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Teacher urges board to slow MIST expansion, says multi-age model needs support
Summary
A MIST teacher and long-time educator urged the board to slow the program's expansion so new teachers and instructional assistants can learn the model; the speaker said she plans to resign and offered to support the school during transition.
A MIST teacher told the Vernonia school board she strongly supports slowing the expansion of the MIST program to give new teachers and instructional assistants more time to learn and implement the school's multi-age, thematic model.
"Slowing it down is good," the teacher said, describing the MIST approach as multi-age and people-centered and explaining how thematic planning and group structures help students self-manage and deepen learning. The speaker described 29 years of teaching experience and said MISTs methods allow older students to support younger ones and encourage collaboration.
The speaker announced plans to move closer to family and open a micro-school but offered to support MIST during its next year of transition. Board members and administrators acknowledged the program's strengths and said they would continue conversations about staffing, supports and site visits as they consider future expansion.
The exchange came during the public-comment period and fed into the boards broader budget and staffing discussion that evening.
