your gut with decision-making. 

I hope you enjoy this video about my friend Vidhya.  She is truly amazing. 

When I first read about the term microaggression, I didn't really have a context of what it might look like in my classroom, because of these types of definitions. 

Microaggressions: everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership.- Derald Wing Sue, Ph.D.
​
As I read further in the article (in the QR code and linked to image) in this article, there were more practical examples of what a microaggression might look and feel like. 

• Failing to learn to pronounce or continuing to mispronounce the names of students after they have corrected you. 

 

• Assigning student tasks or roles that reinforce particular gender roles or don’t allow all students  flexibility across roles and responses. 

 

• Using the term “illegals” to reference undocumented students. 

 

• Denying the experiences of students by questioning the credibility and validity of their stories. 

 

• Setting low expectations for students from particular groups, neighborhoods, or feeder patterns.

 

• Calling on, engaging and validating one gender, class, or race of students while ignoring other students during class.

Looking at these examples on paper really makes a powerful statement.  How many of these microaggressions do we unknowingly use in our classrooms?  How can we be more sensitive to others?  

This is something that I am continuously working on.  It's not easy to be sure, expecially if you don't see the microaggression from your point of view. 

There are moments when I am leading workshops that the passion within me overflows like a waterfall.  This is no exception, because I'm at Florida IB Schools.  The participants in my session are on fire, which fuels me up too.  

I love moments like this, because they remind me of why I do this work.  I want to help others to see things differently, so it trickles down into the classroom.  

​What is something you are passionate about?  Please share!!!

I am super excited to have a follow-up chat with Misty Paterson about our progress, questions, and wonderings from Pop-Up Studio.  Our group was small, but mighty and it was wonderful to get support from the source.  Misty also shared about her experiences at Reggio Emilia, which was exciting.  

Have fun watching our follow-up video and be sure to read Pop-Up Studio for yourself.  It's not so heavy and you don't have to do it all in one go. My kind of book!

In the article by the Cult of Pedagogy (by QR code or linked in image), it defines validation quite simply.  

Validation is the act of recognizing and affirming the feelings or perspective of another person. It’s acknowledging that these thoughts and feelings are true for that person.

This isn't about who is wrong or right.  Our truth is different from everybody else, because of our life story.  We shouldn't feel that we must prove that we are right.  It should be accepted that it's true for us.  

The article shares three ways to validate someone.  I will give the abridge version, so you can read it on your own. 

Step 1: Reflect the Content
The most important thing to do is simply paraphrase the main thing the person is saying to you to make sure you understand. Doing this lets them know you’re listening, you are interested, and are not judgmental.

Step 2: Acknowledge the Emotion
The other person will really feel heard if you can label the emotion they are describing, or ask a question to clarify the emotion. 

Step 3: Communicate Acceptance
An important part of validation is letting the person know that you accept their feelings as they are. You may not feel the same way, and their feelings might create problems for you, but they are what they are.

For a more in-depth read, be sure to click on the image for the article link.  Quite an interesting read!

I'm about to start a podcast series for specialist and supporting teachers in the PYP and I have a lot of questions from the lens of a PYP coordinator and independent consultant.  

• What does your programme look like?  
• Do you feel supported?  What can we do to help you?
• What are parts of the program that are confusing to you?
• What are some suggestions that you have already posed?

Let's work together to make this happen.  Watch this space for an imperfect podcast about every topic under the sun. 

When I see this image, I think of family.  Creation Village World School is just that...a big family.  I've had the pleasure to lead two workshops (Play and Concept-Driven Learners) and a year-long consultancy with the entire staff to bring to life their unit planners.  It was hard, but rewarding work that has meant a lot to me.  I've met some beautiful people there including the founders, Derek and Nalalni Cummings. 

Take a peek at this video to learn more about this wonderful school in Celebration, Florida. 

Everyone has a teacher origin story.  Here is mine. 

I began teaching in the 2003-2004 school year at Orchard Elementary.  It was the school that I attended for fifth and sixth grade.  My mother taught there too, so we were colleagues for my first year.  

