So much to learn

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Yesterday, I visited my first Greek school - the American Community School in Athens. It turns out the Greek school system has something somewhat comparable to our private schools, and ACS Athens is one of those. The teachers still have to follow the Greek National Curriculum - all schools do - but they have considerably more resources to do it with. I'm looking forward to visiting Greek public schools in upcoming weeks, but ACS definitely has some things in place that I can learn from. 

The school's guiding principle is one of "conscious citizenship" - something that all teachers are asked to reflect in the way they deliver their curriculum. I have only had the opportunity to speak with a few teachers about it, and I'm sure I have more to learn about it - but in my understanding it is a focus on having students emerge from their education to be a better citizen in society, in the way they live in connection to others and the betterment of their community. This obviously has some important connections to Social Emotional Learning in that it seeks to build a self-awareness in students - a conscious understanding of themselves and their relationships with others. 

During a tour of the school, I saw rooms dedicated to Writing and Research and Math labs where teaching staff are available to help students with their schoolwork one on one. There was a whole building titled "Learning Differences Center" which I was informed catered to students with Learning Disabilities and other needs. I saw a large, comfortable, modern room titled Incubator Zone - a space run by students where they can meet and talk and create. And then my tour group happened upon a small group of nine students in conversation with a visiting Hollywood director, asking insightful and probing questions. In a few weeks, I will have the opportunity to observe classes here, but it is already obvious to me that these students are extremely well supported in their academic needs - something evidenced to me through the ease and engagement with which they conversed with this adult who was in a profession they had interest in.

We may not have the monetary resources of this elite private school where I teach, but we can take some things away from even just what I saw today. Putting in place writing and math labs where students can get help with schoolwork they may be struggling with is a good idea. We have something similar to this at Paradise High School, but perhaps we can learn from ACS's model. I'm going to do some more investigation as to how they make it work. I also think we could definitely call on more of our surrounding community members - there is so much untapped expertise out there that our students could benefit from. And finally, I'm looking forward to more conversations with staff members about SEL and conscious citizenship - I think we have a lot to learn from each other and, as usual, collaboration is one of the best - if not THE best - forms of professional development.

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