Visiting independent schools has provided an exceptional opportunity to gain insight and to share knowledge in order to perfect Darlington’s Teaching and Learning Center. The Thatcher Master Teacher Fund has generously funded many professional development trips for our learning specialists, including my trip to Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School (Rabun Gap, Ga.) and Ava White Academy (Gainesville, Ga.).
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School is nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Northeast Georgia. Like Darlington, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee provides both boarding and day students a college preparatory education. This school offers strong academic programs including 15 AP classes, outdoor learning laboratories, cross-disciplinary projects, and one of the longest running high school Cirque programs in the nation. It provides diverse opportunities to meet individual needs.
Like Darlington’s Teaching and Learning Center, the Student Resource Center (SRC) supports all learners by developing individual strengths. The SRC also coaches, guides and advocates for students, while leading them to independence. It is made up of the Learning Center and the Math Lab. Students can work with teachers on a daily basis as well as four evenings per week.
When I arrived to the Math Lab for observations, I was met by a young man sitting on a bean bag while completing his algebra problems. He was using a dry erase board which was resting in his lap. It was explained that he was able to solve the algebraic equations accurately while using a dry erase board rather than working them out using pencil and paper. His math teacher had deemed this method acceptable since the purpose of the assessment was to determine understanding...whether it be traditionally or alternatively.
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee teachers Maureen McGee, Holly White, Kathleen Midgett and Mike Cook discussed their approach over an intimate lunch, sharing strategies they use to support and empower their learners. We also discussed our dreams for our respective learning centers. Their goal was to have standing desks so students could complete their assignments while decreasing obesity, diabetes and heart disease. My own dream is to create a mini-gymnasium including pedal desks, so students can peddle while working.*
As I was leaving the picturesque campus and reflecting on my visit, I realized these teachers and I share a passion for our students and our respective programs. It was almost as if we were kindred spirits sharing a common calling: a passion for learning and for children.
Afterwards, I traveled east to visit the Ava White Academy in Gainesville. The school specializes in skill remediation, using evidence-based programs to support students as they strive to reach academic and personal goals. This idyllic setting provides opportunities to enhance student self-image and to build confidence as the student is increasing his or her knowledge base and skills set. This, in turn, lays the foundation for future learning.
Because of the generous Thatcher Master Teacher Fund grants, my partners Cindy McGehee and Renee Hutchins have had the incredible opportunity to visit several schools in Tennessee including Battleground Academy (Franklin), Harding Academy (Nashville), Ensworth School (Nashville), Montgomery Bell Academy (Nashville), and Baylor School (Chattanooga).
These visits have been crucial to maintaining and fostering continuous growth and development for our Teaching and Learning Center. The strategies and methodologies we learn from other schools allow us to share valuable resources with our classroom teachers. In doing so, our children become the recipients of these treasures.
*For more information about the positive impact of movement for children, click here.
