While excellent instruction may still only be guaranteed in some classrooms, the educators at Northtown are creating the conditions that make it possible for every child, every day to fully engage in learning. What makes this meaningful engagement possible? While the quality of the teacher, the relevance of the content, and the rigor of the task are crucial, school communities like Northtown understand the answer is more complex.

The view from Barb Sorenson’s kitchen window is reason enough to stay home, as is the quiet pace of retirement, but there’s another reason as well. Anywhere she goes in Thetford, VT, people are drawn to her. The mere sight of Barb fills people who know her with delight. In the hardware store and at the Post Office, former students approach her and relive memories, from both inside and outside of the classroom. “Remember the prison project?” “Remember when our classroom adopted the litter of abandoned kittens?” Barb is a teacher who didn’t just teach; she cleaned the lens, giving students a new perspective on their world.

Most things I have read are doom and gloom about how AI will replace people in various industries. People in the education sector see AI as something that will make kids lazy. Teachers worry that students will be able to cheat easier. How will we be able to grade their writing assignments? How will we know whether a student completed an assignment or a computer? The list of questions goes on and on.

“Have you been to Hancock Falls?” A neighbor recently asked me this question. I am fortunate to live in a place where there are hiking trails right off my driveway. I’d been to Thompson Falls, as that trail is well marked. But Hancock Falls? I’d never seen a sign or any marking on a trail map. I asked my neighbor to point out the trail. His response surprised me. He shared the general direction in which to head, but then explained I would have to “bushwhack” when I came to the end of the trail. For those who are not familiar with the term, it meant I had to leave the marked trail and venture further into the woods if I wanted to find the falls.

It’s a very powerful thing when educators are allowed to dream up what they think is best for their students, even more powerful when they can turn these dreams into reality.

What is it like for teachers when their school district adopts a Portrait of a Graduate?

Find out how teachers are changing their role, mindset, and instructional practices to help their students develop graduate portrait skills.

Global Lab Schools are a community practice that is driven by a focus on instruction, and is anchored in learner-centered and equitable practices. Throughout the school year, coaches from 2Revolutions and partners from overseas, work with school leaders and their implementation teams to determine school-wide opportunities and build skill sets and systems that will prioritize those opportunities into growth.

The title of teacher or educator is deceptively simple and often misunderstood. Even years into the profession, my own definition was rigid and held both myself and my learners back behind artificial barriers. Teachers are role models and mentors, trail guides and cheerleaders, we are counselors and experts, we inspire, and we are artists of the human mind. It is only by embracing this broader and evolving definition that educators can continue to grow, enhancing their practice to be more learner-centered to truly meet the needs of today’s students.

“I’ve been teaching for 13 years, and just 2 terms in, I realize what I thought was good teaching wasn’t that good.” This is just one of the countless stories we’ve heard over the years of facilitating professional learning for educators and leaders. Since 2020, 2Revolutions has partnered with Spalding University to support educators through an M.Ed in Teacher Leadership and now an M.Ed in Learner-Centered Practices.

When our district team proposed that we create our own digital vehicle for students to store and demonstrate artifacts of their learning, the superintendent and I reluctantly agreed, knowing that time was not on our side. But amazingly, the school year started and each student had a digital Backpack of Success Skills inside their Google Drive. Our newly formed Digital Innovation team was leading the way, creating lots of excitement within and even outside the district. Suddenly, JCPS, the troubled district that had been somewhat of a mystery across the state, was front and center. It seemed–to us at least–that everyone was watching, and more than a few wanted to join us. It was a new day in the Jefferson County Public Schools!

Mindset is defined as a mental attitude or inclination (Merriam-Webster). Since 2011, I've worked in education in some capacity–whether reading to kids as a volunteer, substitute teaching, running university-wide programming, directly teaching my own students, or leading as an administrator.

Take some time to live in the sit/think world. Not all the time. It only works if you float between the sitting/thinking and doing. Eventually sitting/thinking must influence your behavior.