Reimagining Time with Massachusetts Principal of the Year Bill Burkhead

The work to build schools that inspire requires innovative approaches to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of change. Through our monthly digital conversations, we highlight educators who are leading the work to reimagine school and the practical, actionable ways they have turned these obstacles into opportunities.

In this month’s digital chat, we took on one of the most formidable barriers to change: time. As a lead-in to our group conversation, we interviewed 2018 Massachusetts Principal of the Year and Principal of Monomoy High School (Harwich, MA) - Bill Burkhead. Principal Burkhead shared his school’s use of “Jawsome Hour”, a practical way to embed opportunities for students to pursue their passions as a part of every school day.
In this interview he shares the following:

• opportunities the program provides for student growth, passion projects, and enrichment (from acapella to extra help to “bingo with Burkhead”)
• an alternate schedule that 96% of faculty voted in favor of supporting
• how student-run enrichments allow kids to lead and learn with their classmates
• the process Monomoy went through to create a teacher-driven reimagination of the school day
• how a culture of risk-taking leads to powerful change in school
• how thoughtful, reflective educators can review, revise, and implement ideas from another school in order to develop a homegrown program that is a game changer for students
• as a bonus - an inspiring example of community service and community building

We hope you enjoy this conversation and that you can join us for our next discussion on December 6 at 8pm EST. Join us as we build a network of learners and leaders who are committed to building schools that inspire!

Each of our digital conversations begins with a short interview with educators who are walking the walk to reimagine school. After the interview, we shut off the recording and engage in ~30 minutes of group conversation which is not recorded. Our hope is to provide a safe space to inspire you to consider new ideas, connect with a network to support your work, and encourage you to be a lead learner for your community. Join us on December 6 at 8pm EST for our next discussion!