Learning success turns into progressive education

June 12, 7:46 AMLA Progressive Education ExaminerGrace Hess-Quimbita

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Dear Readers,

Sorry for my long absence. I did not disappear off the face of the earth. Instead, I had stepped back into the classroom as a substitute teacher for three weeks and guided 10th grade students in their learning of chemistry. Slowly it became four weeks, and now it’s over.

It was a short and enjoyable time and very educational. I was invited to teach “any way” I wanted for the last month in a chemistry classroom. In other words, I was asked to teach chemistry in a manner that would be meaningful to the students, who, up to then, had not had a great year with the topic and class. So some of you teachers might be able to see the obstacles I was facing as a substitute, teaching a topic that many find scary, the last four weeks of the school year. In hindsight, I now see the odds of creating a successful learning experience and how those odds were stacked against the students and me. However, I didn’t quite see them when considering the job. Don’t get me wrong, I was aware of them and concerned, but I also saw a chance to use an educational approach rooted in acknowledging individual learning approaches, emotional safety, and nonviolent communication. I will write more of my experience as the month progresses.

Writing about progressing, my new title comes to mind. I am now the Progressive Education Examiner. While there is a general impression of how folks define progressive education, in reality, such a general impression does not exist. I hope to help readers understand the various aspects of what is traditionally meant by progressive education as the new. . . Progressive Education Examiner! However, as I do not hold myself to boundaries or definitions, I will also focus on issues that look “out-of-the-box” when compared to traditional views on teaching and learning. Any forward thinking, “out-of-the-box” educational idea that impacts or may impact individual learning in a positive manner is a progressive one to me. Stay tuned with an open and thoughtful mind.