Oct. 28-31 Fall Scholastic Bookfair in MPR lower campus

 Last week, Seabury's teachers attended the Washington Association of Educators of the Talented and Gifted (WAETAG) conference in Lynnwood.  WAETAG always provides a wonderful opportunity for Seabury's teachers to network with others in gifted education across the state of Washington, and to learn more about effective tools for teaching gifted children.  This year's keynote speaker, Bertie Kingore (http://bertiekingore.com/), shared strategies for moving lessons to a higher level of thinking and engagement in order to better meet the needs of gifted learners.  This week, several Seabury teachers already began to use some of the tools they learned from their workshops, and their insights and strategies are already impacting instruction at Seabury.  It was a valuable day for all teachers and part of Seabury's commitment to providing ongoing professional development for our staff. 
 
Last Sunday and Monday, Head of School, Sandi Wollum and trustee, Lee Fisher, attended the PNAIS Institutional Leadership conference.  The conference focused on 21st century education, as well as on strategies for improving governance in independent schools.  Perhaps the most interesting session was Sunday's keynote speaker, Yong Zhao, Ph.D., University Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Michigan.  Dr. Zhao is a native of China, and his work focuses on education in the age of globalization.  He emphasized that for students to be prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century global economy, it is critical that they have the opportunity to cultivate their passions, discover and develop their talents, focus on creativity, and become globally competent.
 
As Dr. Zhao described education for the 21st Century, Lee and Sandi were struck by the similarities between the program at Seabury and the attributes Dr. Zhao described.  It was affirmation that Seabury's focus on developing individual strengths, on helping students discover and pursue their passions, and to express and explore their creativity are going to be key factors in their success in the world they will be living and working in as adults.  Dr. Zhao's book, Catching Up or Leading the Way, American Education in the Age of Globalization, will be a topic of discussion for Seabury's faculty in the coming months.  You can read his blog at http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/.