April’s Teaching Tree is excited to announce that we will be partnering up with the Vermont Creative Schools Initiative (CSI). April Zajko will be the Early Childhood Educational Consultant for the CSI Teacher Institute for the 2019-2020 school year. The institute will have a tailored strand for teams of teachers in grades preschool – 3rd grade, and we are actively recruiting Vermont schools who would like to be involved.
Teams of teachers attend a week-long professional development institute the last week of June and then meet again for a fall retreat. Teachers are able to earn three graduate credits for their participation. Teams also get to work closely with national leaders in the field of curriculum integration to learn how art and creativity can be woven throughout the school day for children. Schools then get to partner with teaching artists and receive either a 7 or 10 day teaching artist residency.
During the 2016-2017 school year I was able to attend the Creative Schools Initiative Institute with a team of teachers from the school that I was working for at the time. The CSI experience helped me reorient the focus of my classroom to be a hub of creative play, curiosity, engagement and open ended exploration….and helped re-awaken my creativity and passion for teaching.
For more information about the Vermont Creative Schools Initiative check out this link: https://www.communityengagementlab.org/teacher-institute
April's Teaching Tree 