Sitting on Top of the World - Flying over the North Pole

Far East Tour- Home of the Dragon (Part 2)

Sitting on Top of the World - Flying over the North Pole

As our airliner crossed one of the most unique areas in the world, I couldn’t help to think of vast unexplored regions in our world. Yes, much of the North Pole is exotic, unknown, and the home of Santa Claus, but the unexplored regions that spark my interest is our educational system. Have we even "explored" all that there is in education? I'll let you decide...

As we head to China, I am so anxious to see what we can learn, acquire, and bring back to our school along with “hopefully” a Mandarin program. Multiple school and university visits are just the tip of the iceberg to pushing us forward.  Yet, I cannot wait to spend multiple days with a powerful group of educational minds from New Jersey as well. Just the plane ride alone, conversing with Spike Cook and Jay Eitner, was worth the 14 hours. 

As schools continue to remain in status quo, the Northfield Community Middle School is making huge strides to produce an educational system that provides staff and students with the opportunities to similar to those of Stanford University’s d. School. Yes, we are a middle school, not Stanford, but the idea of design thinking focused on empathy, personalized student learning, genius hour projects, Andragogy/Heutagogy advancing forward with higher level pedagogy, and flexible learning spaces in our studios.  

What unique learning spaces, methodologies, and ideas are waiting for us on this trip?

Checking in from Santa’s house, and to all a good night.