Our Ed Week Post Stresses the Importance of the Caring Classroom Where Students Learn How to Learn

In responding to Education Week as a part of the popular Classroom Q&A with Larry Ferlazzo, Marcus and I described our exciting, unique, and productive approach that we have taught educators for relating with students.

The question for this blog post was: "What are the best ways to build relationships with students?"

“Our cognitive approach positions the teacher-student relationship as one where effective teachers are expert learners who explicitly teach students how to learn in ways they can use across contexts in academics, life, and on the job,” we wrote in our reply. “Teachers find this fulfilling because they know how important it will be for their students to be able to learn new skills to enjoy success across many jobs across their lifespans.”

Angel Rodriguez, Brain-Based (BrainSMART) Teaching Graduate, Finds His "Dream School"

We were pleased to see Angel Rodriguez, who earned his Ed.S. degree in Brain-Based (BrainSMART) Teaching, featured in a recent article of The Gainesville Times, as he takes on the role of principal at Lyman Hall Elementary in Gainesville, Georgia.

Angel is quoted in the article as calling Lyman his "dream school." The majority of the students at the school are Latino, which reflects Rodriguez's own upbringing as a child growing up with parents from Puerto Rico and Cuba. Much of the student population is learning English as a second language and receiving free or reduced-price lunches, which is exactly the demographic that he wishes to serve.

Prior to coming to Lyman, Angel was an assistant high school principal with Gwinnett County Schools. He had experience in the elementary school level, and he told The Times: "In my heart, I always wanted to come back to elementary."