One School’s Journey tells the story of an elementary school in Maryland, in the suburbs near Washington, D.C. The school’s student population is extremely diverse, with students representing many races, socio-economics levels, and academic abilities. The path towards the use of authentic projects to teach and reach this diverse population is chronicled by the two authors – Eleanor K. Smith (me), a teacher, and Margaret Pastor, the building principal.
While offering procedure, guidance, and examples, this is not a book of lesson plans. Our bias is that for true authentic teaching you cannot follow someone else’s lesson plans. Authentic projects come from the heart and are adapted to meet the needs and interests of the students.
This book tells the story of the journey of the staff at our elementary school, as we set down the path to discover how to engage our students. What was not a surprise, was that when children are engaged, they learn. And authentic projects engage the learner. Our hope is that the reader will find inspiration from what we discovered along the way.
The Educational Journey 