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Mike's Letters

  • Earlier this week Ryan Helton sent me the link to an article from the NY Times: “Let the Kid Be,’” by Lisa Belkin, where I first read the phrase “free-range parenting.” Lenore Skenazy came up with this phrase to describe an approach to parenting that is not fear-based and that extols the virtues of a much slower pace in raising our children. As summer quickly approaches, I can think of no better advice.

    Come up with your own version of free-range parenting this summer, just be sure to include lots of downtime for the kids; a little boredom that eventually leads to bursts of creativity and engagement; a liberal bending of the rules that allows for more laughter and silliness; and a few more breakfasts for dinner throughout the next couple of months.

    Your children, our students, have worked hard these past 10 months and they need some time to assimilate all that they have learned and to re-energize themselves. They also need to have their imaginations stretched and their curiosity engaged.

    Or, as the famous Zen master Shunryu Suzuki once wrote (Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind) about control: “To give your sheep or cow a large, spacious meadow is the way to control him.” So let’s give our children plenty of room this summer.

    Finally, remember, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Or in this case, what’s good for your child is also good for you.

    See you all at Step-Up next week!

    Mike

  • May 29, 2009

    Our guest writer today is Jodi Freedman, 6th Grade Humanities Teacher and SEED Facilitator

    It always surprises me how I am becoming more okay with not knowing the outcome of things. I come from a long line of folks who “need to know” if their efforts will be “worth it” before embarking on a big project. Facilitating our staff and faculty SEED diversity group, I never know how the meetings are going to turn out, what people will share, and what we will learn. Wherever we are when we reach the end of our monthly three-hour meeting, that’s where we are. It makes me see how truly complex issues of race, gender, diversity and inclusion are: the work and growth are never done.

    For the past two years, the SEED group at RDS has provided faulty and staff the opportunity to examine their own lives and backgrounds, and to learn about others in order to create a community where all members are valued and supported. We engage in activities, readings, and film discussions that focus on diversity and connection. Learning more about ourselves and listening to each other help create and support a more balanced, equitable, inclusive and understanding community.

    The RDS SEED group is part of the National SEED Project on Inclusive Curriculum, which is in its twenty-third year of establishing teacher-led educator development seminars in schools. As a trained SEED facilitator, I proposed the idea of creating a SEED group when I joined RDS, and Mike was very excited about the idea. The first year we had eight faculty and staff members; this year we have 14 participants, some new and some returning. Through readings and videos and personal sharing we have examined the “textbook on the shelves” and the “textbook of our lives” including issues of gender, race, white privilege, poverty, and sexuality.

    The members of SEED have this to say about their experience, “Formally and informally, in and out of SEED, intentionally and sometimes totally incidentally, we’ve talked and thought deeply about an extraordinarily wide range of issues of privilege, inclusion, diversity, and culture. The support RDS gives SEED has allowed us to tackle issues from diverse perspectives and encouraged us to adapt and integrate some of our new thinking and ideas into our work here. We know that we’ve been enriched by the experience and we think the RDS community has as well.”

    Our work in SEED is ongoing and rich. Feel free to come talk with me about SEED. I’d love to share and to listen.

    Jodi Freedman
    SEED Facilitator
    6th Grade Humanities Teacher

  • May 15, 2009

    As our end-of-the-year festivities pick up speed, now is also the time when we plan and think about the next school year. As we reflect on curriculum and program each year, we continually seek ways to deepen our commitment to our core values as a school. This year, we have thought much about RDS in terms of our community and the environment. In this regard, we have a few changes planned for the upcoming year that we anticipate becoming part of the fabric of our school.

    Since early this year, we have been researching what it will take for RDS to become a greener and more environmentally sustainable school. We have met with the Parents’ Association’s Green Committee, faculty, staff, and trustees, and worked with Deborah Moore, a nationally-known consultant who has had great success in helping schools become green. Through this process, we have learned a great deal, and this spring formed a Green Council that will advise us on how to achieve the general goal of becoming a more environmentally aware and responsible school. The committee is comprised of faculty, staff, parents, trustees, and students, and is led by our Director of Enrichment and After-School Programs, Meredith Spencer. As we move forward, Deborah Moore will continue to consult with the Green Council, which convenes its first meeting next week. We will keep the community apprised of our advances through the Friday Folder, the website, and other—green!—methods.

    Next year, we will also assertively move towards more electronic communication and phase out much of our paper usage. Friday Folders will be distributed online in both divisions, with a limited number of paper copies still available in the Gallery. Progress reports and middle school three-week reports will be electronic. The Student Handbook will also be distributed online, in a downloadable format.

    In line with our environmental objectives, we have also reviewed what we cover in middle school science and, to this end, will incorporate the study of the environment into next year’s sixth-grade curriculum, with even more in-depth environmental studies in eighth grade. The capstone of these curricular changes is a shift in the eighth grade outdoor education trip. For the past six years, students have gone to Washington, D.C. for a week of exploring history in our nation’s capital.

