Here is a summer challenge for you: What is your passion? With time to dedicate to it, what will you do? What unanswered question is out there for you to pursue?
Self-care for teachers in a garden

The Sweetness of Doing Nothing

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Self-care for teachers. It’s about time we begin to take care of ourselves so we can continue to serve others.

In the book “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert, she learns an Italian phrase: La dolcezza del far niente – the sweetness of doing nothing. Nothingness is that pleasant experience of enjoying time going by and letting your thoughts take over. Italy has the beauty of amazing landscapes, from the coasts and seaside to the highest mountains. That is where dolce far niente is at its best, where all that matters is living the moment. No stress, no pressure, nothing matters; just live in the moment, a ‘doing nothing’ moment. Self-care for teachers. How can we create that philosophy for ourselves during our summer breaks?

I stenciled that Italian phrase on a wall in my Tuscan garden – which, ironically, is in Minnesota. When I am gardening, I escape in time and joy, not only in what I see but what is to come and what could be. Teachers may experience that same feeling during the summer break. It’s a time when the stress and pressure of our work are absent, freeing up our creativity, finding possibilities, and exploring our “what ifs.”  Those summertime gifts are a great way to enhance what we bring to our students in the fall. Projects are everywhere, and during the summer, we have the time to observe, be fascinated, and be astounded by all that surrounds us.

Here is a summer challenge for you: What is your passion? With time to dedicate to it, what will you do? What unanswered question is out there for you to pursue? As you spend your time creating your project, notice how it feels, and know that you create for your students when you bring project-based learning into their lives. If you were a student, what project would you create for yourself? What kind of guidance and support would you need to learn and grow? Self care for teachers. That means YOU first!

Have a wonderful summer break! Explore and bring what you learned to your students in the fall.

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Bill Mortimore

CEO, Board Member, and Lead Investor
Bill Mortimore, CEO, Foundry

A self-described entrepreneur, Bill Mortimore is Foundry’s CEO, Board Member, and Lead Investor. Bill is committed to transforming education, so every student has the 21st Century skills for work and life. For the past decade, he has focused on creating the technology that makes Deeper Learning possible and equitably accessible.  

Having been the founder and CEO of Merge Healthcare (acquired by IBM), where his technology was pivotal in getting physicians to switch from reading radiological films to digital viewing, leading to more accurate diagnoses. Bill leveraged that unique perspective and passion to transform traditional classroom education into Deeper Learning, where students learn 21st Century skills such as critical thinking, communication, creativity, problem-solving, perseverance, collaboration, information literacy, technology skills, and digital literacy.

Bob Sanders

Chief Sales Officer

Bob Sanders, Chief Sales Officer of Foundry

Bob Sanders is here to educate our prospective customers and ensure that Foundry is the right solution for them. Bob is a sales leader with 25 years of experience helping educational clients thrive by providing a solution to their problems, an answer to their needs, and a pathway to their goals.

In his work, Bob is consultative in his approach, asks astute questions, and is a great listener. He easily gains trust and builds relationships and has an easy knack for conversation.

We need more Bobs in the world. We hope you have some in yours.

Beth Frost-Johnson

Chief Marketing Officer

Beth Frost-Johnson, Foundry Chief Marketing Officer

Combine strategy, knowledge, creativity, and fun and you have Beth Frost-Johnson. Beth takes on challenging responsibilities such as teaching the educational marketplace what Deeper Learning, Competency-based Learning, Standards-based learning, and Project-based learning are all about.

Prior to Foundry, Beth was Chief Marketing Strategist at Merge Healthcare, where she launched the first radiological software that could be purchased via eCommerce. It became the #1 radiology viewing software in the world, used in over 70 countries. As a consultant to entrepreneurs, Beth has helped 40+ companies to achieve their preferred exit strategies.

Ask Beth for her Spaghetti Sauce recipe. She won’t give it to you.

Scott Veech

Chief Financial Officer

Scott Veech, Chief Financial Officer of Foundry

Scott is passionate about growing Foundry where he partners with Foundry’s business leaders to build metrics to better understand the business drivers and to grow profits organically or through acquisition.

Among his favorite work-related pastimes are capital raising, financing growth initiatives, implementing a flexible budgeting process, financial planning; ensuring the right tax strategies; investor presentations Cost cutting, and everything else that involves numbers. Scott is masterful, professional, and skillful, and always knows how to kindly ask the right questions at the right time.

Camille Mortimore

Chief Learning Officer

Camille Mortimore, Ph.D., Chief Learning Officer of Foundry

Dr. Mortimore is a pioneer and leader in personalized, learner-centered learning, as well as administrative leadership, organizational development, and change management.  She believes that every student has the right to take ownership of his/her education and deserves to be fully engaged in it, with teachers and mentors being their guides.

Camille was the Founder and Head Learner of an expeditionary, project-based public charter school in Milwaukee’s central city. She has served as superintendent and principal for more than two decades and has extensive experience as an elementary, middle, and high school teacher, parent educator, corporate and higher education instructor, and consultant.

She is passionate about transforming education, and her professional values can be summed up as follows: Educational Equity; Teacher Value and Worth; and Uncapped Student Potential. Camille has earned a Ph.D. in Education Policy and Leadership and an M.Ed.in Administration and Supervision from Marquette University.

Anton van Kimmenade

Chief Technology Officer

Anton Van Kimmenade, Foundry Chief Architect

Mr. van Kimmenade is responsible for overseeing Foundry’s product strategy and development.  His primary goal is to make Deeper Learning accessible from anywhere at any time and to be intuitive in its use. Anton has been a 9-year investor in Foundry. Prior to that, he was chief software architect and development leader for 13 years as a senior technology executive at Merge Healthcare, where he established Merge’s European branch. Anton also was a member of Philips Medical systems in Europe and in the U.S., where he directed QA and software management.

He strongly believes that there is one way to develop technological solutions – the RIGHT way.