About Us
If you want to learn more about us, you’re in the right place. Learn the story behind the Bird.
Our Values
Purpose Not Power
We provide the WHY and are transparent in our intentions and communication. Communicating the WHY reduces power struggles and helps us earn trust and credibility with our learners.
The time
is Now!
The time to begin developing instructional mastery is NOW!
We do not put off till tomorrow what we can do today. The only thing we pass to future educators is a better learner
Style Versus Strategy
We don't confuse strategy and style. Strategy is research-based technique. Style is the personality and talent used to implement strategies.
Joy and
Wonder
We infuse joy, humor, and curiosity into learning. We take teaching seriously and ourselves lightly.
Not Afraid of Better!
We embrace growth. We are not afraid of personal and professional development.
Balance Not Burnout
We balance work with play so we do not become weary and exhausted. Self-care helps us take good care of students.
Our Story
Like you, we want to offer our students the best of who we are. We want to make a positive difference in the lives of our learners. We want to teach better, smarter, more effectively, and with better outcomes. In short, we want to master the art and science of teaching…and learning.
Unfortunately, we have attended way to many professional development workshops where the information didn’t apply to our classroom context. We have sat in the back of the training room waiting for the facilitator to address the vulnerabilities, the trauma, and the difficulties of teaching a group of learners who are impoverished, over-stimulated, and under-resourced.
When our founder and CEO, Tamara Thompson was teaching in an inner city school, she couldn’t find the solutions she was looking for. She wanted research-based strategies that were practical and effective with vulnerable learners. She need strategies that spoke to the unique needs of vulnerable learners. She needed an approach that addressed the mental, emotional, and physical burden that learning sometimes brings when learners are trying to learn while they hold their lives together. Life and struggle impact cognition, esteem, motivation, and learning success. Shouldn’t our teaching be responsive to these conditions?
When you don't find what you are searching for... Create IT!
Our mission is simple…Help educators teach more effective and more consistently using practical, research-based strategies that address the WHOLE learner. Our approach is a BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL approach to learning. It is grounded in research, but it is also grounded in the grit of real teachers, teaching really hard, getting real results with learners leading really difficult lives.