I had just finished half of my teacher preparation program and spent a week helping my mom set up her classroom.  On late Friday afternoon, I was approached about teaching a class for upper elementary learners with emotional disabilities.  I jumped at the chance to gain some real teaching experience and work again. 

When I look back at that time, I was so green.  I just had my passion for teaching and my mom in my corner.  What else do you need? 

I won't lie, I bumbled a lot during the first half of the year.  I didn't know how to teach special needs learners.  I didn't understand curriculum development either.  The one thing I did have was instincts:  when a child was hungry, emotional, pensive, and self-depreciating.  I knew how to love a child and let them now someone was in their corner.  This can mean a lot to a child when they feel all alone in the world. 

To be honest, I was just reflecting all the times I saw my mother act the same way as a teacher.  I would continuously lean on her wisdom of how to proceed.  She gave me good advice about letting go of my fear and leaning into my empathy.  

Even 21 years later, I believe it was one of the best years in my teaching career.  I taught the whole child by the end and not just the head.  By mid-term, my learners were able to self-manage their anger and we were doing actual learnng.  It was so wonderful to see.

As I stood next to this sign, it was of pride.  My mother is no longer alive, but I could feel her presence there guiding me on.

I had the chance to return to my hometown for a quick visit while leading a workshop in the bay area.  At the last minute, I decided to drive by my childhood home.  With mixed emotions, I revisted the place where I played with Barbies, dreamed about my boy crushes, and spent many happy Christmases.  They say that you can never go home again.  Here are my thoughts. 

A place is just that and this was my home.  It will always be special to me, not matter what.  It's the place where I developed from a young human into an adult woman.  Many tears of laughter and heartache were shed in those walls.  

As I say goodbye this time, I am not sad.  Instead, I am nostalgic.  More than anything, this place reminds me of my mother who has passed on.  She was the one who made it a home and I will be forever grateful. 

I had the priviledge of hosting a webinar with the Pune PYP Network about local and global inquiry.  What an honor to meet with such passionate PYP educators from across the world.  I hope my few words helps others who are struggling to connect across country boundaries.  

I hope this helps you too.  They are my thoughts up to this moment.  I probably won't remember half of the things that I shared.  :)

​The chapter begins with a quote by Rita Pierson, “Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists they become the best they can possibly be.”   Many of you have probably seen this powerful Ted Talk that was immortalized in 2013, but still resonates with the needs of our learners today.  I had to take some time to rewatch it again, because even we need powerful messages to lift us up.  I’ll post the link in the bio, so you are able to reconnect with this powerful educator. 

To set the stage for this chapter, Hammond purports, “As culturally responsive teachers, we have a particular duty to help dependent learners build their intellective capacity so that they are able to do more independent learning and higher order thinking.”  When I read this passage, I connected to this past week in the #tccbookclub where we explored the difference between tasks, understanding, and skills.  If we only teach tasks, we create a learning disposition that can only replicate processes as directed by the teacher.  Learners are not able to use the skills on their own, because they don’t understand the underlying purpose of the task.

​Hammond presents two ways of thinking that shape a child’s learning experiences:  academic mindset and learned helplessness.  

“Academic mindset is defined as a student’s attitudes, beliefs, and dispositions about school, learning, and his capacity as a learner that are associated with effort, perseverance, and positive academic achievement.”  I internalize this as a learner recognizing their effort pays off if they have perseverance and a positive mindset.  This is reinforced by a strong school culture that focuses on a growth mindset, rather than solely on academic achievement.  This impacts a learners attitudes, beliefs, and disposition about school and learning.  

Conversely, “learned helplessness is the student’s belief that he has no control over his ability to improve as a learner.  Because he doesn’t believe he has the capacity, he doesn’t exert any effort when faced with a challenging work assignment or a new skill to develop.”  This is reinforced by the relationships that have been created with teachers and peers.  If a child is continuously reminded of their deficits, they will expect to always not measure up to expectation.  
This reminds me of the childhood of Ben Carson.  He grew up with a single mother and his brother in an at-risk community.  His mother worked three jobs, so she was not at home very often.  When she discovered that Ben and his brother were getting into trouble, Ben’s mother demanded that they expand their reading and turn in a book report each week. Ben was challenged to read a wide variety of books and expand his mind.  At school, he was known as the dummy of the class, because he was not a strong student.  Due to the increase in reading, he quickly transitioned from being the lowest to top performing student in the class.  This was all due to his illiterate mother who saw her children headed down a dangerous path and demanded an alternative outcome.  All of the reading developed a love of science and Ben became a prominent surgeon at Johns-Hopkins Hospital and was one of the first neurosurgeons to successfully separate twins that were conjoined at the brain. 

