Intellectual Breathing Room

Today in our Professional Learning Community meeting, four of us spent two hours discussing the most vital concepts for students to learn in Western Civilization I. What came out of this discussion was a two-page document summarizing the important concepts and their philosophical underpinnings. It was, without a doubt, the most useful two hours of intellectual professional development time I have spent in my six-plus years as a teacher, and I look forward to our next PLC day to continue the work. I have to commend Littleton Public Schools: we have been asking for the time to do work like this for many years, and they came up with a way to provide that time. It is so nice to work in a district in which our requests are honored, and balanced to ensure that student success is what matters most.