An Interview with Master Teacher Andy Dodge
How do you keep yourself motivated or engaged in teaching?
The kids take care of that! Not only are they completely different each year, they are constantly changing and growing throughout the year. There is such a variety of personalities, strengths, challenges, and opportunities for learning, that it is hard not to be energized and inspired by them.
What has your 20+ years of experience taught you about being an educator?
One of the reasons I love teaching is that it is more art than science… a craft that can never be truly perfected. There is always so much to learn from others and areas to grow, both personally and professionally.
What do you find the most interesting about science?
Done right, science is an endeavor of inquiry and discovery, and is perfectly suited to the curious and inquisitive minds of middle school students. I always look forward to teaching astronomy, as its base of knowledge is ever growing and changing. When students begin to grasp and understand certain elements, it always has a big “wow” factor.
How has Graland’s science curriculum improved with the recent changes?
While always strong, I feel that the current science program has benefitted greatly from all of the work completed last year by the Science Task Force. We now have a program that is more comprehensive and intentional in its scope, better bridges the work of Lower and Middle schools, employs more hands-on engineering, and better prepares our students to think critically about the scientific issues facing our future.
In what ways has Graland supported your professional goals over the years?
Graland has always been supportive of any professional development (conferences, etc.) that I have taken. (Most recently, those have included a week-long iPad training at Harvard University, a visit to collaborate with a new and growing Gates program at the Cardigan School in New Hampshire). Starting this summer, I will be pursuing a graduate degree in Educational Leadership.
What is your favorite Graland tradition? Why?
I may be biased, but the annual Gates Competition represents some of the most inspiring growth that I’ve seen in our students over the years. I believe that its real world approach to allowing young inventors the time to struggle, fail, innovate and persevere on their own through a challenging problem is a very important model for learning.
You met your wife Meggan when she was a teacher at Graland. What’s the story?
In 1998, our team put together a search committee for the Grade 5 English/History position. A number of Graland people approached me, unsolicited, to recommend a current support teacher, Meggan Reddy, as an excellent candidate. Meggan was ultimately hired and became a crucial member of our team. After working closely with her for two years, I began to develop personal feelings for her.
The longer version of the story includes the time I took Meggan out to dinner to let her know of my feelings for her. I was nervous. I was mostly nervous because I didn’t want to spoil an excellent working relationship, yet I felt that I could not contain my feelings for her any longer. I knew her well enough to know, however, that even if the feelings were not mutual, we would both be professional enough to continue working well together on the team.
After finally letting her know of my feelings for her, I suggested that she was probably in one of three places:
• Option A (my personal favorite): the feelings were completely mutual and we could begin a romantic relationship.
• Option B: The feelings were mutual, but she was concerned that it would interfere with our professional relationship.
• Option C (my least favorite): This had never even occurred to her.
Fortunately for me, she was somewhere between Option A and B. In the small world that is Graland, moments after this conversation, one of our then current fifth grade students, Sammi Loewi, spotted us from across the restaurant. She came over to say hello. We were already busted!
We dated for about nine months before we became engaged. After our marriage, we continued to work together on the same team for four more years. It was wonderful! Meggan left Graland to stay home after the birth of our first daughter in 2005. We now have two daughters. Murrie is 9 and Rigel is 5. Both are homeschooled by Meggan. Although I still miss my favorite colleague at school, the work she is doing at home remains her most important work.
Faculty Fact: Andy has a sociology degree with an English minor. He has taken multiple roles at Graland including Grade 3 classroom teacher, Grade 5 trip coordinator (La Foret) and coach of girls’ basketball, tennis and lacrosse!
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The kids take care of that! Not only are they completely different each year, they are constantly changing and growing throughout the year. There is such a variety of personalities, strengths, challenges, and opportunities for learning, that it is hard not to be energized and inspired by them.
What has your 20+ years of experience taught you about being an educator?
One of the reasons I love teaching is that it is more art than science… a craft that can never be truly perfected. There is always so much to learn from others and areas to grow, both personally and professionally.
What do you find the most interesting about science?
Done right, science is an endeavor of inquiry and discovery, and is perfectly suited to the curious and inquisitive minds of middle school students. I always look forward to teaching astronomy, as its base of knowledge is ever growing and changing. When students begin to grasp and understand certain elements, it always has a big “wow” factor.
How has Graland’s science curriculum improved with the recent changes?
While always strong, I feel that the current science program has benefitted greatly from all of the work completed last year by the Science Task Force. We now have a program that is more comprehensive and intentional in its scope, better bridges the work of Lower and Middle schools, employs more hands-on engineering, and better prepares our students to think critically about the scientific issues facing our future.
In what ways has Graland supported your professional goals over the years?
Graland has always been supportive of any professional development (conferences, etc.) that I have taken. (Most recently, those have included a week-long iPad training at Harvard University, a visit to collaborate with a new and growing Gates program at the Cardigan School in New Hampshire). Starting this summer, I will be pursuing a graduate degree in Educational Leadership.
What is your favorite Graland tradition? Why?
I may be biased, but the annual Gates Competition represents some of the most inspiring growth that I’ve seen in our students over the years. I believe that its real world approach to allowing young inventors the time to struggle, fail, innovate and persevere on their own through a challenging problem is a very important model for learning.
You met your wife Meggan when she was a teacher at Graland. What’s the story?
In 1998, our team put together a search committee for the Grade 5 English/History position. A number of Graland people approached me, unsolicited, to recommend a current support teacher, Meggan Reddy, as an excellent candidate. Meggan was ultimately hired and became a crucial member of our team. After working closely with her for two years, I began to develop personal feelings for her.
The longer version of the story includes the time I took Meggan out to dinner to let her know of my feelings for her. I was nervous. I was mostly nervous because I didn’t want to spoil an excellent working relationship, yet I felt that I could not contain my feelings for her any longer. I knew her well enough to know, however, that even if the feelings were not mutual, we would both be professional enough to continue working well together on the team.
After finally letting her know of my feelings for her, I suggested that she was probably in one of three places:
• Option A (my personal favorite): the feelings were completely mutual and we could begin a romantic relationship.
• Option B: The feelings were mutual, but she was concerned that it would interfere with our professional relationship.
• Option C (my least favorite): This had never even occurred to her.
Fortunately for me, she was somewhere between Option A and B. In the small world that is Graland, moments after this conversation, one of our then current fifth grade students, Sammi Loewi, spotted us from across the restaurant. She came over to say hello. We were already busted!
We dated for about nine months before we became engaged. After our marriage, we continued to work together on the same team for four more years. It was wonderful! Meggan left Graland to stay home after the birth of our first daughter in 2005. We now have two daughters. Murrie is 9 and Rigel is 5. Both are homeschooled by Meggan. Although I still miss my favorite colleague at school, the work she is doing at home remains her most important work.
Faculty Fact: Andy has a sociology degree with an English minor. He has taken multiple roles at Graland including Grade 3 classroom teacher, Grade 5 trip coordinator (La Foret) and coach of girls’ basketball, tennis and lacrosse!
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