    Next year, the trip will be to Catalina Island for a program offered jointly by Catalina Island Camps and the Ocean Futures Society (founded by Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of Jacques Cousteau). The focus is on the environment, and the trip is meant as the final piece of increased curricular attention on issues of sustainability. Through the inspirational natural environment of Catalina Island, students will learn and experience how they can make a positive difference in living more sustainable lives. Team-building challenges and activities will include: an introduction to basic snorkeling skills and using them to study the kelp bed ecosystem; an ecology hike in which students will search for endemic plants and animals and discuss the impact of humans and introduced plants and animals on the island ecosystems; education on sustainable living through conservation, recycling, reuse, and alternative energy; experience with gardening and composting; and one of the highlights, a night snorkel complete with underwater flashlights.

    In terms of our ongoing work on diversity, the Diversity Strategic Plan Committee has been meeting all year and next fall will solicit feedback from the community on the working document they are creating this spring and summer. The effort of this committee is an outgrowth of the nineteen focus groups we conducted in the spring of 2008 and has been guided by our consultant, Francie Kendall.

    As expected, the committee’s work is already initiating changes in the School. That is, one of their early draft recommendations was to look at what holidays the School celebrates and how we celebrate them. As a direct result of this reflection, next year we will inaugurate César Chávez Service Day on March 31, 2010. On that day, the entire school – K-8 students, faculty and staff – will devote the first half of the day to service in our community; in the afternoon we will reconvene at RDS to discuss our experiences and to learn more about César Chávez and his life’s work.

    We have also made both a date and venue change to our largest single community event: Winter Concert. Next year’s Winter Concert will be held at Kofman Auditorium on February 11. The change of venue ensures that our entire K-8 community can gather in one place to celebrate our rich tradition of musical performances. The change in timing falls more in line with our curriculum as it gives students and teachers an additional seven weeks of study and practice, and creates less disruption around the already-shortened month of December.

    Finally, I would like to thank all the parents and guardians who took the time to complete our annual Parents’ Survey. Over the spring, the department heads will read every comment and discuss them as a group. This will inform our work over the summer and the goals we set for next year. In addition, I will write a Friday Folder highlighting some of the results of the survey—qualitative and quantitative. With that said, we can already say that the key quantitative aspects of the survey as reported back to us by our statistical consultant are quite favorable: 96% satisfaction with RDS, 92% satisfaction with the Mission Statement, and 90% satisfaction with the exposure to multicultural perspectives. And, of course, there is much insightful feedback that points the way to continued improvement as a learning community, which is the main reason we conduct this annual survey. So again, thanks for taking the time and energy to share your experiences with us.

    Have a great weekend,

    Mike

  • Today's guest writer is Diane Johnson, Outreach Director

    May 8, 2009

    During admission events for prospective families, I speak with great pride about our program, and how it is inspired and informed by current research on the human brain and child development. I often wonder how the audience reacts to this because I imagine what they expect to hear is more about whether our campus is safe, how we evaluate our students’ progress, where children eat lunch and so on. At these events, parents often just want to learn the practical, logistical information of day-to-day life at Redwood Day School. Because we have limited time, and we must present an overview of the program, I can never elaborate and go deeply into the discussion I want to have, which is to really let them know that brain research matters to us all. The understanding and integration of this research is what makes Redwood Day School different.

    When teachers understand how information travels through the brain’s filters, they can prepare the environment so that students really learn academically. At the same time, they are teaching students to delay gratification, build internal motivations, develop persistence, and practice self-discipline. Information must get to your prefrontal cortex: the thinking part of the brain. The prefrontal cortex is involved in problem solving, feeling, expressing emotions, complex thoughts, attention and focus. Knowing how best to get information there requires a skilled educator. Our brains have developed a complex filtering system. We have billions of bits of information inundating us at all times. Our filters are the gate-keepers and determine what is important enough to let in.

    A great teacher primes the filters, and opens a mind up for learning. For example, the amygdala is the part of the brain that relates to memory retention, learning, and emotional reaction. A lower school teacher who understands that the amygdala’s effective filter is impacted by stress will work to plan for stability and familiarity in her classroom logistics so the learning experiences have a clearer passage through this filter.

    A middle school teacher who understands that novelty is the key to the Reticular Activating System might prepare lessons that include music, costumes, and movement. Memory retention best occurs with connections to emotional experiences. Students need to have the connection of “here, me now.” Understanding this, teachers deliver their lessons in a variety of ways to get through the brain’s filters and to the final goal, a release of dopamine. Dopamine, the brain’s neurotransmitter, increases focus and function in the frontal lobes.