​Hammond shares three key components to alliance:

• A shared understanding and agreement to tackle a specific goal
• A shared understanding and agreement about the tasks necessary to reach the goal along with confidence that these activities will lead to progress
• A relational bond based on mutual trust that creates an emotional connection and sense of safety for the client in order to do the hard work necessary to reach the goal.

When I look at this list, I want to know how exactly I’m going to be able to achieve this with every student.  Let’s take a moment to break them down and support them with ideas from the reading. 

​A shared understanding and agreement to tackle a specific goal

The first thing that came to my mind was setting a goal using a success criteria.  As the educator, you know what specific skills learners will need (cognitive, affective, metacognitive) to understand the content they will be exploring.  Choose two skills per each type of skill to put in a success criteria. 

• Ask learners to consider one which is a “glow” that they can do in 3-5 different ways
• Select a skill that is a “grow” that they can do with a small group, but struggle to complete on their own. 
• See how they might develop this skill through (cognitive, affective, metacognitive) lens.  This will allow them to see that learning is a whole and not just understanding the content. 

If this is too much for you, there are some ideas that Hammond shares on pages 95-96. 
​

• Ask the student to identify what they think is getting in the way for them around a specific learning target.
• Together select a learning target that is small, specific and significant.

A shared understanding and agreement about the tasks necessary to reach the goal along with confidence that these activities will lead to progress

We can always assess the success criteria and ask learners to assess their goal (WHY).  Ask them (HOW) they will break it down into smaller ideas and connect them together.  Then, consider (WHAT) individual tasks need to be completed first before relationships can be created. 

Another way is by creating a pact.  Hammond outlines some ways to make this happen naturally in your class.  I will only refer to some of them, which can be found on pages 95-96.

• Set a deadline for mastering the learning target.
• Set up benchmarks for check on progress and offer corrective feedback.
• Share what you are willing to do as the student’s ally.  Let them know you are their partner in this process.  Be specific about how you will support them. 
• Be explicit about your belief in their capacity to master this learning target.  Be authentic. 

There are many more suggestions on page 96, but this is the heart of how we can move forward with supporting learner progression. 


A relational bond based on mutual trust that creates an emotional connection and sense of safety for the client in order to do the hard work necessary to reach the goal.

At the heart of this part is authenticity.  You won’t know and connect with every learner.  This is okay.  But, they still need to know that you believe in their capacity to succeed.  This comes in many informal ways. 

Something that I appreciate are some help tips that Hammond provides on pages 100-101.  It begins with using kid-friendly vocabulary to clear processes for reflecting and acting on teacher feedback.  It doesn’t matter how you do this, but be consistent. Our learners crave consistency from the teachers, because it may be the only safe space in their world. 

​When learners have clarity of how to move forward, they are more easily able to apply it back to their practice.  Hammond provides many different ideas about types of feedback and here are my highlights.

Page 103
Quality Feedback has some distinct characteristics

• It is instructive rather than evaluative: focus on rules missed
• It is specific and in the right dose; 1-2 points
• It is timely
• It is delivered in a low stress, supportive environment

Page 105
For negative feedback, include:

• An explicit holding of high standards:  why is this important
• A personal assurance
• Specific actionable steps

If you want to go even further in this process, consider examining The Asset-Based Feedback Protocol on page 105 that provides step-by-step directions on how to give feedback and check on progress.  It’s amazing. 

I know that there have been so many ideas in this chapter, but it’s all about supporting our learners so they can be successful.  More importantly, so they know that we have their backs and won’t let them fail.  We all make mistakes, but our role as their teacher is to guide them towards independence. 



