As we transition to a new student information system and grading platform, some of our TA educators are using the opportunity to shift how they track and report student progress in their classes – in other words, how they grade. One important new capability for us in Alma is the option...
In the spirit of continuous growth, learning, and for the simple joy of reading on a summer afternoon, Thetford Academy's faculty members almost always have a book in progress over the summer break. What are they reading this year? The list below reflects the breadth of our teachers' interests and...
As the year draws to a close, Thetford Academy's teachers continue to design rich learning experiences for students. Culminating projects are designed to bring together the ideas, information, and skills students have learned over the course of the semester and put that learning into practice. For example, in Scott Ellis’s...
The annual middle school trip is a longstanding TA tradition, designed to build class community and provide students hands-on learning experiences in new places. It's been a few years, though, since our students have had the opportunity to travel together. This year's eighth grade team was determined to bring the...
Students have so many experiences over the course of their years at TA – internships, sports, clubs, challenging courses, theater, music, outdoor activities – it’s easy to believe that these experiences alone are enough to foster learning and growth. In Outward Bound’s early days, instructor Rusty Baille famously agreed: “Let the...
Many people visualize debate as contests between loud, dominating players, pushing their own point of view. I used to visualize this myself. But as Bo Seo, former coach of the Harvard College Debating Union, writes in his book, Good Arguments: “...
It was a cold January morning when the Class of 2028 arrived at TA with stuffed backpacks, snow pants, and gear - some nervous, some excited, all curious. They would soon board the waiting school bus and depart to the Hulbert Outdoor Center in Fairlee, VT, just 20 minutes away,...
"We do not learn from experience...
On a cool in-service morning last Friday, English and social studies teachers gathered together with snacks and coffee to read and discuss what ninth graders thought about a potential ban on cell phones at TA. “The idea of banning phone usage throughout the school is ultimately bizarre,” one student wrote. “I...
The school year, in my mind, is a series of rituals that mark time: the first day of school, Mountain Day, Founders' Day, graduation, to name a few. August teacher in-service is a ritual, too, designed to both mark and make time for socializing with colleagues, learning new skills, getting...