Remembering Sally Smith an education pioneer

Joyce Lemke, a Positive Change Core member and a long time international consultant in Appreciative Inquiry sent out the following email announcement and a request:

"Sally Smith, a pioneer in strengths based learning for children, died early this month. Founder of the Lab School in Washington D.C. in 1967, Sally Smith developed curriculum which has had uncommon success with those who learn differently. Smith gave respect, hope and the tools to succeed to children beginning over 40 years ago. Smith asserted that " A child's failure to learn means that the teaching staff has not yet found a way to help him. It is up to the adults to seek out the routes by which each child learns, to discover his strengths and interests and to experiment until effective techniques are found."

Sally Smith created a learning environment that used the arts to shape the school, and believed that the arts could and should be used to teach all manner of things. I remember when I was doing my graduate thesis in the early 70's, looking for positive approaches to teaching and learning, how strikingly different Smith's pioneering approach seemed from other models at the time.

Smith's passing is a reminder to us of the powerful legacy of an "early adaptor" of asset building as an avenue to improved learning and achievement. I wonder if the PCC might be interested in establishing an annual Sally Smith Award for an outstanding educational leader of our day who is using asset and strengths based approaches with great success? What do others think?

Joyce Lemke: jole200@yahoo.com

Those who'd like to read more about Sally Smith, check this entry from National Public Radio: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16880570