The first year I taught at School 16, I initiated a mutually beneficial program whereby the 8th grade "seniors" could interact with students from the lower grades in an academic setting.  The purpose was two-fold.  The older students had a chance to "sharpen their saws" in the area of their reading skills and the younger students could benefit from hearing the written word spoken.  This synergistic exercise taught both sets of students a life skill of working together.  The 8th graders were eager to interact with the wee ones and the "big kids" always brought  a stuffed animal along to make the storytelling time even more memorable.   The lower grade teachers along with their students relished the "story time" sessions which were scheduled around everyone's availability and adjusted when necessary. The older students followed the schedule and independently followed through on their assigned days.  This taught them accountability - a much needed skill in the workplace.

The  Reading Rainbows & Rockets Initiative was designed and spearheaded by me in collaboration with the Pre-k through 2nd grade teaching teams- another example of instructional leadership.