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Lewis takes Responsive Classroom expertise on the road
Fourth grade teacher Christine Lewis crisscrossed the country this summer to inspire fellow educators to adopt the researched-informed practices of Responsive Classroom.
“For me, this summer has been transformative,” Lewis said. “I’ve seen people, in four days, go from complete rejection of Responsive Classroom to dancing, laughing and sharing insightful reasons why this is a good way of helping students. I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to do that.”
Lewis facilitated the Responsive Classroom Course in Durham, N.C., New York City, Los Angeles and La Crosse, Wisc. During each four-day course, Lewis led intensive training in the principles and strategies of Responsive Classroom, which emphasizes building social-emotional competencies as keys to academic success. The morning meetings, closing circles, energizers and interactive learning structures students experience in St. Andrew’s Lower and Intermediate schools are all hallmarks of Responsive Classroom.
“Responsive Classroom is not for the faint of heart,” Lewis said. “It’s for bold teachers who truly believe that students of any age are capable of taking charge of their own path toward their future, in terms of their learning.”
Lewis was first introduced to Responsive Classroom in 2008 when she was a teacher at St. Francis Episcopal Day School, now St. Andrew’s Lower School. Pat Talbert Smith, Head of St. Francis at the time, told Lewis she had heard of a program that would resonate with her—she was right, Lewis said.
“One of the reasons it resonated is because I’m from New Zealand, and this is really how we teach in New Zealand,” she said. “It was a good way for me to feel like there are people here who are teaching this way, not just traditional didactic pedagogy.”
She attended her first daylong Responsive Classroom workshop that year and has yet to slow down—nearly every year since, Lewis has worked toward mastering Responsive Classroom practices and earning certification to teach the principles through professional development experiences.
Her dedication and consistent outcomes earned her the Finneran Scholar award in 2012, the highest recognition for a St. Andrew’s teacher. Thanks to the leadership of past and present division heads, Responsive Classroom is now practiced in all Lower and Intermediate school classes.
“For me, working with adults who are working in schools has now got to be always part of what I do,” said Lewis, who trained 112 educators this summer, which has the potential to reach 14,000 students over a five-year period. “When I think of those numbers and the students across America who are going to benefit, it’s huge.”
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School is a private, coeducational college preparatory day school for students in preschool (Age 2) through grade 12, located in Potomac, Maryland.