Teach Em Up

We open 2020 with an emphasis on student voice by talking with three students (Pricila, Mi'Zauni, and Ben) about what life's like today as a teenager. We get into both shallow and deep culture discussing music, tech and social media, memes and internet culture, language, fashion, vaping, issues that matter, and values that are important to our students and teenagers today. 

Science Teacher Virginia Vogl talks about teaching and assessing life skills in addition to content and how to help students develop the skills of Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, Work Ethic, Character, and Cultural Competence

Special Education Teacher Carrie Beth McCall explains the assessment and teaching system of Proficiency Based Education and how it benefits students by providing clear expectations and helps teachers to stop playing the "points game" and focus on student learning.

Chemistry teacher Virginia Vogl talks about using assessments to teach what matters and how to assess the things that you believe are most important and have your gradebook reflect that. This is part 1 of 3 of our Assessing What Matters series focusing on Content and content-oriented skills. Part 2 will be about Proficiency Based Education, and then part 3 will cover "soft" skills. 

Social Studies teacher Mike Spinrad details what professionalism looks like in the teaching profession and why it's so important. We then delve into how much politics is appropriate in the high school classroom and how to walk the fine line of encouraging student voice without inserting your own political opinions.

Physical Education teacher Ben Philpot advocates for his controversial opinion that PE is actually a real class where students should learn things and explains how PE has evolved to meet the needs of students.

Give Thanks with 1st grade teacher Melissa Williams for finding the balance between student socialization and academics. Melissa explains how redirection helps students make positive choices and how to give first graders ownership of their own science experiments.

Science Teacher Melissa Havel suggests ways to expand the classroom by getting outside with field studies and field trips, then we discuss how to maintain a healthy work/life balance and why interests outside of the classroom make you a better teacher. Finally, Melissa explains her year-long sabbatical cruising on a sailboat with her family.

Science teacher Virginia Vogl discusses the process of Project Based Learning and how to give students ownership of their own learning by solving real-world problems and implementing your solutions.

Assistant Principal Kathy Warren explains how school structures can support students and teachers and goes into detail on three school structures she’s implemented: Freshman Success Team, Learning Lounge, and Tutorial.