First Year Teacher Podcast

Peter Gray is a research professor at my alma matter, Boston College, and the leading psychologist in the field of Self-Directed Education. He is the author of several books including Free To Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life which served as the foundation for my senior thesis. In this episode we discuss the value of play and exploration in student learning and how schools and society has come to devalue free play in children's lives. Please enjoy this episode with Peter Gray. 

Kader Ajout is the director of curriculum at Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, MA. BCDS offers a "future focused education" and has been on the cutting edge of education for decades. It was founded 1920 as an all girls high school and their first president was a follower of John Dewey. There are 491 students through grades 6-12 and the average class size is 15 students.  Everything at BCDS is "student-centered and future-focused." At all times students shoudl be able to answer the questions 'What am I doing?' and 'Why am I doing it?' To learn more about BCDS visit https://bcdschool.org/

This is the Acknowledgements and first chapter of my thesis "Towards a Theology of Intrinsic Motivation." This chapter is an overview of the evolutionary history of human learning and the history of schools in America. It suggests that humans have evolved to learn primarily through intrinsically motivated play and exploration. However, modern schools work against the way that humans learn naturally. 

Anissa Arloro attended the Melrose Montessori school when she was a child. Following graduation from college Anissa was trained in the 'Montessori Method' a pedagogy developed by Maria Montessori in the 20th century. The Montessori method focuses on placing the student in an environment that will allow them to explore and exercise their natural curiosity in a way that will engage them and aid in their development. After working as a teacher for several years, Anissa took over the Melrose Montessori school. She is currently the owner of the Melrose Montessori school. I reached out to the school asking if there was someone who is passionate about Montessori education who would be willing to talk with me. Anissa quickly replied and was gracious enough to give me a tour of the school and provide me with reading material that has been extremely helpful in writing my thesis. A special thanks to Anissa, her daughter Simone - a 3-6 year old teacher at the school, and Chris - the elementary level teacher. All three of them were extremely welcoming, passionate, and willing to talk to me about Montessori education. 

Thomas Nunan Jr. graduated with a BA in Philosophy from Boston College. After BC he spent one year as a Jesuit novice before teaching theology and philosophy at St. Sebastian's School. He then spent 27 years at St. Seb's before taking over as the head of school at St. Joseph's Prep in Boston. In 2019, he was hired as the first lay President of Bishop Fenwick High School. In this conversation Tom and I discuss his career and journey in Catholic education and what he has learned about what it takes to be a great teacher. We discuss strategies for engaging students and creating a school-wide culture where students feel loved and supported. We end with a look towards the future of Catholic schooling. 

Liz Fennell began her career in Catholic education as a second grade teacher in Mississippi in 2007. Three weeks into her career, hurricane Katrina destroyed her school. 14 years later she is still involved in Catholic Education - now as the associate director for leadership development at Boston College's Roche Center for Catholic Education. In this conversation we discuss Liz's experience as a teacher, what makes Catholic schools special, what makes a good Catholic school teacher, and the future of Catholic education.