[Graduate Coursework]
The High Tech High Graduate School Of Education was a breath of fresh air for me. Not because it was located in sunny San Diego, but because after ten years of teaching and leading in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans and New Orleans East, I needed to be challenged in a different way. I needed to view education in a different light. My time at the HTHGSE pushed me to unlearn and rethink my practices and examine everything I thought I believed about the art of teaching and the craft of leadership.
High Tech High
Graduate School of Education
San Diego, CA
Master's of Educational Leadership (M. Ed)
Courses:
EDU 600 Core Values and Design Principles
EDU 607 Indigenous Teaching and Learning
EDU 610 Design for Deeper Learning
EDU 650 Leadership for School Change
EDU 615 Facilitating for Adult Learning
EDU 620 Positive School Culture and School Law
EDU 625 Financial Resourcing for Equity
EDU 630 Leading Innovative Schools
"Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace."
-Confucius
The EUHSD Academic Services team went to Valley High School and we led a session on Improvement Science. Teachers dove in and considered how they can use Improvement Science to unlock problems in their classrooms. If you look closely you can see my fishbone diagram :)
My first hands-on experience with Project Based Learning (PBL). I started the day at HTH being introduced to the basic ideas of co-planning and I ended the day at the Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park for some hands on learning.
I had the opportunity to join the Academic Services Team as they went through Studio Cycles. This was a Studio Cycle that we did with teachers on improving their practice in regards to enhancing student voice in the classroom.
I served as a counselor for Escondido Union High School District as they took students to CAMP LEAD. We broke out into affinity groups and I led young African-American students in a session that focused on identity and belonging. I felt as is if I was back in the classroom on St. Claude Ave.
20% Time
I used my 20% time to write, organize and explore San Diego. I helped to organize a College Fair that took place on the campus of TSU in Houston during the Final Four weekend and I continued to work on my blog during my Residency. I also had the opportunity to kayak, hike and meander through Balboa Park.
Winter Leadership Fieldwork Project
One of the most insightful and rewarding projects I worked on was my Winter Leadership Fieldwork Project. During this project I helped to organize KIVA Panels with high-school students in the Escondido Union High School District. Kiva Panels are essentially listening sessions where students have the opportunity to speak directly to adults about their high-school experience.
