Teaching Center Website

A community of collegiality and professionalism, a community of teacher leaders is critical to the excellence of a school. Teacher inquiry, teacher learning and teacher knowledge are vital components of teacher leadership and vital to a vibrant education community. Teachers need opportunities to develop a sense of and appreciation for their own expertise. Teachers need opportunities to develop and share their own knowledge about issues within education. Teacher leaders emerge from such experiences and become the backbone of our school.  Both personal and professional empowerment and strengthened practice can result from reflective practices from reflection in and on action. Exemplary mentors take part in reflection and inquiry. Exemplary mentors engage in a three part interrogation: interrogation of the self, the other, and the practice.

The district provides a two-day orientation/induction workshop for all teachers new to the district. New teachers are presented information describing the community, its instructional program philosophy and direction, and an awareness of personnel services available to support teachers in their initial teaching experience in the district. Most of the second day is organized around enhancing the Mentoring Experience and Mentor/Mentee collaboration.

Teacher as Leader is designed as a course for mentors, current mentors, teachers currently hosting student teachers and teachers just thinking about mentoring. Structured training is provided to assist mentors in fulfilling the needs of new teachers.

Advanced Teacher Leadership introduces teachers to three specific Teaching Center initiatives; the planning and execution of an action research project working together with a university researcher, collegial circles of learners among teachers and others who come together intentionally for the purpose of supporting each other in the process of learning, and National Board Teacher Certification. The course offers a brief overview of each of the three initiatives. These initiatives were selected because they reflect the philosophy of teacher expertise, teacher driven learning and leadership.

The teachers who register for the above courses participate in planning and presenting at a district-wide conference. The title of the spring conference Of Teachers, By Teachers, For Teachers  by definition makes this conference special; there are no outside experts, no keynote speakers. The presenters are all teachers. They choose an area of study or interest, develop materials, and design their presentation.