Westcoast Teaching

"Great things are done when men and mountains meet;  This is not done by jostling in the street." - William Blake Adventuring outside brings me great joy. Taking students on adventures in the wild brings me even more joy! One of the many things I love about the school I teach at is their belief in the importance of an outdoor education program. In my opinion, outdoor education programs teach students confidence, determination, perseverance and resiliency. Students have to prepare for the day, carry their own packs, manage their own layers, and complete a task that is often challenging and physically demanding. They learn that they are able to overcome obstacles and, most of the time, complete the adventure feeling more confident in themselves and what they can accomplish. These challenges build student character, which will then transfer to the classroom to positively benefit their academic learning. I'm not the only person who believes this.  John Ha...

"People will typically be more enthusiastic where they feel a sense of belonging and see themselves as part of a community than they will in a workplace in which each person is left to his own devices." ―  Alfie Kohn,  Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise and Other Bribes While relaxing on the beach in the summer and thinking about the upcoming September school year, I had an idea to throw out my usual review of class rules and have students develop a class community charter of rights and responsibilities. My reasons for doing this were:  1. Half of my students would be the same as the previous year, so they would already know my class expectations.  2. Students had learned about the rights of a child during a grade six socials unit. I thought it would be a helpful practice for them to reflect on the rights they want in their learning community and the responsibilities they have that go along with those...