    So, you can start to see why brain research matters to you, and to your child. Sustained attention and focus connects new information input to working memory and consolidated working memory to strong long-term memory. All of this to say, you have given your children the gift of a lifetime. You have selected not only a safe, challenging academic experience, but an educational experience that is interactive, relevant to them, and interesting.

    Have a great weekend,

    Diane

    If you are as intrigued as I am by this research, I recommend that you pick up a copy of How Your Child Learns Best: Brain-Friendly Strategies You Can Use to Ignite Your Child's Learning and Increase School Success (paperback), by Judy Willis, MD, M.Ed.

  • May 1, 2009

    We all recognize the behavioral pattern associated with our children when they are going through a growth spurt. A few days before this leap, they get moody, clumsy, and impatient. Sometimes they consume huge amounts of food and other times they barely touch their pasta. With time, we come to understand the pattern: this particular constellation of behaviors means physical growth in the next few days. And the reality is that the growth typically occurs over the course of one night. That is, growth hormones are released during sleep so our kids can literally grow up to 1/8th inch over the course of a night. Looking at our children at breakfast or on the ride home after one of these physical spurts, we may chastise ourselves for not paying closer attention. We think to ourselves that the explanation must be that we are not looking closely enough to have noticed this change. But the reality is that all the precursors for growth were in play all along, though just out of our view.

    Stretching this concept of growth spurts (pun intended) better informs us to what happens in our children during these last couple of months of school: learning spurts. All year long they have been taking in new information, learning and refining skills, and clarifying their self-identities. To date, learning has often been three steps forward, one step back. But in May and June, this pace shifts. Now instead of steps forward, students frequently take leaps forward. The kindergartener who goes from a non-reader to a voracious reader over the course of a couple of weeks; the guitar player who makes the leap from open chords to bar chords seemingly overnight; or the struggling rope-jumper who is suddenly doing multiple trick jumps. It is education at its most beautiful.

    As with physical growth, the learning growth throughout the year may go unnoticed for periods of time. In the spring, it is suddenly on display for all to see. And frequently this growth is inspiring: the art and music shows, the songs at assembly, the plays (the first ever RDS musical!), the newfound ease with math problem sets, the sporting events, the science fairs.

    As you take in the array of public events this spring, be sure to pause long enough to reflect on all the growth—physical, intellectual, emotional, and social—that has occurred in your child and her peers since September. Really take it in. Then, be sure to let your child see the effect their learning spurts have had on you. This attention is the glue that solidifies and helps our children internalize all this growth. And a bit later, stop by and let their teacher know what you have seen. They will appreciate this more than words can ever convey.

    Have a great weekend!

    Mike

  • Today's guest writer is Warren Sepkowitz, Assistant Head of School and Middle School Director

    April 24, 2009

    Serendipity has always been one of my favorite words, and I smiled when I inadvertently sent some school committee notes to the Lower School families on Monday. I had meant for the e-mail to drop into the boxes of Lower School faculty, but it went to a much different audience. Surprisingly and enjoyably, I received many marvelous comments from Lower School families on the work that the School had done and is doing with regard to the social studies/history curriculum.

    As it turns out, there is no Barbara Eden from I Dream of Jeannie who blinks curricular work and change. It is a group of dedicated educators, who come together during and after school to examine what it is that our graduates need to know. We began our work in August with the entire Lower School faculty and staff, Adele Madelo (7th/8th grade history), Jodi Freedman (6th grade humanities), Jeanne Coyne Song, Denise Breland and me. We used different lenses each month as we did an inventory of our curriculum: history, geography, global studies, multiculturalism, anti-bias, and social justice. We governed ourselves with a few questions:What are we doing presently?

    • What is it that our graduates need to know?
    • What is developmentally appropriate?
    • What are our gaps and repetitions? Are they intentional?
    • What is the continuity between teachers at the same grade and from grade to grade?
    • What commendations and recommendations can we make so that RDS can make some positive changes?

    Members of our committee have worked hard to create the very best social studies/history curriculum we can provide for your children, and you have seen much of our work. And there is more work to do, because next year we will be spending the year doing similar committee work in the discipline of science, which has some direct and indirect connections with social studies and history. This what healthy schools do, intentionally examining what is working well and exploring what needs to be improved. So many voices and hopes must be heard and integrated in rethinking and implementing curriculum. For instance,

    • How and when is a global perspective introduced?
    • When are the research skills of note-taking, citing sources, and writing a thesis statement introduced?
    • Whose voices are heard in US history? Whose voices are not heard?
    • How is the lens of multiculturalism woven throughout the curriculum?
    • What is the continuity between grade levels?
    • How is technology integrated into the learning experience?
    • How are field trips and guest speakers decided?
    • How do projects enhance learning in social studies, and how can projects be integrated to access more academic disciplines?

