Amanda Ward is a National Board Certified Teacher in the Bainbridge Island School District where she serves as an instructional coach. In that role she supports secondary teachers, facilitates K-12 educators pursuing their National Board Certification and is responsible for the district’s new educator induction program. Amanda has consulted for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards on its ATLAS database and acted as the Bainbridge High School Social Studies Department Chair for ten years. Amanda earned a B.A. in American Studies from the University of Notre Dame, holds a Master in Teaching from Seattle University and is currently pursuing her administrative credentials through the University of Washington’s Danforth Program.
Teaming Up to Support Teachers, from Beginning to Experienced
April 13, 2017
When I first started teaching, nearly 20 years ago, I remember the excitement of setting up my classroom, preparing to teach three different high school English classes, supervise the student newspaper and act as the advisor of the junior class. By the end of September, reality had set in. My students had serious challenges outside of the school, impacting their performance in my class. I remember speaking to the mother of one of my students about his difficulties and she asked me what I thought she should do. At the time, I thought, “I’m 27 years old with no children of…
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