Reference
Rita Pierson:  Every Child Needs a Champion

I used to think that my whole person traveled with me along my life's journey.  But now as I age, I think we deposit pieces of ourselves in certains places along with the people.  

As I revisted my hometown, it was like pieces of my childhood flooded to my mind.  My family gathered at our favorite Mexican restaurant or my dad nipping down for a haircut at his barber shop. 

The beauty of it all is that we can retrieve these pieces of ourselves by revisiting places that were so instrumental at a time in our life.  My places are Vacaville, CA, San Francisco, New York City, Floral Park, NY, Alberta, Canada, Melbourne, Australia, Dubai, UAE, Cologne, Germany, and Brussels, Belgium.  So many places to pick up pieces of my story. 

I found a video that presents some ideas that I had not considered and how it is tied to classroom management.  Just remember the acronym VABB. 
​
Watch this video below to find out what VABB is and how to implement it in your classroom. 

Currently, Levi is inspiring fellow educators as an Elementary Assistant Principal at the American International School of Jeddah.  He transferred his love of the programme into a role that will give him broader reach within the curriculum.  I am so proud of how he has flourished this past year.  

The learning journey has not end yet.  This year, Levi has become an IBEN member and is now certified to lead official IB workshops.  Teaching and learning has been a long-time passion and it's wonderful to see so many ways that Levi supports the PYP community. 

Take a peek below at a short video more about Levi and his impact on the learning community.  Also be sure to check out the link to his fabulous podcast called Recess Duty. 

As a child, especially those teenage years, I didn't realize how blessed I was to grow up in my hometown.  I always wanted to be in edgier places like Oakland, San Francisco, or New York.  Instead, I was stuck in "Vacaville", which had no life for a young inspiring professional.  The one thing I did have was a strong sense of community through my church and people I grew up with in my neighborhood

In all, I spent 25-30 years living in and out of Vacaville.  I would always return home after having adventures in New York City, Alberta, Canada, Melbourne, Australia, Koeln, Germany, and Dubai, UAE.  

On every major holiday break and summer, I would always return home to see my family.  My parents knew that the first stop would be to my favorite restaurant, Murillo's. 

I can't count how many times my family ate together at this local Mexican restaurant.  I can see my mom laughing over a basket of chips and my dad complaining that he ate too many.  

Now that my mom has passed away and my dad lives in Texas, I rarely have the opportunity to return home.  In August 2023, I had the opportunity to lead a workshop in Berkeley, about 45 minutes away.  Just like old times, I picked up my rental car and drove directly to Murillo's to reminisce and create new memories.  

This video captures my happiness with returning back to the best hot salsa ever made and my favorite combination plate of a shredded beef tostada, cheese enchilada, rice, and beans.  

I need to return home more often. 

I've seen it many times.  A teacher creates a wonderful plan, but what happens in the classroom is something completely different.  As I grow in my own understanding of learning, I know we can all do better to make learners to feel seen, heard, and valued. 

Yesterday, I was feeling in a bit of a slump.  I decided to pull out my Art of Inquiry cards by Kath Murdoch and use them to inspire a sketch or two.  I did not end up sketch, but rather journaled my ideas.  These beautiful cards will help anyone to get inspired.  You can get your copy here. 

A big thanks to Kath who personally gave me my set.  She is truly a kind-hearted legend. 

When I hear the sizzling sound of Galbi or Bulgogi, my mouth begins to water.  It reminds of me of moments where my mother and I would gather around a low table and sit on cushions to eat.  We would share traditional side dishes of japchae, kimchi, and kimbap.  

Whenever I walk into H-Mart in Houston, Texas, I am transported back to being a young girl eating with her mother.  She has passed away now, but it feels like I am five years old again. 

What are your favorite food memories?  Who is with you?  Why does this matter so much to you? 

It's hard not to get nostalgic when you walking in the actual footsteps of music legends.  It's hard to believe that Elvis Presley used ot hide in clubs to listen to black artists.  Legends like B.B. King would play for hours to anyone who would listen. Most learners don't realize that these legends created the sounds we have today for most pop songs. 

