In March Talents Unlimited with support from HOPE and the Latin Patriarchate Schools from Jordan, welcomed to Mobile, Alabama our dear friend Ms. Suha Waleed Hanna Haddadin, who is the General Administrator for the Latin Patriarchate Schools in Jordan and theTraining Coordinator and Curriculum Developer. Accompanying Suha was Ms. Amal M.D. Al-Thubian an English Teacher at Misdar School in Jordan.
Amal and Suha (pictured above) joined gifted specialists from other counties in Alabama for Talents Unlimited training during their first two days in Mobile.
On the third day they went on the International Demonstration Site Tours. The first stop was Dixon Elementary School, Catherine Rogers, Principal. Located in Irvington, Alabama, this school is led by a Talents Unlimited Certified Trainer who infuses Talents into every aspect of the school including faculty meetings and parent communication. Between building creative and critical thinkers and building character, this school is producing exceptional andwell-rounded students who are prepared for the world.
Next stop: Council Traditional School, Hattie Alexander, Principal. This is a magnet school that was one of the first schools to be designated as an International Demonstration Site for Talents Unlimited. It has since received the distinction of becoming an International Baccalaureate, Primary Years Programme School. All teachers infuse Talents Unlimited lessons into their IB Planners to help students see the connection across curriculum.
On the their fourth day they went on International Demonstration Site Tours:
Austin Elementary School, Amanda Jones, Principal. Austin is nestled in a tree-lined neighborhood and boasts a legacy spanning many decades. Students there are children and grandchildren of Austin alumni, as well as a new population that has created a wonderfully diverse snapshot of Mobile. As with all demonstration sites, Talents Unlimited is taught in all classrooms, all grade levels, and all content areas. Examples of Talents activities can be seen on every wall of the school and in the classroom.
Next stop: E.R. Dickson Elementary School, Katryna Kinn, Principal. E.R. Dickson is a demonstration site-in-the-works. This school has just completed its training for the entire faculty in December. Because of the size of the school (over 60 teachers), communication and collaboration are essential. We have worked on integrated units of study that the teachers create to meet the state’s standards and infuse them with Talents lessons so the students are challenged to think outside the box. The results have been astounding! All teachers in the school are using Talents, as evidenced by the student work sample that are in the halls. The increasing rigor and student engagement is clearly a goal at E.R. Dickson. Students are happy to tell anyone about their Talents lessons and how it fits into their daily lives.
The fifth day was Technical Assistance day. This day began with our district superintendent, Mrs. Martha Peek, welcoming a room full of educators that included general education, gifted specialists, special education, counselors, assistant principals and principals. Our state superintendent, Dr. Tommy Bice, recorded a message about the implementation of Talents Unlimited into all content areas of every school in every classroom in our state because of the well-rounded student it produces. Participants chose from many topics during the three breakout sessions, including Administrator Training for a Talents Unlimited School Wide Implementation, Using Talents Unlimited and College and Career Readiness Standards, Applying the Talents model to teaching STEM lessons, Concept-Based Units, Incorporating Talents Unlimited into a Fine Arts Curriculum, Hands-On Math and Science with Talents Unlimited Lessons, English Language Arts and Talents Unlimited, and more. Participants were treated to the jazz band from Clark-Shaw Magnet School while they enjoyed lunch and then had a mini-session with Joe Gaston, a Technology Resource Teacher with MCPSS, where they learned about a few of the latest apps for teachers in the classroom.
The theme for the week was Catch the Wave! On this day about 100 teachers, administrators, and other educators were in attendance. It was the day for breakout sessions. Which was lots of fun!!
Suha and Amal also had a chance to enjoy the people and sites of Mobile during their visit including:
A Southern dinner at the home of Karen McDougal, mother of Kelly Lomax (Kelly pictured below with Suha and Amal) . Karen prepared a dinner that included chicken, butter beans, corn, cornbread, and pecan pie.
Dinner at a couple local restaurants.
They visited the Exploreum Museum and IMAX theater, which was showing “Jerusalem” and had artifacts from Abraham on exhibit.
And of course, they got to the beach! It was a windy day, but they enjoyed getting their feet in the sand and seeing the vast Gulf of Mexico!
And souvenir shopping!
Beofre they knew it, it was time to depart. But they left with a wealth of knowledge to share with countless teachers in the Jordan LP Schools as well as friendships and memories that will last a lifetime!