    The list of questions goes on and on in healthy conversations and dialogue in committee work, because we are committed to providing your children an excellent education.

    Your voice in how we are doing is essential as well, and I encourage you to complete the parent survey (see below). Your insights are vital to the health of the school.

    Have a great weekend,

    Warren

  • April 17, 2009

    Our guest writer today is Thelma Lancaster, Cooking & Computer Teacher; Chief Interstices Director

    This is a torrential query in computer lab. It pushes my buttons, so I have been reflecting and mulling over why it has such a powerful impact on me.

    As parents, we want to help our children. When they are very young, we support every footstep, literally and figuratively. We are so engaged in the process of helping, that it is difficult to step back and evaluate what is truly “helpful.” In the computer lab, a kindergartener’s challenge is to follow logical sequential processing, moving from one step at a time to five-, six-, seven-part instructions. The help-rules posted are to first think, second look at the board at the written instructions, third ask a neighbor, and fourth ask the teacher. Time and again, the students turn immediately to me, because I am an adult and they are in the habit of mind to seek answers and validation for each step from an adult. It is my struggle too, not to immediately answer. True help is to let them continuously push the envelope of their own abilities to figure it out. By helping them at each individual step, I am robbing them of their potential to truly learn.

    When teaching cooking, I also see this dependency. Rather than rassling with challenges, with the scope of an entire recipe, students just want the answer: “what do I do next?” The anxiety of confusion strips them of the joy of working out a complexity. We do them such a disservice to solve their problems, ease the path, “help.” This place of muddled search, trying different solutions, doing it yourself, is the foundation to the brilliance of humanity. Again, as parents, we want them to do it “right.” So we don’t have them wash the dishes because they won’t be clean enough. They don’t make complicated food because they might do it wrong. The power of mistakes and imperfect production as a positive learning tool is lost. Our parental feedback to their efforts too often is noticing that the dish is not clean enough, rather than celebrating their long arduous path to achievement. In six months they will have clean dishes; it is our job to support the struggle, not clean the plates.

    When we validate each step a child makes, they become emotionally dependent on that input for every process. They look to others as key arbiters of their learning. Intrinsic motivation, desire to figure something out for oneself, perseverance through imperfect products and joy in independently discovering the next step: these are the true goals of helping launch a life-time learner.

    This parental codex, to pull back and back and back, continues for a lifetime. The failure to launch of twenty-somethings is our legacy of “help.” When my twenty-something son asks for advice, “what should I do next,” my best response should be to support his decision-making. I must admit, advice slithers out of my mouth, even as the blood drips from trying to bite my tongue. But I am trying.

    Thelma

  • April 1, 2009

    During this upcoming Spring Break, there is at least one important skill and habit you can reinforce in your children. According to author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, who has written biographies of four U.S. presidents, it is an ability common to all of our great leaders.

    “I would add here that one more success factor is key for great leadership, be it in business or politics, and it’s one that’s usually overlooked. As a leader you need to know how to relax so that you can replenish your energies for the struggles facing you tomorrow.”
    --Harvard Business Review, April 2009, “Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln”

    Leadership explicitly includes working with the stress that accompanies making difficult decisions on a regular basis. The same is true for growing up in a quickly and ever changing society. Therefore, the ability to relax and rejuvenate on a regular basis, despite the stress that surrounds one, is imperative to both success and happiness.

    This relaxation and rejuvenation comes in many forms: shooting baskets, reading science fiction, playing piano, taking an afternoon nap, playing thirty minutes of a video game, enjoying a few mindful deep breaths. Watch your children and they’ll show you how they rejuvenate. Then make it conscious for them; that is, help them recognize the strategies they already employ. Who knows, you may even discover a few to add to your repertoire.

    Have a wonderful break—create and soak up those moments of relaxation at every opportunity.

    Mike

  • Today's guest writer is Ray Wilson, Upper School Director

    March 27, 2009

    “Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children.”
    Sitting Bull, Sioux Chief

    This quote has resonated with me throughout my educational career because of the profound charge for intentional collaboration among everyone who has the ability and position to influence children. Working in schools is the optimal place for such partnerships to take place. Whether it is the classroom teacher, administration, staff, parents, or coaches, each has a responsibility to think beyond themselves and to look ahead at the future. It is apparent that in doing so, students must be given the space and tools to be an active participant in the shaping of the world in which they inhabit.

    Children have the capacity to meaningful impact the world in which they live, and the world in which they will inherit. By dwelling on the latter, it is amazingly clear that all schools have the distinct opportunity to prepare students for what lies ahead by creating experiences that aim at helping students begin their journey to discovering their sense of purpose and how, through their talents and resources, they can positively make a difference in the world.