How are we getting our learners to inquire into our past, so they can see the rich tapestry of music that has been created through time?  Every contemporary artist has its muse from the past.  

Who is a musical legend that you admire?  What about their music sings to your heart?

I'm very excited for Denise Kraft and her team as they welcome Trevor MacKenzie to their Igniting Inquiry conference in Middletown, Connecticut on June 27-29, 2024.  

For more information, please watch this video!

We are all driven by a mission to change the world.  I've long since believed that the school library was part of mine, since they are the hub of all school activity.  

School libraries have evolved greatly since many of us have been in school.  When I think of librarians from my childhood, I envision an old lady sitting behind a circulation desk stamping the library card.  She is dressed in a cardigan with a flowery dress that reaches over her knees with a pair of glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose.  Does this sound familiar?  

Now, school librarians have taken on a broader set of skills that enhance what is being learned in the classroom.  The librarian is a...

To meet all of these needs, we need to consider our spaces and how they are used.  We are no longer a curator of a collection, but of tangible, digital, and human resources.  This requires a different mindset of how to create spaces that meet these needs. 

To assist with this process, I have created an overview video to help you.  Let's have some fun!

What are others ways you create a more learner-driven library space? Please post below!

We had a wonderful time going over the basics of sketching.  I hope you enjoy this recording and begin to sketch for yourself.  It doesn't matter what you use as long as you sketch what is in your heart and mind.  

This has been a form of therapy for myself.  I let go of all the frustration and angst.  It helps greatly to put it out on paper, so I can move on. 

​I hope it helps you too. 

​As a teacher and PYP curriculum coordinator, I saw this all the time.  Teachers jump right in to setting the classroom expectations and how the students would behave in response to these expectations. I once heard a teacher tell me to be mean until Christmas break and then show them a sweeter side.  When you are born in the decade of hearts, rainbows, and unicorns, this approach will not work for you. 

There is something to be said for being a teacher and friend.  I was never the friend in my classroom, but I wasn’t a dictator either.  My learners knew my expectations of them and myself.  There were many times that these expectations were undermined and I had to come in with my lethal teacher stare.  You know the one that I mean…a cross between a Disney villain (take your pick) and your mother.  In my case, she was a teacher too, so it was a double dog stare. When a learner received the hard stare, they knew they had crossed the line and breached some trust. 

As a coordinator, I was pressured to get to the curriculum right away instead of doing that fluffy stuff, such as relationship building.  With so much pressure on my shoulders, I caved and gave into the populace.  Unfortunately, this single decision created a rift between me and my staff, because I proceeded to make changes before building relationships.  

​As we think about this statement, how do we build trust within our relationships with learners?  Hammond continues, “We have to not only care about students in a general sense but also actively care for them in a physical and emotional sense.”  How does this connect to the brain?  Hammond purports, “The brain feels safest and relaxed when we are connected to others we trust to treat us well.  It responds to this sense of connection by secreting oxytocin, called the bonding hormone. Oxytocin makes us want to build a trusting relationship with the other person we are interacting with.”  

As an educator, you are probably wondering, how do I bring about more trust within my relationships with my learners, so they feel like they can trust me.  Hammond suggests that it comes through simple gestures such as a smile, simple nod of the head, a pat on the back, a touch on the arm, or other forms of confirming behavior.  Learners are hungry for these simple reassurances that we care about as educators.  To be honest, my response was…doesn’t everyone do this?  Isn’t this what we are supposed to do when creating a classroom of trust and safety?  

Then, I sit back and reflect.  There are several teachers who come to mind that I’ve known throughout my career that yelled at learners, shoved workbooks into their hands instead of teaching them, and made learners feel like they were a visitor in the teachers classroom.  I can’t say that I’ve never done those things too.  I’ve been pressured to be that type of teacher, so I wouldn’t outshine members of my team.  I played along until I realized the damage it was doing to my learners and stopped. 

One teacher told me, “This is the only way they will respond.  They are like animals and will run over us if we are too nice.”  I whole-heartedly disagree.  I saw the same learners shout out my name in the hallways and run up to give me a hug on the way to class.  I couldn’t understand how these kiddos were disrespectful in class, so I had to step back and analyze the teacher/learner relationship.

