It also makes for better understanding when the staff meets for an hour at the end of each day to discuss problems, share successes and revamp strategies. The nonthreatening environment plants the seed for change, he said. Cara Leigh, a high school resource teacher, found teachers bolstered by having data to back up the strategies they were trying. The training received during the three-day summer institute is just the beginning. Teachers who apply for the program make a yearlong commitment to attend regular meetings with their cohorts to continue to refine strategies and learn from each other.
Teachers meet periodically during the school year to share problems and solutions.
To successfully pull together such a diverse group for a single focus is wonderful, but to also be able to discuss and refine strategies as a team as you move through it is remarkable. Resource teacher Charmaine Ward, who was assigned to Maupin last summer, said the program changes attitudes. Improved self-esteem is a major outcome for students. All rights reserved.