    As we plan for our high school, preparing students to be active in their community is an integral part of the curriculum. Integrating programming that promotes sustainability and eco-literacy, four-year financial planning, and philanthropy programs, RDS upper school students will be able to creatively address the demands placed upon them by the world they will inherit. More importantly, through continuous dialogue amongst all involved in the partnership, students included, a genuine understanding and willingness to work together will make our upper school a vibrant and cohesive educational community.

    Many of the elements of the upper school community described above are a continuation of the dynamic K-8 program at RDS. For example, as our lower school students worked together on the Good Cents program, it became clear that a rich conversation emerged about the positive impact their decision made on society, and specifically the homeless, through their decision to support the East Oakland Community Project (http://www.eocp.net/).

    As a community, we are definitely working towards a common goal of being the best we can be to support our children. There is a distinct energy on campus, embedded in the laughter and supportive exchanges between adults and students, that illustrates RDS students are engaged, prepared, and inspired to be our future leaders.

    So in the words of Sitting Bull, “Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children.”

    See you around campus!

    Ray Wilson
    Upper School Director

  • March 20, 2009

    Rebecca Denison does an amazing job of selecting and booking guests for our weekly All School Assemblies. She gets a wide range of talent, from Chinese acrobats, to wild cats, to Caribbean musicians. I have come to completely trust her judgment and timing in bookings. But this week, when she handed me the agenda and it said “René Bibaud, Professional Rope Jumper,” I had my doubts…. I should have known better.

    René is a five-time world champion, ESPN commentator, and former artist and coach of Cirque du Soleil. She began the assembly by showing the audience a video of one of her performances with Cirque du Soleil—she later performed part of that routine for all of us. But her message was not about her success as a performer or rope jumper, it was about the path to success, in any endeavor.

    In between her rope jumping display and her working with RDS student volunteers on their nascent rope jumping abilities, she shared three tips she learned from her long time coach, Bob Melson: “1) Don’t compare yourself to others – just work at your own level; 2) Don’t worry about mistakes; 3) Always give it your best.”

    It all began for René in elementary school, when her PE teacher started a jump rope team, “The Hot Dogs.” She tried out and was cut. She did not, however, quit. Instead, she applied herself and practiced hard, eventually turning herself into the champion she is today. With this as background, and through the use of our student volunteers, she was able to again and again reinforce the three pieces of advice coach Melson shared.

    With 8th graders Alex, Jared, and Ruby, she began by asking each if they would do their best. They agreed. She asked if it was okay if they made mistakes, especially considering that none of them is a professional rope jumper. They agreed. Finally, she asked if they would only focus on themselves. They agreed. Five minutes later, with smiles on their faces, each was well on the way to learning “The Pretzel,” which is even more difficult than it sounds. (Ask your children more about that.)

    When Desmond, Nadia, Parker, Darius and Samantha came up and jumped up and down to the rhythm of audience clapping, René jumped behind each, matched their individual rhythm, and encircled each in her twirling rope - she again stressed coach Melson’s teachings.

    Finally, Leila (1st grade) and Parker (K) joined her, and she pulled it all together in an RDS Magical Moment: Leila held two ropes at her side while René grabbed the other end. Emphasizing the same three points, she asked Parker if he had ever Double-Dutched before. He had not. In fact, he had no idea what it meant. Rene didn’t hesitate. “Would you like to learn?” He agreed. With Leila holding the ropes, she instructed Parker to begin jumping up and down. René in turn slowly twirled the ropes such that Parker was doing the basic Double-Dutch. Then somehow René, Leila, and Parker fell into synch, and the ropes became a blur as Parker jumped, spun around, danced, and waved to the crowd all while Double-Dutching! It was Cirque du Soleil a la Redwood Day School.

    Focus on yourself and your own work; mistakes are to be expected and are okay; and give your best. Good advice for rope jumping and living.

    Have a great weekend.

    Mike

  • Today's Guest Writer is Jeff Weiler, Chief Financial Officer/Asst Head of School

    Most kids look forward to summer vacation. For some it’s a time for travel, others look forward to summer programs. Middle school kids in particular relish the thought of sleeping in, no homework, and the virtually unfettered opportunity to text friends and “hang.”

    But it’s still March. Other than parents contemplating summer programs, most summer thoughts are daydreams that don’t entail serious planning. Most, but not all.

    The Business Office does more than pay bills and collect tuition. We also take care of the physical campus. And with 360 kids and 70 adults active in 50,000 square feet of space on nearly four acres of land, there’s a lot to take care of.

    Our summer planning starts about a week before school opens. That’s when we realize that, once again, we’re not going to get through our entire list of projects. Sure, the big items got checked off, but there are always more “nice to do’s” than time to do them. For example, last summer we wanted to repaint the locker rooms, but time ran out. Like the Brooklyn Dodgers of old, our battle cry is “Wait until next year!”

    March is when serious planning begins. There’s the routine stuff, like scheduling fire sprinkler testing and fire marshal inspections. Assigning rooms for summer programs is always tough, because we typically paint about half the rooms every summer and won’t know which ones will really need work until later.

