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Shawnee rest |
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6/01 WIT |
Shawnee trail break 10/21/02 |
Janet's
Personal Page
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| I
am Janet Gray-McKennis, and I came to Ancona in 1985. I had planned
to teach Greek and Latin, but after a few months at Ancona I altered my
life’s course and have never looked back. I was drawn to Ancona by
the teachers’ commitment to creating wonderful environments in which students
constructed their own learning experiences. My Montessori training
influences me still as I struggle to find ways to offer each student the
right mix of autonomy and direction. I especially relish the
intellectual stimulation of developing and revamping curricular areas,
and the opportunity to explore, discuss, and implement cutting-edge ideas
and technology.
This summer I helped CPS teachers as they worked to learn to use the Internet effectively. They published their own pages on the Web as part of a class at the University of Chicago's Web Institute for Teachers. I am excited about the powerful tool the Internet can be to further our goals for children. I also taught a class on science processes, Bubbles!, in Ancona’s summer school. I enjoyed spending time outdoors with my children before returning to finish setting up the classroom. All three of my children attend Ancona: Kate as an eighth-grader, Annie Rose as a third-grader, and Liam as a first-grader.
Prior to coming to Ancona, I was part of the St. Louis Catholic Worker
community, a group which lives with the poor, offering shelter to 35 women
and children and 15 men. When I lived there, we served dinner nightly,
sometimes to over 200 guests. I have been very active in peace and
justice issues, including planning and participating in non-violent direct
action. I credit to my years in the justice and peace movement
my understanding of the importance of promoting a climate for children
which encourages community-building and the search for non-violent solutions.
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