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Sophia Wills, a junior at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Md., gives teachers and school leaders her student speed pitch July 22, 2019 at the Science of Teaching and School Leadership Academy.

#CTTLACADEMY Reflection: Sophia Wills

This past summer, more than 200 public, charter and private school teachers and leaders from 19 states and eight countries attended the third annual Science of Teaching and School Leadership Academy, hosted by the CTTL at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Md. Not only did the participating teachers and school leaders have big takeaways from the Academy, but the student interns did, too. Here is a reflection by Academy Intern Sophia Wills, who is now a junior at St. Andrew’s.

Ever since I began school, I have always looked to my teacher for help, and when I was little, they consistently had the answer. As young students, we build this notion that teachers are supposed to know everything – that they are the masters of knowledge. However, throughout my academic career, I have realized that teachers are heading into the unknown, much like their students. I have discovered that The Science of Teaching and School Leadership Academy is an uncharted course for teachers. Similarly, every single school year, students explore undiscovered waters in the classroom. This realization has made me reassess my perspective of my teachers when I ask them a question they do not know the answer to. As I reflect on my time as a CTTL intern, I have come to one crucial conclusion: It’s okay to not know, not only for students but for teachers as well. By coming here, these teachers are admitting that they do not know. It makes them a lot like us, their students. Like them, there is still knowledge that I  have not yet discovered.  Seeing these teachers come here so they can learn, discuss, and reevaluate themselves to benefit us is quite inspiring.  Their decision to be here and keep learning produces the impression that my education is never completed. I will always keep learning.