Lifelong Learning: A Veteran Teacher's Perspective

Dante Beretta
Language Teacher
Garrison Forest School

Why would a teacher with more than 25 years of experience start over as a first year instructor? Because education is changing, and teachers are learners. That's why Dante Beretta, who's been teaching at Garrison Forest School since 1985, began teaching online this year. With One Schoolhouse, he realized that his new skills are making a difference in his classroom and at his school.

“I struggled with the transition to online learning during COVID-19. It was then that I realized online learning is here to stay, and I needed to improve my approach,” Dante says. His pursuit of doing better led him to One Schoolhouse.

Dante knows how to build connections when he's in a classroom with students, but he worried about building connections and rapport with the students in his online asynchronous course. As the first semester began to pick up speed, he realized, “I get a sense of who the students are by the work they do,” just as he does in his classroom. And as he reviewed those first assignments, he realized, “This work is really good!”

Teaching with One Schoolhouse has helped Dante re-evaluate his classroom practices. Online, he says, “You’re teaching your content, and you’re also teaching kids how to self-advocate and manage time.” In a classroom, the structures and schedules of school implicitly teach those skills; at One Schoolhouse, they're explicit in our course design, teacher facilitation, and professional coaching.   

​“It made me more aware of the value of teaching time management,” Dante adds.
That awareness brought a new clarity to Dante's classroom teaching: “Part of my job as a teacher is to develop skills that will help students in the long term outside the classroom, living and working with other human beings you need to be accountable to.” Independence and agency aren't buzzwords; they're real world skills our students need as they look to college and beyond.

Dante recognized the changing landscape of education and embraced the challenge of adapting his teaching methods. Embracing change isn't just about staying relevant; it's about constantly striving for better ways to educate and inspire learners today and in the future. That's why One Schoolhouse creates opportunities for our teachers to grow and evolve as educators--because the best teachers are always learning.

Want to learn more about teaching with One Schoolhouse? Fill our our teacher interest form online.