Hammond speaks about the connection between rapport (a student knows a teacher cares about them), alliance (building a relationship of trust) with cognitive insight (the ability to critically and creatively think.)  I sit and ponder this simple algorithm, I think of my own young life as a selective mute.  

In high school, I had an English Teacher named Mr. Jensen for two years.  He was passionate about the music of Kenny G, poetry, and prose.  He would babble on about the power of words and how they shape our thinking of the world.  His goal was for us to connect with the ideas that we were exploring, especially for those of us who were terrified to speak them out loud.  Somehow, I felt a rapport with Mr. Jensen and soon I was trying out new ways of writing that helped me to find my voice.  All it takes is a little bit of trust to move a learner forward. 

“Affirming is simply acknowledging the personhood of each student, appreciating all aspects of them, especially those culturally specific traits that have been negated by the dominant culture.  Validation, on the other hand, is your explicit acknowledgement to students that you are aware of the inequities that impact their lives.”  

How do we make this happen?  Hammond suggests some listening with grace and trust indicators on pages 78-79 that may help you.  I’m more interested in something that is more specific and applicable, so your learners know you affirm their personhood.  This process is going to require some vulnerability on your part, so you can move your practice forward. 

On pages 82 to 85, Hammond gives step by step directions on how to assess your level of rapport with your students by examining a particular learner in your classroom.  Are you ready to find out what is happening?  I will only provide some brief ideas, so you will need to read for deeper step by step directions. 

• Identify a specific student you would like to build a deeper partnership with
• Assess the quality of your relationship with this student
• Create a protocol to capture your interactions and level of listening
• Keep track of your interactions and analyze the data
• Identify one small change you can make to build more trust
• Track this progress of this change and how it impacts your relationship
• Reflect on the strategies that work, did not work, and modifications you need to make to your practice. 

Naturally, this is just a broad overview and you need to internalize the process for yourself and your context.  This is not a one-size-fits-all process.  Hammond poses a question that really resonated with me that might close this session. 

How would you characterize your relationship with students of color, English learners, or other students who are different from you?  I can’t speak for you, but I would say my response is curiosity.  I’m always wondering why people do things differently and if they know the nuisances of their behavior.  I get my learners to question why do some things out of habit and research the cultural or communal connections.  Oftentimes, these rituals are put in place by family, so they could remember where they came from.  I love that notion.  

Let’s be better at making the time to build relationships with our learners.  It may be easier for us primary/elementary homeroom teachers.  It’s still doable for specialist and supporting teachers.  It may take you a bit longer, but it’s possible.  I can’t wait to hear how you make it happen, so we can support our secondary teachers to do the same. 

Zaretta Hammond states, “Caring is one of the major pillars of culturally responsive teaching.  This reality stands in contrast to the dominant factory model of school, with its focus on the technical aspects of curriculum coverage and testing to sort and label students.  In the factory model, relationship building is seen as a secondary issue related to classroom management more than learning. “

Every week, I want to begin to shout out ideas that I have learned from different campuses that I've visited.  This is an informal reflection on some things that have touched me and helped me to become a better educator.  

For my first shout-out, I would like to present Le Jardin Academy in Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii.  I was approached by the PYP coordinator to lead a consultancy about the culture of agency and personal/shared inquiry.  

To begin our process, we explored how to build a culture of agency based on the work of Edgar H. Schein on his work related to organizational culture.  We took Shein's three levels of culture and applied them to agency. 

We met over an hour session online to set the stage for goal-setting through the use of a success criteria.  The staff was challenged to make a goal related to cultural artifacts, espoused values, and underlying assumptions.  

For our in-person sessions, I had the privilege to walk the campus and see learners focusing on their personal inquiries.  This was a magical experience.  It was fun to see them take risks on their wonderings and apply different approaches to inquiry. 

Afterwards, we had a sit down as grade levels to explore various ways that we might grow and clear up misconceptions.  

This campus is truly open-minded and here are some of my thoughts that might inspire you as well. 
​