    And there’s the less routine stuff. Painting and general maintenance just keep things going. Capital projects are permanent improvements, and every summer we aim to start at least one project that will produce lasting benefits. They can be grand and impressive, like new buildings, subtle, like landscaping, or almost invisible, like energy-efficient lighting or upgraded boiler controls.

    So what lies ahead for this summer? We’re assembling suggestions now, and the final list won’t be locked in until the Board approves the list in May, but we’re mindful that the economy is rocky and that grandiose schemes are going to have to wait for another time. Thrift is in, so we’re going to continue our focus on smaller projects that can save energy and water, or that help kids do a better job recycling.

    Small things can make a big difference in a teacher’s life, and no teacher has ever had enough storage. Especially in the lower grades, many teachers end up shuttling boxes of materials from home to school to home, all year long. Building teacher storage isn’t a glamorous project, but it’s one that may be appreciated more than many larger projects.

    So if you’re ready to start thinking about summer, think about Redwood. It’s not just teachers and administrators who have brilliant ideas. The old saying is that sometimes you can’t see the forest because of all the trees in the way. When it comes to improvements, sometimes folks working in schools can’t see the trees because of all the darned leaves.

    Shoot me an e-mail if you have an idea, or if there’s a facilities question you’ve been itching to ask. It may only be March, but it’s time to start thinking about summer.

    Sincerely,

    Jeff Wieler

  • March 5, 2009

    They say that patience is a virtue…if so, our Redwood Day community is very virtuous indeed! In January 2008, our site negotiations first began for the Golf Links Road property, and we want to let you know that we remain in active discussions with the Redemptorists as we turn the corner into spring 2009. Though it seems hard to believe that the deal has not yet closed, we were reminded by a commercial realtor at the beginning of this process that negotiations can easily take 15 to18 months to complete. Real estate is a complex business in any climate, one made all the more complex with the current economic conditions.

    In December 2008, we had every reason to believe we were moments away from a final agreement. Then issues beyond our control intervened, and out of respect to the applicants interested in our 9th grade program, we determined it was best to delay the opening by a year. We are developing creative solutions to the problems that arose a few months ago and we are confident that as we continue to engage the Redemptorists in the next couple of months, we will complete the deal. One way or another, we will have clarity on this site by late spring of this year.

    Thank you for your continued trust and patience as we work towards securing this extraordinary site for the future of Redwood Day Upper School. We continue to move forward with our expansion from a K-8 to a K-12 institution. That vision has been and continues to be inspirational. Families like yours are the reason that we began this search for a high school site in the first place, and your encouragement and support have sustained us through the twists and turns of negotiation. We are humbled to have such an enthusiastic, creative, and generous community of friends behind Redwood Day School, and we look forward to reporting to you once again in late spring, if not sooner. Thank you.

     Sincerely yours,

    Joe Di Prisco                                                                           Mike Riera
    Chair, Board of Trustees                                                        Head of School

  • February 27, 2009

    During our Wednesday All-School Assembly we witnessed an inspired performance by a Chinese Acrobat Troupe from Beijing, China. I’m not sure that I have ever seen our audience—K through 8, faculty and staff—so rapt for an entire program. The five performers dazzled and bedazzled the crowd from start to finish. From gymnastics, to foot juggling, to board balancing on a rolling pin, to unicycle riding - these performers had it all.

    For all of us it was not only the gravity-defying feats and the incredible displays of both strength and flexibility that stood out, but also the ease with which they performed each act. Both were equally impressive. The performers were the epitome of grace.

    Throughout the rest of the day, I caught myself replaying the images of their performance, searching within my body for what it might feel like to try some of these feats. (Yes, all of us who work in education, like your children, have active imaginations!) Walking the playground I watched as students attempted to recreate aspects of the performance, some within the guidelines of acceptable behavior, some not. Some students grasped marginal success, others not. All to say the acrobats’ performance lingered long after they left campus.

    At the conclusion of the day I was in a meeting with administrators and staff. Over the previous two months we had had the assignment to observe one middle school teacher in action. (We had observed lower school teachers in the fall and will observe specialist teachers in the spring.) In this meeting we were debriefing on what each of us had observed and what we had learned about teaching middle school students. The conversation was also interspersed with moments of laughter as our own middle school years, often unexpectedly, bloomed in front of us.

    At one point during the discussion, I found myself repeating and savoring some of the words I had heard more than a few times in descriptions of our middle school teachers: vulnerable, humorous, flexible, strong, risk-taking, authentic, quirky, limit-setting, connected, and honest. Yes, I thought to myself, these are the qualities necessary to succeed with middle school students. For example, some aspect of vulnerability in a teacher is necessary to gain students’ trust. That is, vulnerability resonates with all middle school students because they themselves are so vulnerable. Furthermore, as a result, and for better and worse, they have finely-honed radar for vulnerability in others. If one pretends not to be vulnerable they never connect, but if one is too vulnerable they pounce. Humor is another example. Only the teachers who can authentically laugh at themselves can invite students to look at themselves and their own behavior through a humorous lens.

