It was an amazing week having ASU at TIDE Academy. There was an extra buzz having 10 undergraduate students join the team. The program offered at ASU is for undergraduate teacher assistants pursuing careers in health care and education. ASU students spent their week shadowing teachers, planning and teaching their own lessons while learning more about the education field and life in Costa Rica. Their enthusiasm, energy and knowledge were welcomed by staff, students and the whole TIDE community.

What did  ASU Students have to say?

“I absolutely loved working at TIDE Academy! I don’t get to work with young people often and was so exited with what I could gain from them. They are bright, intelligent and inspired me to continually strive to make the world a better place. I think the connectiveness to world that students develop living here encourages them to learn and help the environment.
– Alyssa

“Coming from a higher stress environment with not a lot of time and space to find balance made my experience in Tamarindo and at TIDE Academy a dream. Being able to have class discussions, connect with the students, work in small classes and use different teaching methods was great.” –ASU Student

What did students have to say?
“It was so fun in Science class learning about bugs, getting to make animal cards and seeing a spider come back to life after being frozen.” -Grade 6 student

“We learned so much reading and talking about sea turtles in our guided reading group. Everyone was so nice” – Grade 2 student

“It was interesting to learn about water conservation and waste. We compared households daily water uses in Arizona. It helped me be more aware of the amount of water I consume and how I can reduce it; It’s a real problem.” – Grade 11 students

One of the wonderful aspects of  TIDE Academy is the connections that you make with other programs that want to share in the schools mission and vision. We are grateful to have developed a relationship with ASU and are excited to announce that this will be an annual partnership program between ASU and TIDE Academy.

We are excited to be collaborating with Arizona State University.

For those who are currently part of the TIDE Academy community, you are already familiar with Adam’s outgoing, excited, passionate personality. Adam came to TIDE Academy in August to work as a classroom teacher and Assistant Director. But where what did Adam do before TIDE Academy? How did he get here and what does he do here?

Adam was born and raised in Saskatchewan, Canada where he grew up and worked on a farm. Adam pursued a career in ice hockey before transitioning into working in the agricultural industry.  Adam’s love for coaching youth in hockey led him to the University of Saskatchewan where he studied Indigenous Studies and World Religions before completing his Bachelor of Education.

Adam has experience working in teaching in many countries. This was one of the many reasons TIDE Academy thought Adam would be a great fit.  In Canada, Adam refined his teaching style working at an inquiry-based school and was the recipient of the Bates Award for Excellence in Extended Practicum. During his time working in Canada, Adam studied in Guatemala and was part of a social justice program that brought ninth grade students to New York City.

Adam’s adventurous spirit and dislike of the cold led him to England. In his two years there, Adam found his way from a classroom teacher into working on S.A.T preparation and monitoring. In addition he worked with vulnerable students and facilitated lectures on curriculum development, lesson planning and behavioural management at the University of Westminster. Adam continued his work as a consultant in the South of Spain and Portugal, working on assessing the effectiveness of schools to attain higher academic achievement.

The past two years Adam has worked in Nicaragua in curriculum development, as a curriculum co-ordinator and grade 5,6,7 teacher. During his time there he composed a grade 1-8 curriculum in Math, integrating American, Canadian, Singapore and UK standards. Part of his work included developing a Science and Social Studies curriculum incorporating the International Bachelorette units and American and Canadian standards.

Adam is currently teaching grade 6/7 Math, grade 12 History and is the Assistant Director. His role is rooted in student learning and the development of students academic, personal and emotional growth. He oversees teachers’ evaluations and planning, monthly assemblies and professional development. He focuses on independent learning plans, student behaviour, personalizes learning and collaborates with parents to address any concerns they may have.

We are very happy to announce that Adam will be joining TIDE Academy long term and I am excited to continually work with Adam into the future.

“I am beyond excited to become part of the TIDE community and work with Chelsea into the future. Working at TIDE Academy has been a dream come true for me. I believe in supporting community both personally and professionally through open and honest communication with all students, colleagues, guardians, and community members; TIDE Academy has allowed me to do that.”