Our two wonderful 5th graders graduated today. They are both moving on to Greenhills School. They will be much missed. I find it hard to imagine Summers-Knoll without them.
The performance that was presented by students in honor of Graduation was sweet, funny, erudite and adorable. From Shakespeare to Calvin and Hobbes to Winnie the Pooh, the students put their hearts and considerable talents into their performance. Thanks to all who took part! And thanks to Renata and Elaine for guiding and supporting them.
In keeping with tradition, I wrote a poem for each of our graduates. Here they are:
Maria’s Poem
I want to tell you something
Of a place that I have seen;
It’s a warm and shining country
Where Maria is the queen.
The sea is gold and sapphire,
The shore is jewel-bright,
The forests full of creatures,
The hills are full of light.
And on a mountain summit
Sits Maria, crowned with flowers,
And she gives her minions orders
For hours and hours and hours.
Her temper is volcanic
But her joy is like the sun;
When she’s sad there’s a tornado,
When she laughs the stars have fun.
Maria is Maria,
And she is all our own.
Even though she is a queen
Upon a mighty throne.
Michael’s Poem
Michael steers his ship
Carefully through complex waters.
He navigates the syllables
Of fiendishly elaborate
Words and phraseology.
His ship slides easily
Through mathematical rapids
And negotiates with whirlpools of work
And academic waterspouts.
Mike’s ship conquers all
Because he designed it himself
And built it
With the lumber of his brain and the fabric of his heart.
His own hands formed it:
A ship like no other
That will cruise uncharted waters
With unshaken calm and skill.
Take your ship far, Mike,
But stop by our port again.
We will be watching for your sail.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Human flourishing in education
Sir Ken Robinson has done it again. A while back I linked to a talk he did for TED: here is another. At one point he talks about 'human flourishing' and I couldn't help but think about Eudaimonia, and why we chose that word for our event name. I encourage you all to click here and listen to what he has to say. (He is a great speaker - entertaining as well as thought-provoking!) Enjoy!
Monday, May 17, 2010
The Human Development Index
For when you have a few moments to reflect… What is HDI and why should we be pondering it?
I just read a New York Times article that questioned whether GDP, Gross Domestic Product, is an accurate way to capture the health and progress of a country. We hear GDP a lot; it’s simply a sum of all economic activity. But it ignores some of the important factors which contribute to quality of life, such as education and health. How could a more encompassing quality of life, health of a nation, be measured?
Well, check out HDI – the Human Development Index, a model being used by the United Nations. Reading the article caused me to reflect on what’s important and how it can be measured. Of course, I thought about schools too. What would a Human Development Index for a school look like? What should be measured and how should it be measured?
What do you think?
I just read a New York Times article that questioned whether GDP, Gross Domestic Product, is an accurate way to capture the health and progress of a country. We hear GDP a lot; it’s simply a sum of all economic activity. But it ignores some of the important factors which contribute to quality of life, such as education and health. How could a more encompassing quality of life, health of a nation, be measured?
Well, check out HDI – the Human Development Index, a model being used by the United Nations. Reading the article caused me to reflect on what’s important and how it can be measured. Of course, I thought about schools too. What would a Human Development Index for a school look like? What should be measured and how should it be measured?
What do you think?
Monday, May 10, 2010
New web site!
Our new web site is live! This is hugely exciting to me, for a number of reasons.
We now have a web site that reflects the spirit of our school. The old one was functional and informative; this one takes it to a new level in the way it communicates the philosophy, community spirit and pedagogical approach we embrace.
The process of creating the site has been inspiring. I am enormously grateful to Linette Lao (Clementine's mother) and Anjanette Bunce for their tireless work designing and building the site. Their understanding of the things that make our little school important and special radiates from their work. Leisa Thompson, the photographer, also made a special connection with our school, and you can see the results of it in the luminous images she has captured.
I think both Fran and I have benefited also from the reflective process of writing the copy. I know I have. It is re-invigorating to spend so much time sitting with the ideas and ideals that underlie our work, and weighing the language that communicates them.
Maybe the most exciting thing to me was the input of our community - the parents who talk to us constantly, especially those of you who shared your thoughts at the community meeting, the faculty who are the living flame of our pedagogy, the board members who are so supportive and passionate about our mission, alumni who have offered help and who remember us so warmly, the friends who have become linked to the school through all kinds of different projects and have lit up in appreciation of the work they have seen - all of you have had a significant impact on the way this site has evolved. I am grateful to all of you.
Go take a look! And while you're at it, follow us on Twitter and join our Facebook page. Let's celebrate SK!
We now have a web site that reflects the spirit of our school. The old one was functional and informative; this one takes it to a new level in the way it communicates the philosophy, community spirit and pedagogical approach we embrace.
The process of creating the site has been inspiring. I am enormously grateful to Linette Lao (Clementine's mother) and Anjanette Bunce for their tireless work designing and building the site. Their understanding of the things that make our little school important and special radiates from their work. Leisa Thompson, the photographer, also made a special connection with our school, and you can see the results of it in the luminous images she has captured.
I think both Fran and I have benefited also from the reflective process of writing the copy. I know I have. It is re-invigorating to spend so much time sitting with the ideas and ideals that underlie our work, and weighing the language that communicates them.
