Why, you ask? Just look at his passion. It exudes from every cell of his body.
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| The City Neighbors Foundation Progressive Education Summit, Baltimore, MD 2013 |
Further, Alfie (if I may be so informal) is brilliant, well-read, timely, and unafraid. When he speaks, his statements eloquently fly from his mouth and make history on the spot. Case in point: Professor KP's favorite quote from a recent City Neighbors Foundation Progressive Education Summit we attended.
What? Alfie, did you just say something that powerful and meaningful? Are you talking to me?
Well, almost. Look at how close Professor KP and I were to Alfie at the Summit.
The entire audience could feel his passion and energy. Even Amy and her husband from HOPE agreed and were wowed.
Alfie spoke mostly about progressive schools. In progressive schools, students partake in not only hands-on learning, but minds-on learning. Progressive schools tend to be project- and inquiry-based, extremely collaborative and community-connected, and take great care in educating the whole child. Of course, progressive teachers need to teach differently. I love this quote from Alfie as it speaks to the role of a progressive teacher. And yes, this quote flew from his mouth like pure magic.
If you haven't familiarized yourself with Alfie and his work, visit his website here. Then, do yourself a favor and read one of his books. My personal favorite is his parenting book, Unconditional Parenting. It 100% applies to teaching, too!
All the best,
Jen
PS - Big thank you to Amy from HOPE for spotting the summit and sharing it with me. Another big thank you to the City Neighbors Foundation for putting on such an inspiring event. And one last thank you to my date, Professor KP.
PSS - I wanted to leave you with one more amazing, Alfie quote....
