CELEBRATING TEACHING AND LEARNING THROUGH
THE IDEAS CAFÉ @PTS
By Adrianna Palumbo Truby, LL'16, Academic Dean
As the Academic Dean at Palmer Trinity School, my work centers primarily on teacher professional development and
curriculum design. In this role, it is essential to foster authentic interest from my colleagues and help them gain agency in
the implementation of both their craft and pedagogy.
I attended the gcLi Leadership Lab two summers ago, and this experience left a profound mark on how I approach my work.
Although I was one of few people in attendance who works more closely with adult leaders than with student leaders, there
is no doubt that I regularly apply the lessons that I learned there.
Specifically, I draw these lessons as we are establishing our own Center for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at Palmer Trinity
School. The pervasive ethos of the gcLi informs much of the vision and purpose of our Center. For example, last year I met
with teachers from another school to learn about their Center for Teaching and Learning, and I came across a little gem of
an idea that I seized upon: the benefits of creating an internal newsletter designed solely for teaching faculty. I immediately
drew a connection between the purpose of that publication and the ways in which it would assist in cultivating leadership in
my colleagues.
I quickly committed to writing such a newsletter this year, and envisioned it serving three goals:
Celebrate the positive
work our teachers
are doing in class
on a daily basis.
Provide an impetus
for conversations
among teachers.
Ensure that I visit
classrooms on a
consistent and
frequent basis.
palmertrinity.org
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PERSPECTIVES
