This month's Affiliate Trainer spotlight is on Marilyn Rice from Richmond, Virginia. Marilyn is a veteran CLASS observer, originally certifying in 2006 after Virginia adopted the CLASS as a part of its Quality Rating and Improvement System. She became an Affiliate Trainer in 2008.
Marilyn is the Quality Coordinator for the Virginia Preschool Initiative Plus program, which is sponsored by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation. As a part of this 4-year grant, they are developing an exemplar model of an effective preschool program and CLASS plays a role in this program! In addition to being observed with the CLASS, teachers participate in coaching sessions led by faculty and staff from the Center for Advanced Teaching at Learning (CASTL) at the University of Virginia.
Whether she is conducting trainings or reviewing the CLASS observation reports on participating classrooms, Marilyn uses the CLASS in her work every day. To quote Marilyn, “I live it; I work with it everyday.”
When asked what advice she has for new trainers, she replied that trainers should never think that they know everything in the manual. She explained that providing a CLASS training is less about telling participants the answers to their questions and more about scaffolding their learning by taking them into the manual and helping them find the answer. Marilyn’s advice to a new trainer? “If someone puts you on the spot, say ‘Let’s look it up together and find the answer.’”
If you would like to be featured, or if you would like to nominate a colleague for this spotlight, please get in touch with us at contact@teachstone.com.
