As we begin a new year…the staff at Burnett reflect on the many successes of the past, as we prepare to address the challenges ahead. 

Address Inequities in Our Learning Community throught the Family Affordability Fund

This pandemic has magnified the inequities that exist in our communities.  Even after distributing thousands of dollars’ worth of resources, technology and learning materials, inequities exist. Some students have continued to grow and learn during this pandemic because their lives are full of resources and asset that allow them to succeed. Were as other students have struggled, their self-confidence has taken a hit.  We will continue to work on making sure all students have what they need to learn and be successful through Family Affordability Fund, as well our community partners that support our students through food donations.  

Increase opportunities to Personalize Learning

At Burnett, we believe in the idea that ‘learning requires freedom’ and personalization is the way forward.  Not only does personalization increase student engagement but it also increases equity amongst all learners.  The most valuable lessons we have learned are not what we “learned in kindergarten,” nor what we learned in university courses. They are, instead, the lessons that we learned when we allowed ourselves the luxury of following through on our own interests and our own motives to play, fully and deeply.

Moving forward our agreed upon focus at Burnett is creating more opportunities for students to pursue their own interests and passions.  This self-directed engagement will impact our student’s depth and breadth of knowledge and encourage experiential learning.  With this focus, we hope students will acquire skills, values, ideas, and information that will stay with them for a lifetime, not just for the next task or test.

Create a more "just" school and community

An important lesson we have all learned from the past is we need to listen to each other, especially to those that have been marginalized (people of color, women, children, indigenous people, et) at our school and in our communities, around the country.   The lessons we need to learn are complicated and sometimes hard to hear but listening to them is a start and create more opportunities to develop better understandings is a must.  What has been missing in our schools and in our communities is the perspectives of so many people (people of color, women, children, indigenous people, etc.), it is time to change that.  In learning, when our minds and hearts are open, learning is not only easier, but what is learned has greater depth, breadth and lasts longer.  Emotion has a substantial influence on the cognitive processes in a learner. We cannot change the past, but we can influence the future, one learner at a time, one school at a time, one city and country at a time.