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One of the most important features of Barnesville is that your children are taught by educators who are fully engaged in professional development. Just as students learn by expanding their horizons and questioning assumptions, so do teachers. But even better, when teachers learn new skills and explore different methods, the value of the professional development opportunity is multiplied throughout the classroom. So we have a number of professional development events coming up in February, and I thought I’d share with you what we’ll be up to.
First, the teaching faculty will be taking part in a three part webinar series entitled Bullying in the 21st Century. On three Wednesdays (Feb. 2, 9, & 16), teachers and aides will gather in the Media Lab at 3 pm to review such topics as the profile of a victim, the many faces of a bully, technology’s ever-changing role, laws and policies, how to create a safe environment, peer programs against bullying, parent education, and much more. While we are proud of Barnesville’s joyful and supportive learning environment, this takes work to maintain. This webinar series will help us to keep our attention focused on this vitally important topic. Please be aware that on these three Wednesdays, since the teachers will be taking part in the webinar right at 3 pm, the administrators and I will be pitching in to dismiss students in car line. If we’re a little slower those three days, now you know why!
Then on Friday Feb. 25th, the faculty and administration will be attending the National Association of Independent Schools Annual Conference at the Gaylord Convention Center in National Harbor. More than 4,000 participants will be gathered to discuss the future of independent school education. Workshops will cover such themes as technology, sustainability and green learning, the classroom experience, communication, and leadership development. This conference won’t be in town again for quite some time, so we jumped at the opportunity to go this year – even if it meant moving our February professional development day a week after the Presidents’ Day weekend!
Both of these opportunities were made possible through the Jaralyn Hough Professional Development Fund. Thanks to the significant generosity of our donors, we have a dedicated reserve that allows a small school such as ours to take part in meaningful professional development that might otherwise be outside our budget. We welcome contributions to this important fund, and thank your for allowing us to stretch and grow, for the benefit of your children.
John Huber