A Community of Lifelong Learners

One of my favorite things about All Saints’ is our commitment to continuous growth and learning. Truly exceptional schools view the constant pursuit of knowledge through a growth mindset lens as essential to success. A core driver in our work as educators is the belief that the craft of teaching and learning is constantly evolving—there is always more knowledge to explore and expertise to be gained. We teach students to be lifelong learners and get excited knowing we are walking alongside them on the same journey of evolution and growth. 

Each year, we select specific topics as focus areas for professional development. Some may take several years to fully explore, while others are accomplished in a few hours. As we explore each of these topics, we use three primary methods of instruction to meet the needs of our experienced faculty and challenge ourselves as learners:

• Taking advantage of our internal expertise:
  • Our academic leaders develop workshops for our faculty on relevant topics. For example, when we returned to campus this week, the division heads and I led a workshop on our guiding learning principles as a School. On the same day, the student support team led a series of workshops on various topics of interest to faculty. These carefully built collaborative experiences bond us as educators with substantial expertise and impact. 
     
• Hosting outside experts on campus: 
  • We bring live and virtual speakers to engage our faculty and hold trainings. For example, earlier this fall, we invited Michelle Kinder to speak about navigating change as educators—in a school and individual context—with a focus on mental health. This spring, we will continue our partnership with Columbia University’s Center for the Professional Education of Teachers (CPET) to deliver a semester-long course for our curriculum leaders on coaching tailored to our specific strengths and needs. Our Board also benefits from professional development—in December, the Executive Director of the Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (ATLIS) gave a presentation on AI in independent education.

• Attending and presenting at workshops and conferences nationally: 
  • Every year, the school funds opportunities for our faculty and staff to attend a wide variety of workshops and conferences through professional organizations nationwide. Our faculty and staff members are often selected to present as speakers. For example, I recently led a workshop for other Heads of School on engaging in difficult conversations. Dan Waage recently led a webinar on strategies to prepare for admissions season, and Evan Hammontree led ISAS’s New Teacher Institute.

Investing in our continued education is a top priority. These opportunities have a dedicated line in our operating budget and are also funded through DREAM. We are overjoyed to provide these experiences to our faculty and staff each year—it’s an essential component of who we are as a School and crucial to cultivating our exceptional and experienced faculty and staff and recruiting new educators. 

We are proud to be able to extend our knowledge to our parent community informally through daily interactions and in more structured formats like the Parent Chat Series. Professional development strengthens our partnership with each of you, and we are grateful for a community of parents who lead with curiosity and trust us as experts. These learning opportunities have a direct impact on the educational experiences of our students. We get to focus on best practices and the excitement around teaching and learning that drives all of us forward as a community.