Good to meet you!
My career in education began in the year 2000, when I started teaching literature, writing and drama at an international school in Hong Kong.
I quickly realized that my students did not come to my classroom empty — they brought their own ideas and questions about the world and their place in it. And, to the extent that I could welcome those questions and ideas and connect them to content I was teaching, students would largely fuel the class through their own curiosity.
I also realized that my ability to be effective as a teacher depended to some extent on the larger systems of schooling: schedules, grading and assessment practices, opportunities to collaborate, and so on.
Since then, my career as a teacher, innovator, and school leader has been driven by this question: what would it look like for everything about a school to be dedicated to deeper student learning?
How can we invite students to exercise agency in their learning; to connect their learning with their lives? To move beyond knowing and use their knowledge to solve complex problems and make beautiful things and do real work of real value to real people? Even to discover and live their callings as people? This is ultimately what a deeper learning is all about.
This kind of learning doesn’t happen by default. It requires mindsets and practices that feel foreign to many of us because we weren’t taught in this manner…and we weren’t taught to teach in this manner. And it requires systems that are designed around deeper learning, not around the transfer of information to passive students.
Learning information is not enough — especially when information is so plentiful. We need to invite students into deeper learning.
A bit of background.
Experience: I have been a full-time educator since 2000.
Preparation: I earned my Ed.M. at Harvard, where I studied with Theodore and Nancy Sizer, David Perkins, David Rose, and Daniel Koretz, among others.
Teaching: I taught middle school and high school English, composition, and drama for about twelve years.
Leadership: I have served as a founder, dean of education, division head, and head of school, at schools as diverse as an urban international school, a boarding school for kids with learning disabilities, and suburban faith-based day schools.
A few examples of my work:
Founded and directed a public-facing, school-based performing arts center presenting full seasons of professional arts programming, all designed as an avenue for authentic student work in management, business, stagecraft, and other fields.
Conducted original research on the effects of grading in the writing classroom; developed and shared innovative alternative assessment practices
Stewarded multiple school-wide strategic planning cycles
Led multiple school-wide curriculum review and documentation cycles
Shepherded initial school accreditation with NEASC
Convened panels of community leaders to support community-connected learning experiences such as student internships and real-world projects
Conducted many professional development workshops and long-term growth journeys; guided whole-division and whole-school faculty into understanding-based teaching practices