    Walking to my car at the end of the day I realized that acrobats and teachers require some of the same qualities for success, though in slightly different measure. The acrobat needs to be physically flexible, while the teacher needs to be psychologically and socially flexible. The acrobat needs incredible body strength, while the teacher needs the strength to continually hang in there on lessons and students. The acrobat needs to connect with the audience to gather support and encouragement to accomplish gravity-defying feats, while the teacher needs to connect so the students will open themselves to new ideas and new places within themselves.

    But most of all, like ducks swimming in a pond, acrobats and teachers need to move gracefully and effortlessly through the water while just below the surface, out of eyesight, they are paddling like mad. And neither the acrobat nor the teacher can let the audience see how hard they truly are working or the magic is lost: A tough and beautiful balancing act, for acrobat and teacher alike.

    Have a great weekend, and be sure to ask your children about the assembly.

    Mike

  • February 13, 2009

    “Of all forms of mental activity, the most difficult to induce even in the minds of the young, who may be presumed not to have lost their flexibility, is the art of handling the same bundle of data as before, but placing them in a new system of relations with one another by giving them a different framework, all of which virtually means putting on a different kind of thinking-cap for the moment. It is easy to teach anybody a new fact. … but it needs light from heaven above to enable a teacher to break the old framework in which the student is accustomed to seeing.”

    -- Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind, edited by Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick.

    In their new book, authors Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick focus on the skills successful students need to produce knowledge rather than simply reproduce it. They present seventeen different habits of mind, which I’m happy to report reads like the philosophy and practice of education we employ at RDS. Today I write about one of these habits that is held in high regard at our school, and by the authors as well: Flexible Thinking.

    There are five different forms of flexible thinking that the authors describe and that are addressed in the RDS curriculum and program.

    1. Egocentrism: From the work of Piaget, this describes our most typical perceptual perception, seeing only our own point of view. This happens when a student is asked for his or her opinion.
    2. Allocentrism: This is the opposite of egocentrism and is seeing something through the eyes of another. This happens on the playground when an adult asks a child to imagine a troublesome incident from the other student’s perspective or when a teacher asks students to describe what they imagine a book character was thinking or feeling. The most recent, obvious examples of this were the Annual Eighth Grade Wax Museum presentations.
    3. Macrocentric: This is akin to the bird’s eye-view, looking down as an event unfolds, which is how we learn to discern patterns and themes of interactions. This occurs when a teacher asks students - when debriefing a group project - about the different roles they each played and what worked or didn’t work in their group.
    4. Microcentric: The opposite of macrocentric, this involves examining the minute parts that make up the whole. This is detailed analysis. This happens when we teach grammar and diagram a sentence into its various components or when students dissect a frog in science class.
    5. Lateral thinking: More complex than the four listed above is the ability to consider multiple points of view with an open mind and to allow new information to change one’s mind. This occurs when students listen to and participate in debates or when they examine an accomplishment in history from the differing perspectives of people involved.

    During this upcoming Presidents’ Week break, look for these different types of flexible thinking in action with your children. You can even shift their thinking from time to time with thoughtful questions, leading them from their typical egocentric mode to one of the other forms described above. The beauty of this is that the content is not important; it’s the shifting of perspectives that is both challenging and rewarding.

    The flexible thinking described above is one of the many reasons that RDS works so hard to invite in and work with all kinds of diversity: social, ethnic, economic, racial, gender, sexual orientation. Or, in the words of the authors: “Flexibility of mind is essential for working with social diversity, enabling an individual to recognize the wholeness and distinctness of other people's ways of experiencing and making meaning.” That is, the only way to fully embrace diversity is through flexible thinking. And, this ability to think flexibly is one of the best predictors of our children’s future success and happiness.

    The most recent edition of the Harvard Business Review took this one step further:

    “Diversity is not only essential for the survival of the species, it is also a prerequisite for long-term corporate vitality. Organizations that don’t embrace, encourage, and exploit a diversity of experiences, values, and capabilities will be unable to generate a rich variety of ideas, options and experiments—the essential ingredients of strategic renewal.” (Harvard Business Review, “Moon Shots for Management,” Gary Hamel, February 2009, pg. 93)

    Finally, as you take a look at the description of a sampling of the activities the School has done around diversity during the new year—in the Diversity Corner on the following page—look for how each of these invites in a new way of thinking in our students, your children.

    Have a wonderful Presidents’ Week.

