The large picture windows fill the building with light and a feeling of friendly openness. The large picture windows fill the building with light and a feeling of friendly openness. The eye-catching display of Inuit masks grabbed my attention right away. While looking them over, I noticed a group of hanging fish down the hall. We visited on a Friday Club day - a day when the teachers come in comfortable clothes, have breakfast together, and then meet in the library to plan together.
Cooperative planning is quite a feat to pull off.
Though most teachers agree that it is the best way to prepare, they simply have no time in their schedules to do it. Even in schools where some attempt is made for grade levels to plan together, that doesn't include the speech teacher, the art teacher or the counselor. At Bluffton, Friday planning sessions include everyone. I have a few questions about how year-round school would work in Chatham County, but I am sold on trying the idea. They alternate between nine weeks of school and three weeks break, with a five-week break in the summer.