Day One

Ms.Driscoll(one our second grade teachers) and I arrived safely last night. This morning we grabbed some breakfast and headed to our first workshop. Dr.William Howe, who is an education consultant for multicultural education and works for the Conneticut State Department of Education, spoke today on student achievement. He said it is important for students to be able to work in a diverse world and workplace. Students need to develop empathy and be able to compete with students around the world. Most US companies and multinational corporations receive most of their revenues from overseas. Dr.Howe said the more languages we know, the more likely we are to be hired by international corporations. Dr.Howe led discussions about many key aspects in our everyday lessons. He had us think about our lessons and how are they helping us achieve academic and cultural excellence. He said multicultural education nurtures student’s hearts, as well as their minds, in school. Dr.Howe shared many ideas with us on how to create an environment that is both emotionally and physically safe for everyone. I look forward to sharing the lessons when I get back!