So here I am at the NAIS annual conference – where it is sunny and balmy- ready to engage in the monumental opportunities of listening to and talking to strangers. They won’t all be strangers though and it will undoubtedly be amazing that, in the company of 4-5000 educators, presenters and workshop leaders, I will … Read more
Inuksuit is inspired by the stone sentinels constructed over the centuries by the Inuit in the windswept expanses of the Arctic. The Inuktitut word translates literally “to act in the capacity of the human”. This work is haunted by the vision of the melting of the polar ice, the rising of the seas, and what … Read more
Seth Godin started it and invited participation so here it is: Unreasonable It’s unreasonable to get out of bed on a snow day, when school has been canceled, and turn the downtime into time for learning. It’s unreasonable for teachers to go outside at lunchtime so children can go sledding. It’s unreasonable for children to … Read more
Rather like how I’m quoted in Saturday’s Poughkeepsie Journal “Diversity is a core value embodied in the school’s mission,” said Josie Holford, the head of the school. “Respect for diversity and openness to difference is a source of strength and a means of growth and speaks to who we are as a school. In striving … Read more
Dear PDS Families: A few lines (with minor edits) from division in-boxes and my twitter feed: Student: I just wanted to say how I’ve never been so productive or so academically aware on a Snow day. I’ve been working all day today and yesterday making up work for the D day and other classes. I feel home schooled. I … Read more
Children: How will they ever know who they are? The question is the last line of “The Things we Steal from Children” by Dr. John Edwards. You can read the whole below. I found it via Leading and Learning – a blog and website from New Zealand that I have long found valuable. In a … Read more
In contrast to Hobbes’ view in Leviathan that we are destined to lives that are “… solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”, Dr. Dacher Keltner of the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center presents the case that we are – in the words of the title of his recent book – “born to be good”. … Read more
Wisdom and inspiration from Emily Dickinson: The gleam of an heroic Act Such strange illumination The Possible’s slow fuse is lit By the Imagination
PDS student reports are not just a list of untethered numbers and letters but rather in-depth narratives that convey detailed and helpful information about emerging strengths, accomplishments, challenges, growth and progress. They are part of the on-going conversation between school and home with the student as participant, contributor, planner and goal-setter. Nevertheless – here is … Read more
Seth Godin wrote about the culture of testing, Netflix and what is untestable. You can read it here. I have rewritten it. I hope he doesn’t mind. A Culture of Testing Many schools test everything. They’re very proud that they put out the sign that the next four days are test days and they are … Read more
A snow day is a gift of time for play, independent work and keeping connected in the ways that make sense for the work you want to do. When there’s a chance of a snow day everyone gets excited. And for all kinds of reasons. For many it is the potential for some good play … Read more
School is closed tomorrow – Wednesday – because of the impending storm. In anticipation, middle school director George Swain spoke to the students at lunch about how to make best use of the day. (It included plenty of time for play and being outdoors if that is possible.) And this is from the letter he … Read more
Just before the break there was a message on the head’s listserve from Myra McGovern of NAIS. NPR journalist Tovia Smith was working on a story about what schools are doing to relieve the growing pressures and stresses on students and was looking for input. This happens to be a topic close to my heart. … Read more
Are we having a snow day tomorrow? Is school going to be closed because of the snow? What are the chances of no school tomorrow? When snow is forecast the day is punctuated with the buzz of questions like these. I love the assumption that, as head of school, I can somehow predict the future … Read more
