From September 26 to October 5, four Columbus School teachers had the opportunity to travel to New York to experience a dynamic professional development training session. Alysa Perreras, Alejandra Villa, Ángela Patricia Muñoz and Carolina Zuluaga were the teachers selected to attend.
The objective of the program was to provide local teachers a dynamic professional development experience by learning from courses at Buffalo State University, conferences held in NY and hands-on learning through local school site visits.
The application was open to all local teachers. However, Alysa Perreras attended as a foreign teacher since she went as the faculty advisor and to attend one of the specific conferences that had a social justice focus.
All teachers who attended developed a TTT (Teachers Training Teachers) or other similar workshop to share their learning with Columbus School staff upon their return. All teachers who attended will also be able to share specific strategies learned in smaller settings, such as their grade level teams or professional learning communities.
By attending the conferences and site visits, teachers were able to build an international network of other educators to continue dialogue and learning to deepen the impact of TCS current practices as well as push the school into further innovation. Furthermore, many of the classes and workshops the teachers attended through the exchange program align with current TCS initiatives and practices, such as social and emotional learning, mindfulness, social justice and equity education and restorative justice. Therefore, teachers were able to curate strategies specific to the goals at TCS that can immediately influence the student’s experiences in classrooms.
Congratulations to all participants!
At TCS, we connect people and ideas, create pathways and opportunities for all learners to grow and inspire and are inspired by a sense of engagement and purpose.