TBI will help us inspire existing faculty , and attract and retain top teaching talent , with comprehensive , mission- and research-focused professional development and support , provided by permanently funded instructional coaches .
religion courses , and other programmatic initiatives to guide the moral development and social-emotional health of our boys . With our culture in the midst of an adolescent mental health crisis , this has never been more vital . For our children , spirituality can help promote a sense of peace and security , lessen anxiety , build community , and increase empathy .
Dr . Miller defines spirituality as “ an awareness of a relationship with a loving higher power . It is a reality to be experienced , not a proposition that must be understood .” Cultivating spirituality is not dependent on a particular religion or philosophical school of thought . Saint David ’ s is aware of this and does not use its founding faith to proselytize or evangelize , but rather to frame curricular goals and educational experiences . Attracting and retaining teachers that understand this and who understand boys , is critical to its future success . Our teachers are our school ’ s greatest resource . As champions of its mission , the school recognized it must invest even more in its teachers — hence the birth of the Teaching Boys Initiative ( TBI ).
The Teaching Boys Initiative
By establishing TBI , Saint David ’ s aims to stay abreast of and advance best practices in teaching and learning for boys , and invest even more in its faculty compensation and professional growth and development programs . The school wants to ensure it remains at the forefront of boys ’ education by supercharging professional development and research into the art , craft , and science of teaching boys , and using it to constantly inform pedagogy . In the past , the school has concentrated its efforts on curriculum — what we teach , when we teach it , and why . Now the school plans to turn its attention to how best to teach boys and how boys best learn — an area of strength for Saint David ’ s , but which can never be taken for granted .
Over the past decade or so Saint David ’ s has been intentionally laying the foundations for TBI by establishing a robust supervision and evaluation program currently directed by Nora Sundar , and a comprehensive onboarding and ongoing professional development
10 • Saint David ’ s Magazine