May 2009 Monthly Inspirer
IN THIS ISSUE
Conversation Changers
The Latest News
Upcoming Events
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Hire an Inspired Teacher



Attention all Washington, DC principals - Center for Inspired Teaching is assembling an impressive cohort of highly qualified teachers who are ready to interview for a teaching position at your school!

All
Inspired Teaching Fellows:

Meet NCLB highly qualified requirements

Participate in a rigorous pre-service training
program with real-world experience teaching DC students

Receive a dedicated mentor for the full first year of teaching

Complete relevant coursework over 15 month program to receive full teaching certification

Contact
Monisha Karnani
at 202.462.1956 to schedule a meeting and learn more about our great teachers!
Nominate a Teacher

Your teacher could win a Jones New York wardrobe from Macy's. Check out this contest from Jones New York in the Classroom.
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Center for Inspired Teaching is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that exists to ensure schools make the most of children's innate desire to learn. We do this by investing in teachers. Please visit our website to learn more about our philosophy, programs, and results.
Greetings!

As each budding tree gives way to the next, shedding blossoms for hopeful green leaves, it is hard not to get caught up in the excitement change can bring. At Inspired Teaching, spring's transformational events have not been limited to the great outdoors.

The second annual Inspired Teacher Essay Contest brought in more than 500 essays from throughout the DC Metro region and culminated in a celebration for every student who submitted a piece at the Washington Wizards April 13 home game.

The deadline for applying to the Inspired Teacher Certification Program passed on April 24 and we received more than six applications for every slot available. Selection days run through the first week of May and we will be able to announce our first cohort by the end of the month.

DC's mayor and chancellor held a press conference at partner school Turner at Green to highlight its improvement this year. Turner at Green will be one of the schools featured in a series of advertisements about the great things happening in DCPS.

Recruitment for our 14th Inspired Teacher Institute is underway, we're taking submissions for the 2009 Inspired Teacher Journal, and preparation for the June 2 Inspired Teacher Symposium is in full swing. Spring has definitely sprung in our neck of the woods - we hope all is well with you!
Conversation Changers
Inspired Teacher Essay ContestWhat if all teachers were Inspired?
This spring we asked students from the DC region to send us essays highlighting a teacher who inspired them. It was remarkable to see the clear themes that emerged from the hundreds of essays that poured in. Students talked about teachers who:
  • Made them look forward to going to school
  • Recognized their individuality
  • Linked academic concepts to life
  • Created positive classroom environments
  • Found creative ways to teach complex topics
  • Shared responsibility for the learning process
  • Held them to high expectations and made them see their potential
Reading through the excerpts from each essay we received it's clear that these teachers have had a tremendous impact on the lives of their students. And each year the contest begs the question - what would happen if all teachers were Inspired Teachers?
THE LATEST INSPIRED NEWS
MiaInspired Teacher Essay Contest Featured on WAMU 88.5
Listen to essay contest winner Mia De Jesus-Martin talk about her sixth grade reading teacher Nzingha Tingling-Clemmons from Stuart-Hobson Middle School in Washington, DC.

Turner at Green Featured on FOX News Channel 5
Inspired Teaching Partner School Turner at Green was featured in this news broadcast about a new DCPS initiative to highlight rising stars in the school system.

Sharing Inspired Teaching - Outside the Classroom
Aleta Margolis and other Inspired Teaching staff have been busy sharing stories about the organization and its ideas. Recent speaking engagements included the Social Enterprise Symposium at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, and talking to high school students about being activists for their education at a Close Up Foundation event. In May Aleta will be on a panel to discuss "Equity and Excellence in Urban Education" at Brown University.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Call for Proposals: Inspired Teachers' Symposium
June 3, 2009 ~ 6:00-8:00 pm
Sumner School 1201 17th St NW · Washington, DC 20036

Center for Inspired Teaching is committed to turning up the volume on teachers' voices. The Inspired Teachers' Symposium is one venue where the city's most dynamic educators can share stories of how their efforts led to meaningful changes or positive experiences in classrooms and the lives of children. For more information
contact Julie at julie@inspiredteaching.org or 202.462.1956.

Teacher Authors Wanted
The Inspired Teaching Journal
Volume 2 ~ Appearing Summer 2009

The Inspired Teaching Journal provides a unique outlet for the work of Inspired Teachers in the Washington, DC area and beyond. The Inspired Teaching Journal includes a range of types of teacher writing-classroom-based research, experiences of Inspired Teachers and their students, and more. Our aim is to give teachers an opportunity to share their voices and to showcase the work of our city's most dynamic educators. We invite Inspired Teachers everywhere to submit to one of three categories: Voice, Classroom Research, or Practice

Deadline for Unsolicited Submissions: June 1, 2009
For more information or to submit your proposal for review,
contact Julie at julie@inspiredteaching.org or 202.462.1956.

Inspired Teaching Institute 2009
We are now seeking passionate educators to participate in our flagship program. Expand your skills to maximize student achievement. Transform the way you think about teaching. Connect with other incredible educators. Rediscover the joy of learning. Apply online today!

This course is FREE. Participants receive lunch, and grad credit or DCPS credits. The 2-week summer session runs from June 29-July 10 9am-3pm, M-F. It takes place at Georgetown Day School 4200 Davenport St NW Washington, DC

Testimony from last year's participants:

The Inspired Teaching Institute stretched me in ways previously untapped.  I cannot think of a better way to spend two weeks.  
~ DC Charter School Teacher

This workshop takes a very different approach than ANY other workshop...Inspired Teaching truly looks at the educator as a guide to learning.  
~ DCPS Teacher

What a difference this  class has made in my career and in my classroom!
~ DCPS Teacher