No Excuses!

Administrators from eight schools were invited to special sessions on improving schools.  Our goals was to get school administrators to think in innovative ways and begin to make systemic changes in the ways that students learn and achieve. 







Martha presented the administrators with ideas on changing their management styles.  In Liberia the power structure in any organization is very rigid.  The person in charge tells others what to do and usually doesn't listen to suggestions or ideas from those working for him/her. The special session for administrators focused on collaboration with other administrators, the teachers and even the students in addition to learner centered education.  Martha's mantra was "No Excuses!" for anyone involved in the learning process.  It was 7 days of learning how to listen, use data and develop a plan for each school to improving student achievement. Martha also spoke on being involved and being a leader in the community and not just in their schools.  She is the president of the Rotary Club back home in Borrego Springs.

 

Teachers in the Wetlands Project present
what they are learning to the administrators.

The administrators spent time visiting the other workshops so that they would have an understanding of the new ways to teach Science, Geography, English, Reading and using the libraries.  They were often quite surprised at some of the ways in which learning could occur using hands on activities and higher level thinking.