Maybe the most exciting thing to me was the input of our community - the parents who talk to us constantly, especially those of you who shared your thoughts at the community meeting, the faculty who are the living flame of our pedagogy, the board members who are so supportive and passionate about our mission, alumni who have offered help and who remember us so warmly, the friends who have become linked to the school through all kinds of different projects and have lit up in appreciation of the work they have seen - all of you have had a significant impact on the way this site has evolved. I am grateful to all of you.
Go take a look! And while you're at it, follow us on Twitter and join our Facebook page. Let's celebrate SK!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Standards and Accountability - what are they really for?
I'm catching up on my reading, and came across an article in the Washington Post that makes some interesting points about the direction education, or at least publicly funded education, is taking. The quote below particularly resonated with me.
"When did we abandon our belief that educating wasn’t about filling industry job slots but about exploring the dimensions and potential of humanness?"
I'd be interested to hear what you make of it. To read it, click here.
"When did we abandon our belief that educating wasn’t about filling industry job slots but about exploring the dimensions and potential of humanness?"
I'd be interested to hear what you make of it. To read it, click here.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Something to ponder
An interesting quote from Judith Browne-Dianis came to my attention today, in connection with the suicides of Phoebe Prince and Carl Walker-Hoover after suffering relentless bullying. Judith Browne-Dianis is currently co-director of the Advancement Project, a national civil rights organization in Washington D.C. Her work on discipline policies in public schools has received national recognition.
She said: "Misguided use of 'zero tolerance' school discipline and high-stakes testing poses a serious threat to the educational opportunities of America's youth. While they are usually considered separately, these two policies are actually closely related. Together, zero tolerance and high-stakes testing have turned schools into hostile and alienating environments for many of our youth. The devastating end result has been a "school-to-prison pipeline," in which huge numbers of students throughout the country are being pushed out of school and toward the juvenile and criminal justice systems."
I'm sharing this with you because, again, it was a moment of reinforcement for me that at SK we have chosen a strong, positive path for our children. Supporting, nurturing and encouraging on an individual basis, avoiding punitive policies in favor of mediation and respect for all, and in academics avoiding comparative testing as much as possible, have powerful effects on our children's character development as well as their intellectual growth.
She said: "Misguided use of 'zero tolerance' school discipline and high-stakes testing poses a serious threat to the educational opportunities of America's youth. While they are usually considered separately, these two policies are actually closely related. Together, zero tolerance and high-stakes testing have turned schools into hostile and alienating environments for many of our youth. The devastating end result has been a "school-to-prison pipeline," in which huge numbers of students throughout the country are being pushed out of school and toward the juvenile and criminal justice systems."
I'm sharing this with you because, again, it was a moment of reinforcement for me that at SK we have chosen a strong, positive path for our children. Supporting, nurturing and encouraging on an individual basis, avoiding punitive policies in favor of mediation and respect for all, and in academics avoiding comparative testing as much as possible, have powerful effects on our children's character development as well as their intellectual growth.
Monday, March 22, 2010
More Alumni News - Mathematical Maestro
Today, the mother of an alum student sent me this account of his continued adventures in the world of mathematics. She asked me to omit names (I don't think she wanted to feel as if she was bragging about her kid in public), but those of you who know him will probably recognize the description. This child was one of those SK kids who was in constant need of challenge and stimulation for his amazing math brain. I am posting his mother's account here, partly in answer to the question I am asked periodically: how will students who are racing in math at SK ever be able to cope with the boredom and repetitiveness of math that is not at their level when they leave? This is a living example of how one family makes it work, taking advantage of the opportunities this wonderful city has to offer, and keeping their astonishing math student inspired and challenged. (It also speaks a little to whether a low-testing environment like SK prepares students for tests after they leave.) The child is in 7th grade. He's an exceptional kid. But all our kids are exceptional, in their varied, different, constantly astonishing and individual ways.
"We've been very blessed that many opportunities have come by since our son became a Davidson Young Scholar (DYS). That includes many scholarship opportunities, as well as opportunities to take Math classes at the University of Michigan. Both his SAT scores (and numerous awards following them) and just being a DYS member have helped a great deal in establishing his credentials, including getting the permission to take U of M's most rigorous & demanding Honors Math program for the Math undergrads. He aced the course last semester, and he's been doing pretty well so far this semester too, and most importantly, he really enjoys the materials and challenges there :)
And yes, he's still currently doing his 7th grade at middle school, and both my husband & I are taking turn to take him to UofM for his classes, then drop him back at school after UofM. It's a lot of work, but luckily, we manage to juggle all these so far with our flexible work hours. We're just extremely thankful that both his homeroom teacher and principal have been extremely flexible and accommodating to allow us 'tweak' so much of his school-day in order to allow him the opportunities to take classes at U of M."
"We've been very blessed that many opportunities have come by since our son became a Davidson Young Scholar (DYS). That includes many scholarship opportunities, as well as opportunities to take Math classes at the University of Michigan. Both his SAT scores (and numerous awards following them) and just being a DYS member have helped a great deal in establishing his credentials, including getting the permission to take U of M's most rigorous & demanding Honors Math program for the Math undergrads. He aced the course last semester, and he's been doing pretty well so far this semester too, and most importantly, he really enjoys the materials and challenges there :)
And yes, he's still currently doing his 7th grade at middle school, and both my husband & I are taking turn to take him to UofM for his classes, then drop him back at school after UofM. It's a lot of work, but luckily, we manage to juggle all these so far with our flexible work hours. We're just extremely thankful that both his homeroom teacher and principal have been extremely flexible and accommodating to allow us 'tweak' so much of his school-day in order to allow him the opportunities to take classes at U of M."
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