Salman Khan and Khan Academy

One of the many awesome speakers who we heard at NAIS was Salman Khan, founder of the online Khan Academy. He was full of personality and so enthusiastic about the future of education. He challenged our thinking with innovative ideas and profound questions like "Are the best grades on tests indicative of students who experienced the best learning or are they indicative of who was tested at the right time?" He also suggested that we may wish to "flip" our classrooms by saving the lectures for home where students can watch educational videos and using class time for interactive, collaborative, project-based learning. WOW - so much to consider!

This video is a short introduction of Khan Academy given by Bill Gates, one of Salman Khan's biggest fans.

The 2011 NAIS Annual Conference

This week, several of us from Ursuline have had the great privilege of attending the annual conference of the National Association of Independent Schools in Washington DC (well, National Harbour, Maryland to be precise). The conference theme is "Advancing our Public Purpose" so much of the focus has been on the role and responsibilities of Independent Schools in the greater community - particularly with regard to the US Educational System. The conversations have been intense and the speakers thought-provoking (more on this in blog entries coming soon).

The conference has also given us the opportunity to network and to reconnect with colleagues from all over the USA as well as a few places beyond such as South Africa. It was particularly great to reconnect with Matt Nink (photo above), Director of Global Youth Leadership Institute (GYLI). Several UA students will be participating in GYLI programs this summer all over the globe so Matt and I had much to discuss and celebrate!

Another highlight of the conference has been the many student performances that we have enjoyed before each general session speaker. Pictured above are the talented female choir members from the Holton-Arms School in Maryland. They were wonderful and part of the overwhelming inspiration that makes the NAIS Annual conference such a special event!

Thinking about Summer ....

Students, now that the ice and snow have melted and we have returned to our daily routine, it's time to look ahead to summer travel / study opportunities. These opportunities include Global Leadership Conferences in exciting locations such as Costa Rica and India as well as the fabulous Brazil Sciences class (pictured here). Additionally, we will participate in the annual Dallas Diocese Mission trip to Honduras and we will send two delegations to our sister schools in Peru and England. Be sure to pick up an application today in the Global Village or see Ms. Nipp or Ms. Vander Linden for more information. Applications are due February 28 - Don't miss the opportunity to travel with UA this summer - the world is waiting for you!

Farewell Host Families!! Farewell Dallas!

Of course, the most difficult goodbyes came last night when our Peruvian guests bid farewell to their loving host sisters and families (we actually decided to put our guests in a hotel near the airport on their last night because we were expecting more snow and ice today - and yes, it has arrived). It's hard to say who was most upset saying goodbye - their were lots of tears on both sides! Of course, those tears mean that we had a good experience and that the affection between all involved has grown - YAY! We are feeling pretty blue today but we are already looking forward to June - when it will be hot in Dallas and we will escape to cool and beautiful Peru!

Last Class Day at UA with our Peruvian sisters

The snow and ice (temporarily) ended and melted just in time for us to enjoy 2 class days at UA with our Peruvian sisters. We wanted their last day to be memorable (as if our weather hadn't provided our guests with enough crazy memories of Dallas) so we enlisted the help of our talented Mr. Thompson. Mr. Thompson not only gave the students an interesting lesson in screen printing but his lesson also gave the students a unique souvenir to take home to Lima - an originally created T-shirt with an image of St. Angela celebrating 475 years of Ursuline sisterhood. We think that our guests did a fantastic job of printing and drying the T-shirts and we hope that this little gift will always remind them of our good times together in Dallas.

During the afternoon, we put our guests to work, asking them for an evaluation of their time with us. They gave us lots of excellent feedback including the fact that they wished they could stay longer. Of course, this desire made us feel really good about our time together because all were happy being here with us despite enduring one of the worst winter storms ever seen in Texas.

Of course, the end of the school day came and many new and old friends stopped by the Hospitality room to give our guests one last hug ... It's never easy to say goodbye!!

Snow & Ice in Dallas!!

In case you are one of our international followers and you are wondering why we have disappeared... well, we are (temporarily) buried under the snow! Here are some recent photos of Dallas, Texas where schools have been closed all week and where we are all staying inside drinking hot chocolate and eating soup. It's a real winter wonderland - first ice and now snow! Our Peruvian visitors don't quite know what to think and we have assured them that this weather is unusual for us too! The roads are iced over and very slippery so we are all going to stay home and stay safe until the storm passes - we'll be back soon (we hope!). Stay warm out there!!

PS - I hope you enjoy the photos of Chip Nipp, my dog, playing in the winter weather!