Thursday, July 29, 2010

National Middle School Leadership Institute

This past month, a team of MEH instructional leaders had the opportunity to attend the National Middle School Association Leadership Institute in Williamsburg. Our team was able to collaborate, deliberate, and most importantly learn from other middle level educators. Mr. Dippold and I had the please of being teamed with Mr. Juan Rodriguez as our Super Team Leader. We were able to learn more about leadership and how to transform schools to meet the needs of all students. It was an exceptional experience.

The institute is designed to meet the needs of middle level leaders through responsive planning and class sessions. Furthermore, the institute is completely designed through the lens of This We Believe. Anyone who has read this blog, knows that this is perhaps one of my favorite books. I challenge anyone to read this publication and argue that anything in it is not good for young adolescents. In fact, NMSA has taken out the word school on their newest edition because they believe that their recommendations are appropriate for anyone who works or spends time around young adolescents. If you have not read this book, I encourage you to do so. It will change and enrich your perspective and thinking about young adolescents and their specific needs.