A+ Schools started in North Carolina and 18 years later, A+ Schools is still going strong there! Below, hear from some of North Carolina's A+ Fellows. Fellows are the backbone of A+ and they provide professional development to member schools. Enjoy!
One of the great aha’s from working this summer was each school’s realization that the A+ philosophy is not yet another piece to add to an impossibly long list of jobs for a teacher to manage. It is, rather, a lens through which one can organize and enliven the curriculum. Common Core has added some valuable emphasis to critical skills which dovetail perfectly with the way an artist works – trying out ideas, molding them to new expressions and creations, and publishing, presenting or performing them with a critical eye toward making the next creation even more refined and meaningful. As teachers had the opportunity to “play” with ideas in artistic ways, they became refreshed and could see the immediate appeal and benefit that working through the arts will have on their students. Once the teachers were armed with a deeper knowledge of the art form, some ideas and specific management techniques, they were eager for school to start so they could try them out on their students. For me, as an A+ Fellow, I see this transformational work each summer. I get to experience the well-spring of artistry and curricular knowledge from other A+ Fellows and from teachers all around the state, and I am refreshed myself.
~Jan Adams, Dance Educator and A+ Fellow since 1994
Working three different A+ professional development events this summer, including a five day institute, gave me an opportunity to experience the rich diversity of our A+ schools as well as of the A+ fellows. I am thoroughly impressed at how the schools, each with its own unique strengths, character and challenges, all worked beautifully - moving forward with increased confidence to explore and implement two-way integration. There were obstacles, but I've discovered the A+ structures, pedagogy, A+ Fellows’ passion and dedication mixed with schools that are genuinely seeking to learn, create the magic needed to succeed.
~Christina Garay Lohry, Dance Educator and A+ Fellow since 2012
As a new Fellow with A+, I felt over my head when I began work with my team for a 5-day Institute in Charlotte, NC. My nervousness quickly dissipated as my team and I started working our plan, under the guidance of our team leader, and our A+ Director—I realized that in trusting them, I had to trust that they believed in me. I then allowed myself to respond to the needs of the participants based on my training and my intuition as a teaching theatre artist honed from many years of working with a variety of situations. But I believe what opened me up more was witnessing the daily and hourly steps the teachers and staff from the school we were working with were willing to make. They consistently confronted their own barriers and challenges, risking vulnerability. I was moved by the encouragement of their honest feedback from the principal. It was clear that the school really wanted this reform and this experience. Their bravery inspired me to also be brave as I tackled my first A+ workshop nearly fearlessly. The accessibility of the arts via A+ continues to remind me how awesome and necessary this work is.
~Lucinda McDermott, Theatre Arts Educator and A+ Fellow since 2013
This summer, I was inspired by the work of other A+ Fellows: paper sculptures that replicated human tissue, rubrics to encourage quality performances from students, and new ideas for reflecting with fellow teachers, to name a few. I continue to work with A+ because of such inspiration. I see teachers get on fire for our collaborative, artistic work and find myself re-committing to my own work summer after summer. The kind of learning that's encouraged through A+ just works--it works for communities, for teachers, and most importantly for kids.
~Emily Wike, Theatre Arts Educator and A+ Fellow since 2003
As they entered my drama workshop I saw trepidation on some of their faces. "I'm out of my comfort zone" it said. "I'm not a creative person" I heard. I greeted them saying "come on in and have a seat and let's have some fun!" Participants were looking for new and interesting ways to teach math in their classrooms. We began slowly and before long I could see the tension in their faces loosening and smiles and laughter replacing it as they danced around the room using their bodies to make numbers with music. I also saw everyone contributing in their small groups as they created a new word problem with intense concentration and creativity while using their imagination. With a sense of self satisfaction and newly acquired confidence I could hear them say "I can do this! I can use this in different subject areas also!" What a transformation I saw with them and also with me as I felt that A+ had given me a chance to share my knowledge and experience with drama in a way that would contribute to learning.
~Bonner Dison, Theatre Arts Educator and A+ Fellow, first with Arkansas A+ Schools, and now in North Carolina
It was a real joy to work with a middle school new to A+ Schools this past summer. This school was so ready and enthusiastic. I remember the wonderful moment when the Social Studies teacher, music teacher and ELA teachers saw connections pertaining to the Renaissance. They immediately began a dialogue that we knew would continue way after our week with this school. They really understood how their Common Core Standards and the Arts Essential Standards could connect and integrate to further learning and understanding for their students.
~Lola Davis-Jones, Teaching Artist and A+ Fellow since 1995
This summer I was glad to work with so many teachers who represent more than the thousands of students they teach - they represent the future. Thanks to their work and thanks to the A+ Schools Program, arts are now an integral part of their work and the future. By creating art, singing songs, writing letters home from Camp A+, and acknowledging colleagues' gifts and strengths, teachers fully engaged with the arts. They took risks and designed innovative instruction while collaborating with colleagues in their school and throughout the region. It was amazing to see the transformation teachers made. Some transformative work such as lesson planning and arts integration occurred in the "foreground," while other work such as team-building and improving attitudes happened in the "background." That second category brought the school staff together and made a more powerful and longer lasting impact. Not to be confused with a quick-fix or prescribed program, the A+ Schools Program engages teachers in the sometimes challenging but always rewarding work of whole school reform. This summer, I was glad to be a part of that by making music, creating art, and exploring theatre and dance with some wonderful teachers. They not only teach in some inspiring and forward-looking schools, they are committed to their children, this integrated arts program, and its promise for the future.
~Dan Johnson, Music Educator and A+ Fellow since 2013
OK, here are the hard facts of it. I’m a mime. I make my living performing for children and families at festivals throughout North and South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. For many years I was with a mime troupe touring the U.S., performing for people of all ages in schools, prisons, colleges, arts centers, theaters, etc. I accepted the invitation to become an A+ Fellow along with the training A+ provides in all facets of learning, education, curriculum management, standards, and organizational processes because it is important work that I believe will truly change for the better our educational environment in America. As a team member, I bring my strengths of deeply understanding my art form (drama/theater) along with my understanding of business systems (Yes, I am a small businessman!) to bear in our A+ Training work. This means that I take the time away from my own performing, rehearsing & teaching to share my work as an A+ Fellow. I do this because, as I said before, I believe this work actually moves the needle positively when implemented with thought and passion. It does my little heart good when I have an experience such as the one I had this summer working with the teachers at one of our new A+ Schools.
Here’s what happened: Our week-long training was going along fine until we asked all of the teachers to map out the Standards they thought they’d be pursuing in the first 9-week period. The teachers chafed at this request because they’d already completed this task, as their district had created pacing guides for everyone the previous spring. We cajoled and persuaded the teachers to do it anyway and then to post their Standards Maps all along one hallway in the school. Even before the final map was posted, ALL of the teachers were perusing this gallery of Standards Maps and exclaiming to one another as they recognized connections not only between their grade level teaching and the teaching of arts subjects, but also of their grade level teaching as it related to other grade levels. The conversations around the exercise were deep and insightful. This went way beyond an “Aha moment” to a total epiphany. After they actually witnessed all of these connections, the entire faculty happily, diligently and collaboratively began creating arts integrated lessons. I believe this one experience brought the entire faculty together in a way that other professional development programs could never approach.
This is why I continue to make time to do this work. I see its effectiveness.
~Jef Lambdin, Mime, Teaching Artist and A+ Fellow since 2005
