April 9, 2024
International School Partnerships and Educational Access with Mizzou Academy
Roundtable Dialogue Grade 4 Mizzou Elementary Scholars at Jean Piaget in Santos, SP, Brazil Robert Garner marveled at the courage and excitement of a group of 10-year-olds “standing up there [in front of the class] and presenting in English. This is what it’s about,” he said. “They’re taking risks. Learning how to do it. Yes, there are ‘big’ successes,” he continued, “but it’s the daily things that lift us up and keep us going.” Garner serves as a teacher and as the assistant coordinator for the Mizzou Academy programs at Colégio Dante Alighieri (São Paulo, SP, Brazil). Colégio Dante was…
Feb. 27, 2024
Mizzou Academy Makes a Significant Impact in 2023
Mizzou Academy is a lab school within the University of Missouri’s College of Education and Human Development. We strive to live and teach our core values as we serve students in online and blended contexts around the world. “2023 is a huge year for us,” says Executive Director Kathryn Fishman-Weaver. “This was the year we celebrated our largest and most culturally diverse graduating class. It was also the year we completed the library build for the Missouri Office of Childhood. From teaching and learning, to service projects, and new partnerships, I can’t imagine a team more dedicated to…
Feb. 7, 2024
Mizzou Academy Brings K-12 Spark to Higher Education Teaching
Top Row: Dr. Ta Boonseng, Dr. Adrian Clifton, Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver, Rebekkah HanakSecond Row: Kimberly Kester, David Prats Vidal, Brian Stuhlman, Stephanie Walter It was a snowy start to the new semester when Brian Stuhlman and Dr. Adrian Clifton skated, slid, and trudged across campus to meet their new group of college students. While both instructors currently live in mid-Missouri, most of their work is with middle and high school students who live 5,000+ miles away in much warmer climates. The two serve as academic leads in the Mizzou Academy CoTeach program, which supports partner schools in Brazil and Spain.
Nov. 15, 2023
Mizzou Academy Sparkles at Gold Carpet Celebration
When Dean Chris Riley-Tillman of the College of Education and Human Development arrived outside the historic Missouri Theatre on September 27, he wasn’t expecting to be greeted by a velvet-roped gold carpet and event hosts in sequined gowns. But as he observed in his opening remarks for the event, you can always expect the unexpected from Mizzou Academy. Ceremony host Kathryn Fishman-Weaver greets Dean Riley-Tillman outside the Missouri Theater. Riley-Tillman shared that it seemed an impossible feat when Mizzou Academy’s Executive Director Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver first met with him to discuss the contract proposal of revamping DESE’s complete Office…
Oct. 30, 2023
Student Leadership through Service
National Honor Society at Mizzou Academy Arthur Watanabe Nakamura addresses faculty and peers One morning, high school junior Arthur Watanabe Nakamura observed that “there was a great black cloud that covered the entire sky of São Paulo, making the day seem like night, and this cloud was brought from the smoke produced by the burning of trees in the Amazonas, making masses of wind transporting the cloud to São Paulo. This cloud not only made the sky dark, but also affected some other factors like wifi signals, airplane trafficking, and meteorology studies, making the entire society worried about the phenomenon.” …
Oct. 13, 2023
Two Seasons, Four Superstars, One Special Award
At Mizzou Academy, one of our commitments is to cultivate a culture of celebration and appreciation. Our quarterly Honor Awards are one of the ways we foster recognition for faculty and staff. In addition to recognizing the ways members of our team operationalize our mission and values, these awards are an important opportunity to say thank you. All members of our Mizzou Academy community are eligible for these peer-nominated Honor Awards. Our recent summer and fall nominees and recipients include both teachers and support staff. They exemplify the best in student and team support. Learn more about these professionals below.
Oct. 13, 2023
Expanding Literacy Development
Educational Leadership Conference in São Paulo The five professionals, seated in large wooden chairs, passed two microphones between them, each leaning in as their colleagues spoke. This moving panel included laughter, affirmation, and even a few tears. The topic was expanding literacy development in elementary, middle, and high schools across Brazil. Catia Costa, who coordinates secondary programs at Harmonia–a bilingual school in Campo Grande–spoke about the importance of seeing each other. She talked about how her leadership team has worked with students to better greet one another and the school support staff in the morning. Seeing each other is a…
Oct. 5, 2023
Happy World Teachers’ Day 2023
Today, World Teachers’ Day is co-convened in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNICEF, and Education International (EI). At Mizzou Academy, we are proud to join in this global celebration of teaching, teachers, and learning.
Oct. 3, 2023
Mizzou Elementary: Site Visits with Our Youngest Tigers
A Grade 1 student at Colégio Magno delights in math with balloons. Pink balloons quickly filled Verena Daroque’s Grade 1 classroom. The students were delighted for such a bright, hands-on opportunity to explore measurement. Lisa DeCastro, our Elementary Coordinator, beamed as she sat with a group of the young mathematicians to hear more about their mathematical thinking. Both she and Executive Director Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver remarked that the learning environment Daroque had cultivated was “joyful.” Fishman-Weaver and DeCastro also seemed right at home in the sweet chaos of early elementary. That’s no surprise, as almost 20 years ago the two…
Sep. 15, 2023
Mizzou Academy Celebrates Faculty Promotions
As we launch a new academic year, Mizzou Academy is thrilled to celebrate twelve faculty promotions! Alicia Bixby, Dr. Thitinun (Ta) Boonseng, Jill Clingan, Lisa DeCastro, Dr. Sherry Denney, Kimberly Kester, David Prats Vidal, Brennan Ransdell, Gregory Soden, Brian Stuhlman, Ericca Thornhill, and Stephanie Walter have all moved up from instructor titles into professors of professional practice. This new faculty role is fitting as this group is leading innovation in online, blended, and global education. They are doing so through academic lead work at Mizzou Academy, our lab school within the University of Missouri’s College of Education and Human Development. …