Data, Data, Data

Have spent the week gathering 2000 pieces of classroom practice data (amen for Freda, or we would never have completed the task!). We conducted random drop-in visits in each grade level and each content during the week. We have already seen their best (during scheduled visits), and now we are looking at what they do when they do not know we are coming in. Mixed, some great, some not so great, but all in all a typical result we would see in any school we work with.

I did see a wonderful visual art lesson, with instruction on the mathematical proportions of the human face, and practice with learning how to draw the face with correct proportions. So, of course you know that this posting is for my friend and colleague Catherine, who also loves to work with students and teachers using this same strategy. Above is a photo of the new visual art teacher, an interesting young man, quiet and patient, working on the strategy with a Standard 5 student.

St Jude's - The Book

Just finished reading Gemma's book, St Jude's: a girl from Guyra, a school in Africa, and the patron saint of hopeless causes. While I have heard her story many times, reading through the details of how she came to be in Tanzania, what she has accomplished and overcome, and her hopes for the future provides me with an even greater boost of energy to offer during my work at the school (and from distance when I am not able to be there to make things happen). If each of us dedicated to the work of the school could only have one-tenth of the focus and persistence she shows each day, the Schools of St Jude will truly change the lives of thousands of students in the coming years.

For more information about Gemma's book, or to order a copy for your own read, please visit the school website: http://www.schoolofstjude.co.tz/

St Jude Fundraising Event

We are working with the Smith Foundation to plan and host a fundraising event for the School of St Jude. The event will take place in the evening on March 29 (the day before I take off for Tanzania!) and will be held at the Collaborative. We are planning to have music and food, as well as photos, St Jude website browsing available on several laptops set up around the space, and some short talks (with lots of photos).

Cindy will be talking about the history and goals of the school, as well as sharing information about the ongoing plans for future growth and instructional improvement. Freda and I will be discussing both the leadership and teacher training aspects of the work, as well as sharing information about the coming visit, and our vision for learning possibilities in the school's future. We are expecting about 100 people, should be a fun time for all, and will hopefully raise funds for buses, land, teacher salaries, or even individual sponsors for new pupils.

Haba na haba, hujaza kibaba! Little by little, we can solve this problem!

School Design and Pedagogy

It has been some time since I have posted, but I've been very busy rewriting curriculum, planning for 55! teacher conferences and observations, and working with my colleague Freda to plan for both instructional and leadership training sessions for the trip to St. Judes in April.

In addition, I have been in conversation with a most interesting man, Leon Chatelain, an architect from Washington DC who has been asked to plan the site design for the new Arusha River school campus. What has been most exciting for me is to have someone ask me this question: What has to be present in the physical plant of a school in order to promote the kind of instructional approach that will work - today and into the future?

Just to think that someone would be asking this question is thrilling enough. But then to be able to actually contribute to the design conversation, discussing things like space configuration, common meeting spaces, use of light and outdoor environments to support curriculum implementation, and inclusion of self-sustaining systems to both educate and feed the children (a school-based fish farm and vegetable growing area!) is almost like a dream come true.

I will be continuing to talk with the architect, getting and providing feedback as the design is completed and building of the new campus commences over the next several months. And then, the possibility of actually working with teachers - when the school opens - in the actual space - to help them understand how the physical space can be used in intentional ways to promote quality instruction and learning, basically takes me over the top!

So, all very exciting things going on, and packing as well! I am including here the initial site plan created by Chatelain Architects, still under revision, but beautiful and full of possibilities already!