Beginning in the July issue, Education Update will feature a regular practitioner column to provide you with savvy advice from a classroom teacher. Over the next 12 issues, 2008 ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award winner Deirdra Grode will tackle many of the challenges and issues that educators around the world face every day. Grode is a 7th and 8th grade social studies and language arts teacher at Hoboken Charter School in Hoboken, N.J., who has achieved tremendous results in the classroom.
Grode encourages her students to think critically and to see the world through a different lens. She says she expects her students to "view the world with critical minds and be leaders of positive change in their communities." To help her students accomplish this, she regularly exposes them to different perspectives and provides them with innovative service learning and character education opportunities. Grode also thoughtfully designs her curriculum to reflect the current world and respond to the needs and interests of each class, all while helping her students meet and exceed state standards. In the coming months, she will share her creative ideas, best practices, and thoughts on a variety of education topics.
To learn more about Grode and watch a video clip of her in action, go towww.ascd.org/programs/Outstanding_Young_Educator_Award/Deirdra_Grode_Bio.aspx.