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Spartan News
Country Day's Culture of Professional Growth
Every summer, the Miami Country Day faculty engage in a culture of feedback and professional growth. The program, called Pro-Gro, expects and encourages all faculty to enhance themselves by individually attending and presenting at conferences, participating in classes and workshops, and developing relationships with professionals at other schools. Each faculty member is first provided with funds to attend these programs over the summer. The faculty members return with innovative and fresh ideas that they implement into curriculum and pedagogical practices for the new school year. Below are some examples of the many faculty initiatives from the summer of 2019.
Upper School Humanities Teacher, Mr. Scott Brennan's book of poems, Raft Made of Seagull Feathers, was accepted for publication last spring by Main Street Rag Publishing Company in Charlotte, NC. The book is set to be released in early 2020. Click here to read a sample of some of his poems. In addition, his new photo essay, "Framed Signatures" was recently accepted by Contexts, the sociology magazine published by Indiana University.
For her summer Pro-Gro experience, Ms. Cristina Pla-Guzman or known affectionately as Ms. Pla, our Upper School Theatre Teacher,
became a fellow of Theatre Communications Group’s Rising Leaders of Color cohort 4 for Theatre Journalism. Theatre Communications Group (TCG) has received a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre. Through its Core Values of Activism, Artistry, Diversity, and Global Citizenship, TCG advances a better world for theatre and a better world because of theatre. TCG exists to strengthen, nurture, and promote professional theatre in the U.S. and globally. Through a grant with the Knight Foundation in June, she attended the annual TCG National Conference in Miami, one of the largest nationwide gatherings of theatre people.
Because of that honor, she spent a large part of her summer in Waterford, Connecticut at the National Medal of Arts and two time Tony award-winning O’Neill Theatre Center’s as a 2019 fellow of the O’Neill’s National Critics Institute. The Launchpad of American Theater, the O’Neill is the country’s preeminent organization dedicated to the development of new works and new voices for the stage.
Ms. Pla is also a theatre critic and a Contributing Editor for BroadwayWorld and now because of her fellowship, she is also working with American Theatre Magazine as a freelance writer.
She is thrilled to use everything she learned this summer to invigorate her classroom and inspire her students through her passion for theatre.
Ms. Nicole Paciorek is an Upper School Math and Science Teacher who teaches AP Environmental Science. She was honored to be a reader for the national AP Environmental Science exam in Cincinnati in June. It was a great experience for her professionally and will no doubt help her become a better teacher.
Middle School English Teacher, Ms. Lindsy Seidel, finished her Masters in Educational Leadership at Barry University this summer. Her official degree will be conferred in October. Her internship, supervised by Middle School Director, Mr. Steve Mathes and Dr. Vivian Posey from Barry, focused on increasing extracurricular opportunities for academically high achieving Middle School students in order to provide academic enrichment to support in-class curriculum. This was developed based upon a needs assessment and analysis she completed with Mr. Mathes and Dr. Posey’s support.
Ms. Paule Ebrahimi, Director of Learning Resources, was invited in June to hold a two-day workshop at the Milan Center for Family Therapy in Milan, Italy. Twenty-five professionals attended including student therapists, master therapists, and college professors. The workshop topic, “Multiple Intelligences, Supporting All Kinds of Minds”, focused on providing a path aimed at perfecting the skills of psychotherapists trainers. The interactive workshop offered participants the opportunity to reflect and confront teaching approaches that can be increasingly targeted, specific and creative in line with the Milan Approach model of Family Therapy. Participants took inspiration from the model of multiple intelligences from its educational applications, to rethink the most effective techniques, processes, and methodologies to achieve the goals of systemic psychotherapeutic training.
Last spring, Middle School English Teacher, Ms. Susanna Linfield participated in an expedition to survey a range of archaeological sites in the eastern desert of Jordan that have not received extensive archaeological attention. The survey resulted in a proposal for enhanced protections by Jordanian authorities for this vulnerable heritage. Pictured above is a photo from her expedition of a Petroglyph with Safaitic inscription beside a horse with a rider who is hunting gazelle.
Independent professional growth at Miami Country Day School continues to help faculty stay on the cutting edge of education trends. The teachers that take advantage of this professional development acquire insight into new and innovative ways to conduct their classrooms, hold discussions, and help students succeed, not only academically, but in preparation for the next steps in their life.
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