Chant Thomas

It's February, known for Black History Month, and we reintroduce to our students Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Maya Angelou, John Lewis, and other notable African Americans that have transformed our history. This course will look beyond Black History Month and focus on unsung heroes and sheroes that don't always make history books but have contributed to America in many profound ways. Using the required text, Four Hundred Souls, you will be engaged in the history of African Americans from 1619 to the present time through 90 diverse authors' powerful short stories, personal vignettes, essays, and poems. We will examine microaggressions and ever-changing voting rights legislation. In addition, you will have the opportunity to examine a plethora of websites, videos, and resources, as well as to adapt and create your lesson plans to integrate Black History into a year-long, interdisciplinary curriculum.

Systemic racism and racial bias negatively impact the social, emotional, and academic lives of non-white students, teachers, and staff in our schools. The multiple impacts of these issues are both immediate and long-lasting. In this course, participants will explore racial identity and racial privilege. Awareness, knowledge, and understanding of systemic inequity; of one's own racial and cultural identity; and students' racial and cultural identity are cornerstones for teaching that more effectively meet the need of all students, and in particular, non-white students and historically marginalized students.

Propel student learning by using play-based STEM lessons to create an inquiry-based science classroom environment. Implement lessons which include magnets, gears, whiffle balls, a tin can band, simple machines, plants, funnels, sensory tubs, paint, and more to meet preschool and early childhood science standards! Life science, physical science, earth science, and space science will all be covered in the easy to use, engaging, and teacher friendly text.

This course meets OSPI's STEM requirements.

Teaching in a virtual, physical, or hybrid environment demands an additional set of skills and strategies for teachers.  

In this course, participants develop the skills needed to build a virtual classroom rich with interactive content while focusing on a positive class culture and community.

Generation Z comprises students born since 1995 into a digital world made up of the Internet and cell phones. They are enmeshed in social media and criticized for lacking social skills. However, they are the future and we need to teach them in a manner that will lead to their success. To do that, learn how to best meet the unique needs of Generation Z and how to engage them in the K-12 classroom. Learn about what they think, where they are going and how they may change the world.

The key to student success is not how well they perform on standardized tests or their ranking in school, but their ability to work hard, struggle, and persevere until they accomplish a task. Learn how to instill grit in your K-12 students through relationship building, challenging tasks, goal setting and active reflection. Students should perceive mistakes as an opportunity to grow. When taught in the classroom research suggests grit may have an impact key to long term success and happiness.

The great wisdom traditions well as our own life stories point to the virtue of adversity. The obstacles and difficulties in our lives test us and can bring forth our greatest potential, leading to self-knowledge, character, courage and great achievement. You will view two movies, several TED Talks, and read two books about overcoming adversity from an Amazon and/or Goodreads list. The material reflects on the trials and successes of each life, and explores K-12 application of these themes.

This useful course for K-12 educators shows and explains, in simple concrete terms, winning techniques of master teachers. From field notes and observations, Doug Lemov has compiled and named our common protocols and practices in his action packed book,Teach Like a Champion, which comes with a DVD as well. If you are a teacher who wants to improve your craft, then this course offers a language and actions to do that.  Start today and stir up an alchemy that transforms learning for your students, yourself and your colleagues. Let the magic begin!

Poor social skills are the leading reason why people lose jobs, according to Labor and Industry research. While educators know the importance of social skills, schools do not provide adequate training in this area.