In-service days leading up to a new school year can be some of the most boring and dreaded days for educators. As administrators, we always hope that we can make those days as productive and as painless as possible.

Because Golden Triangle is a new early college, there was so much we needed to accomplish in those few days before students arrived — instructional spaces had to be created and we needed to learn all about our community college campus. But most importantly, we wanted to begin exploring new methods for engaging our students in meaningful learning experiences. We had promised our students and their parents that we would be different — we needed to do more than just set up our classrooms and wait for the students to arrive.

The Breakthrough Learning New Teacher Institute held during those August days was the perfect vehicle for facilitating a real change in our instructional strategies. Immediately, we began to think differently about teaching and learning. Our entire staff became students. Breakthrough Learning’s Fredrica Nash modeled protocols — clear sets of guidelines to provide a structure for deeper conversations about teaching and learning — and we participated just as our students would when they arrived on campus.

We learned how to design engaging, interactive lessons that could be used all year long, not just in the first few days of school and then forgotten. We got to see, first hand, the teacher as a facilitator rather than someone who simply delivers the facts. We saw how we could be different — in a way that would make a difference for students.

School is now in session. Teachers are using new protocols every week and students are engaged in rich learning experiences each and every day. Students tell us they can’t wait to get to school to see what will happen next. Our staff is developing solid instructional abilities and our students are adjusting to the rigor of being both high school and college students at the same time.

The Breakthrough Learning New Teacher Institute provided the resources we needed to succeed as a new early college. We are different, and our students are the beneficiaries.

Jill Savely is the director of Golden Triangle Early College High School in Mississippi. Follow the school on Twitter to see what powerful teaching and learning looks like in action.