First Fridays
Learning InspirED is proud to partner with the following school districts from across the United States in our First Friday Community:
Join our virtual professional learning forum each month to:
· Learn about basic psychological needs and how they inform the context and impact student learning
· Discover how to adapt school environments to support greater student self-determined learning
·Gain insights from change-driven education leaders from across the country
We host forums from 3-4:30 p.m. EST one Friday each month.
First Friday Speaker SDL Series
(January ‘23 – May ’24)
|
Month |
Presenter |
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January 27, 2023 |
Nathan Gorsch , Principal of The Village Public High School, Colorado Springs, CO |
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February 24, 2023 |
Michelle Blackley , Principal, Daniel Wright Middle School, Lincolnshire, IL |
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March 24, 2023 |
Ross Spoonire, High School Math Teacher, Windsor, VT |
|
April 26, 2023 |
Heather Van Benthuysen , Executive Director of Student Voice and Engagement, Chicago Public Schools |
|
May 24, 2023 |
Abby French , 7th grade ELA, Winchester, VA. Frederick County Public Schools |
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September 22, 2023 |
Tyler Thigpen, Head of The Forest Schools and Institute for Self Directed Learning Atlanta, GA |
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October 27, 2023 |
Jane Shore, School of Thought , Philadelphia, PA |
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November 17, 2023 |
Tony Becerra is a first generation American, born and raised in Long Beach, California. He was a student in Erin Gruwell’s class, a group of students who became known as the Freedom Writers of book and movie fame. Come join Tony in this First Friday session to learn what it was like being a student in Ms. Gruwell’s class, where the students were given the freedom to use their voices and backgrounds as the critical “content” from which they’d elevate their learning. The very subtitle of the Freedom Writer’s Diary conveys agency – “How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them.” Tony’s face is at the very center of the book cover : ). |
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January 26, 2024 |
Miriam Plotinsky , Instructional Specialist, Montgomery County Public Schools, MD |
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February 23, 2024 |
Jared Jackson , Principal, Innovation Academy, Kansas City, MO |
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March 22, 2024 |
In 2019, Central Falls introduced the Participatory Budgeting initiative. It gave students a voice in school improvement activities, and the leadership a way to understand what the students cared about. Five years into implementation, the Central Falls School District continues to run a Participatory Budgeting elective and made PB a multi-generational opportunity by giving the community decision making power for over $100,000 of their ESSER funding. You can read more about the Participatory Budgeting in Central Falls Schools and its results HERE. Come join us learn how Central Falls conceived of and implemented this rare example of student voice and agency. Stephanie Downey Toledo, Central Falls Superintendent, will host the session. |
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April 26, 2024 |
N/A |
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May 24, 2024 |
Bria Bloom is the Executive Director for the Alliance for Self-Directed Education, a parent, a Self-Directed Education (SDE) Facilitator, a writer, and someone who grew up directing her own education as a child, and beyond. Bria supports parents in shifting their relationships with their children so they can engage in a supportive, partnership-based, nonhierarchical way. Bria also spends lots of time learning alongside young people in her role as an SDE Facilitator. |