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KIPP Nashville teachers experience a full day of instruction, interaction, and professional development in a supportive, growth-minded environment.
A Day at KIPP Nashville Collegiate High School
Our high school is focused on college-readiness for all and preparing students with the academic and social emotional skills to lead fulfilling lives in college, career and beyond. With courses centered around meaningful discourse and a focus on culturally responsive curriculum, our KIPPsters learn how to harness the power of their voice as we work together toward building a more just world. Follow along a day in the life with Mariah Garner, a 12th grade Composition Teacher and Composition Department Chair.
7:05 Whole-School Meeting: Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, our team comes together for 10 minutes before students arrive. We share shout outs, updates, and ensure that we all have the information we need for a successful day.
7:30 - 7:50 a.m. Arrival: It’s the best part of the day - greeting our students as they arrive! I love saying hi (sometimes dancing) and getting a few seconds to connect before classes start. I think it sets the tone for the whole day.
8:10 - 9:35 a.m. AP Seminar Block (1 of 3): This is my first block of the day, and I’m excited to dive into the material with my students. The bulk of my classes center on student writing and allow students the opportunity to both self evaluate the quality of their work and provide peer feedback to improve their writing. Students drive discussion, allowing them the opportunity to think critically about relevant topics and challenge each other’s perspectives in impactful ways.
11:10-11:30 a.m. - Lunch monitor: Lunch is a great way to reset before finishing out the day. During lunch, I get to catch up with students, check in with how they’re doing, and enjoy some bonding time as we watch movies or play games. Right now, we’re watching Sister Act 2!
11:40 a.m. - 12 p.m. Peer observation: As Composition Department Chair, I spend part of my time each week observing other Comp teachers. This allows us to leverage collective strengths and identify areas where we can improve as a department. At least twice a month, our Principal also co-observes with me. At KIPP, we thrive on feedback, and I have grown so much as an educator by being coached myself; now I continue to grow as I coach and mentor other teachers in our school.
12:05-1:30 p.m. Composition Block (3 of 3): My last block of the day is Composition IV. Similarly to AP Seminar, this course focuses on students writing and pushes them to think critically about the world around them. Students write papers that allow them to comment on real world issues such as the First Amendment, social power dynamics, and more!
1:30 - 3:00 p.m. Planning Time: My planning time is crucial to creating engaging lessons for students and allowing me to respond to student data. I use this time to grade student work, meet with my coach or coachee, and create both short- and long-term goals for students.
3-3:30 p.m. Dismissal: I end the day by helping with dismissal. Even though I teach 12th grade, I love getting to know all the students. By the time younger students reach senior year, I will have developed relationships with a lot of them, which helps build our classroom community.
A Day at a KIPP Nashville Middle School
At KIPP Nashville we operate middle schools 5th through 8th grade. In middle school, college and the promise of to and through becomes more real and more near. In hallways adorned with college pennants, students begin the transition from self-contained classrooms to autonomous learning and ownership of their big goals. While it’s a different grade band, the same high-quality curricula and extra-curricular activities are offered for our middle schoolers.
7:45 a.m. Morning Meeting: Every homeroom gets the day off to a great start with their morning meeting and breakfast. It’s a helpful reflection point before we kick off a day of learning.
Planning: Throughout the day, our teachers get planning time to look ahead and check in with their coach.
8:15 a.m. Literacy Block: Our literacy teachers teach two classes and have specifically carved out time to provide reading intervention. This allows our teachers to provide differentiated instruction to all KIPPsters.
11:40 Co-planning: Two heads are better than one. Co-planning is a great opportunity to fine-tune lesson plans, review data and look ahead to the next week.
12:30 p.m. Lunch: As with elementary school, we offer lots of healthy lunch choices, and our KIPPsters get a chance to connect with their friends. And you never know when your teacher might join you!
1:30 p.m. Literacy Block Two: Fresh off of a delicious lunch, a new class of KIPPsters come for their literacy block.
3:30 p.m. Dismissal: With some smiles and waves, KIPPsters jump into their car or bus and head home. ‘Til tomorrow, KIPPsters!
