Corinne Dedini

Upper School Biology,

Marine Ecology, AP Environmental Science and Freshmen Studies

email: cdedini@rockyhill.org

Education

• University of California, San Diego, BS, Biology, 1997

• Princeton Theological Seminary, MA, Christian Education, 1999

Background

Corinne's career as an educator commenced at Princeton Day School, where she worked as an intern teaching biology and various religion courses while she finished writing her thesis on multicultural curriculum development. Corinne then spent four fantastic years teaching biology, chemistry, tropical ecology, and yearbook at St. Gregory School in Tucson, Arizona, until her husband accepted an appointment in Rhode Island. Passionate about social justice and environmental issues, Corinne has worked for nonprofit organizations developing programs and curricula to increase awareness about the challenges facing the marginalized and oppressed, as well as the natural world. In addition to academic work, she has also worked as a rowing, cross country, and tennis coach, and has spent many a summer running outdoor education camps for children of all ages.

Philosophy of Education

I'm standing knee deep in salt marsh muck. It is one of those drippy, bone-chilling mornings in maritime New England, when the slight breeze promises to shepherd in an idyllic autumn afternoon. For the moment, however, it is period 2, Laura is telling me that the humidity (correction: it is now drizzling) is making her perfectly manicured hair curly, Max appears to be stuck in the estuary as the tide rapidly rises, and there are still many invasive Asian shore crabs to be counted in their transects. Torie and Austin are discussing whether the salinity in their soil sampling wells will fluctuate seasonally (or are they trying to conceal the fact that they just dropped the refractometer in the mud?). The scene makes me smile, even as Mariah pronounces an expletive when she gets pinched by a startled green crab: my pedagogy in action.

 

Many children assimilate information most effectively through student-centered, experiential learning. But this jargon demands translation, and perhaps in my classroom, a caveat. Students learn to think critically when they are intrigued by that which they have not yet encountered. So student-centered learning occurs in that classroom where learning is not solely discussion-based, as this would compromise the inherent value of teaching them to eloquently articulate their arguments. It is, rather, primarily motivated by the instructor's ability to empower the students to discover the application of the course content to their own hermeneutic. That is to say that most of what we teach really has very little substantive meaning outside of academia; the meaning is embedded in the content's potential to equip students with skills that are applicable in their lives outside of the institution. If the material that is being taught is incorporated into the students' mental tool boxes and personal moral compasses, then the lesson has been experiential in praxis. That is not to imply that the learning is disguised by neatly packaged object lessons and experiments, but to explain that student-centered, experiential learning is not merely the antithesis of the lecture-based, laboratory-driven, traditional teaching of science. Can intuitive knowledge be taught? If not, it can certainly be exemplified by a teacher's pedagogy. And the caveat lies in the truth about why I am a teacher: I am drawn to education because here I can strike a balance between intellectual rigor and playful curiosity, between academic standards and real life issues. Moreover, in the independent school, the students' collective and individual minds, bodies, and spirits—our home and their homes—can be cultivated. Attending science class and growing up are not mutually exclusive, but on the contrary, are quite complementary. In the words of Edward O. Wilson, “The role of science, like that of art, is to blend proximate imagery with more distant meaning, the parts we already understand with those given as new into larger patterns that are coherent enough to be acceptable as truth. Biologists know this relation by intuition during the course of fieldwork, as they struggle to make order out of the infinitely varying patterns of nature.”

 

These are the values that inform my educational philosophy:  justice, kindness, humility.  It is in employing a pedagogy complemented by multiple intelligences theory that one can contribute to society by inspiring young people to justly consider the social and cultural space that each of us occupies--talents and weaknesses, uniqueness in history, harmony with the natural world.  We can learn from those who have preceded us--how to survive, honor, exploit, preserve, invent, pollute, and use sustainably.  To teach kindness is not to sit on our laurels, but to be gentle with the earth and with others; that is, to be kind is to exhibit moderation in a society of consumers, exude honesty and strength of character, defend cultural heritage and ethnic diversity, and exhibit courage in the face of consequences.  And humility: in a milieu where intellectual capacity, academic promise, athletic prowess, and impeccable artistic expression are a few of the perceived values, humility is not easily attained.  But the gratification of teaching a student to rejoice in the accomplishments of her peers, while also celebrating the realization of her own potential, regardless of the bar set by the climate of the school--this is humble triumph. 

 

May my classroom always be an environment in which students of all abilities and strengths might flourish.  Further, may I always be blessed with students who are willing to get muddy.

Interests and Activities

On a personal note, the great outdoors (particularly when they are warm) are my favorite place to be. I enjoy gardening, hiking, cycling, and spending time with my spouse, Kurt Schnier, and pooch, Yoda. Traveling to visit family and friends consumes much of my vacation time, but I also love to see the world and experience different natural environments and cultures. Working in solidarity with the marginalized and for sustainable use of the environment are my passions. When I'm not out and about, I read fiction and historical novels, and I am unabashedly a news and sports addict. I would describe myself as honest, adventurous, responsible, flexible, and kind. The words of Walt Whitman inspire me: “This is what you shall do: love the earth and sun and animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning god, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families. Read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem.”

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updated November, 2006