Melissa Laurie

Recently, we shared a little about the intentionality behind professional development at GAP. Before learners ever arrived, our educators spent time together thinking, playing, problem-solving, asking questions, wrestling with ideas, and building relationships. We don’t expect a group of adults to walk into a room and instantly become a strong team simply because they all work at the same school. Turns out, we don’t expect that of kids either. It can be tempting, especially at the beginning...

What happens at GAP School before the kids arrive? A whole lot of learning! For two weeks before the first backpacks arrived, GAP educators became the learners. We moved. We built things. We spent time outside. We worked in groups. We wrestled with questions that didn't always have obvious answers. We reflected, disagreed, revised our thinking, laughed a lot, and occasionally got wonderfully off track because someone asked a really good question. In other words, we learned the way we want...

A conversation this week has been stuck in my head. We were talking about childhood when someone said something that felt surprisingly profound: "Sometimes parents and teachers just need permission." Permission to slow down. Permission to spend an afternoon outside. Permission to get muddy. Permission to leave the dishes in the sink because the creek is calling. Permission to wonder. It made me think about how easy it is to fill summer with good intentions. Camps, vacations, sports, reading...