I Am Becoming

by Kris Meyer Gaskins

Assistant Head of School

The professional development program at Eton School is alive and vibrant, supported, and actively funded through generous donations from our families. Through Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS), American Montessori Society (AMS), Pacific Northwest Montessori Association (PNMA), Independent School Management (ISM), National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), colleges, and universities, faculty and staff have access to on-demand webinars, graduate classes, workshops, and conferences. Teachers also participate in professional development opportunities in many other local venues such as the IslandWood Summer Institute, Seattle Aquarium, Issaquah Hatchery, Seattle Art Museum, and more. The list is long, and the types of learning experiences are vast and varied, catering to general and targeted areas of interest.

Professional development opportunities did not stop during the pandemic. Just as schools embraced remote or virtual learning, so did the many organizations that support professional growth. In fact, because of the pandemic, there were more opportunities to attend conferences and workshops from presenters across the country. Pre-elementary and Lower Elementary teachers attended the virtual national Montessori Conference hosted by AMS just last March. It was a three-day event with four amazing keynote speakers and workshops that covered a range of topics including Supporting Parents and Students during the Pandemic, Oral Language Development, Implementing a Gender Diversity Curriculum, Montessori Math Today, Working with Children in the Natural World, Technology in the Classroom, Ecology Art, JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion): What is it and

“Learning is an ongoing process and is valued. As we grow professionally, we are better able to teach and guide the young minds under our care.”

why we need it, and so much more. As members of AMS, teachers also have easy access to a library full of on-demand and recorded webinars. PNMA, our local Montessori organization, offered a series of workshops this past spring that focused on Mindfulness in the Early Years and Conversations with Parents. Our Montessori faculty regularly take part in the ongoing educational offerings through PNMA.

NWAIS, one of our accrediting bodies, offers a robust yearly offering of workshops and conferences. Upper Elementary and Middle School faculty have taken or will attend some of the following workshops: Rigorous Project-based Learning, Courageous Conversations from DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) to EDI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion), Diversity and Inclusion in the Curriculum, Demystified and Simplified: The Neuroscience Behind Behavioral Issues, Moving Educational Justice Beyond Anti-oppression, and more. Each October, faculty have the opportunity to attend the NWAIS Fall Educators Conference. The theme for the conference on 8 October 2021 was Redefining Our Classrooms, Reconnecting our Communities. Kicking it off was Zaretta Hammond talking about her book, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students.

She is passionate about the intersections of literacy, equity, and neuroscience. This annual conference offers a wide range of learning opportunities for everyone.

We have two faculty members completing graduate degrees. Some Pre-elementary and Lower Elementary teachers have completed the Wired for Reading program, Learning without Tears, and Learning Without Tears Handwriting. Upper Elementary teachers took a writing workshop called Not So Wimpy Writing Masterclass to improve the Upper Elementary writing program. Other classes included Writing Flow and Raising Awareness, Identifying and Teaching Children with Dyslexia. One of our Middle School teachers spent three summers at the Center for Neurotechnology at the University of Washington working on a research project designed to develop engineered technologies to help restore or heal functions lost due to brain and spinal cord injuries. Responsibilities included working in partner labs and writing curriculum to help bring these ideas into Middle and High Schools. The curriculum was vetted during summer camp programs for high school students and is now taught in our own Middle School program. Needless to say, our faculty purposefully learns to enrich student experiences and learning.

Over the doors of the Main building is the aphorism, “I Am Becoming…” Originally created by the founding head, it is an adage that describes the belief that everyone continues to grow through learning and experiences that expand and enrich our lives and professions. This belief continues to be part of the Eton School tradition. The last sentence of Eton’s Core Values, “We dedicate ourselves to lifelong learning,” is a powerful statement made by the faculty and staff. Learning is an ongoing process and is valued. As we grow professionally, we are better able to teach and guide the young minds under our care. An educated, enthusiastic teacher is a passionate teacher, and a passionate teacher inspires students to embrace learning. ❧