    Mike

  • February 6, 2009

    The keynote speaker at last Saturday’s Parent University, Stanford professor and author Dr. Denise Pope, was a breath of fresh air for all in attendance. Her information was clear, informative, research-based, and above all else, useful.

    She covered a range of topics in her keynote and her follow-up workshop, but I want to focus on just one of her main ideas: PDF. (And no, I don’t mean Portable Document Format.) This acronym is meant to help parents and guardians create a healthy environment for their children, and it stands for adequate Play time, Down time, and Family time. To put this in perspective, research shows that the average child has lost 10-12 hours of free, unstructured playtime since 1981.

    Play time means unstructured play. This is when children shoot baskets, build forts, make a drawing, play tag or hide and go seek with friends. The key is that it is not structured, which means it’s not practice for soccer team or piano lessons. It’s time when children create their own play.

    Dr. Pope gave as an example Steve Jobs, who was a tinkerer as a child. According to a former neighbor, he was always building things and experimenting in his garage, and not often with successful results. This same neighbor, when recently recounting this story, wondered what would have happened to Steve Jobs had his parents not allowed him all this playtime and instead had insisted on lots of extracurricular scheduling: flute lessons, test prep courses, travel teams.

    Down time is the time kids need to wind down from an earlier activity—during the week this is often what they need when they get home from school. Every child is different in how they unwind: for some it’s a favorite television show, for others listening to music while laying down, and for others a favorite computer game. The key is that these are transition activities. For instance, playing on the computer when a child gets home from school is the transition between the structured time of school and either unstructured playtime, family time, or homework.

    Family time is just that, time with the family. This means time engaged with family, not just passively watching the same television show together. Research has shown that the ideal (and what makes the biggest positive differences in the lives of individual family members and the family itself) is 20 minutes of check-in time with the whole family at least five times per week. Often this happens at dinner, but it is by no means limited to family meals. That is, you can be creative: in the car together or on a family walk. Already I can hear a few readers of older children lamenting, “I’ve tried this but he doesn’t want to check in with me. All his responses are one word no matter how good my open-ended questions!” Have no fear, he’s listening and he knows you are interested, which, when it’s all said and done, is probably just as important, if not more, than the content of what he says. Your actions are saying you care and you are there for him. This counts!

    For more information on Dr. Pope and her research, visit her website: http://www.challengesuccess.org/Home/tabid/688/Default.aspx

    Finally, huge kudos to Helena Weiss-Duman and her team of RDS parent volunteers for hosting yet another terrific Parent University. And as in the past, the non-RDS parents/guardians who attended went out of their way to compliment the School on the quality of the event and to give deep thanks for being included.

    Have a great weekend.

    Mike

  • January 30, 2009

    Wednesday, the day of our second Oratorical Festival, was a day
    steeped in history, courage, and inspiration. A sampling of the great
    orators over time stared us in the face as we entered. Oding Muata,
    Middle School Art Teacher, created portraits with quotes of seven
    famous orators:

    "Speak your mind, even when your voice shakes."
    Maggie Kuhn (founder of the Gray Panthers)


    "The name of the game is to talk to people. If you don't talk to
    people, you can't get started."
    César Chávez


    "As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people
    permission to do the same."
    Nelson Mandela


    "We are the ones we've been waiting for."
    Barack Obama


    "There are those who look at things and ask why. I look at things
    and ask why not."
    George Bernard Shaw


    "We have more possibilities available in each moment than we
    realize."
    Thich Nhat Hahn


    "Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the
    human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning."
    Maya Angelou

    Walking into the gym was like visiting a wing of the Hall of Fame of
    Orators. Immediately one knew that our event would not be conducted in
    isolation, rather it was a piece of the flow of history, as well as
    history in the making. It was also a tribute to past and current
    examples of courage, and an inspiration to future moments yet to unfold.

    It was literally a history of courage on display for our audience
    and performers. In the midst of the program, I couldn’t help but marvel
    at the ongoing power of words to inspire actions. For example, when any
    of these notables gave a speech, had they any idea that school
    children, in a tribute to them and their ideas, would be willing to get
    up and speak in front of 400 peers and teachers? I doubt it. And I know
    that those same students who had the courage to perform will
    underestimate the ripple effect of their own actions: whether to
    inspire directly or to open the door for someone in the audience to
    become inspired down the road.

    Deeper for me is that the courage we celebrated on Wednesday was in
    the embrace of taking on greater complexity rather than less. In the
    Hollywood-stylized version of courage it is invariably simplified: good
    guys and bad guys, good and evil, life and death. In reality, it often
    means a willingness to entertain confusion and more (rather than less)
    complexity. For example, one subtle aspect of courage is to entertain
    the idea that what we think we know for sure may not be the entire
    picture. In this instance courage requires, as a first step, that we
    take an honest look in the mirror and acknowledge what is reflected
    back: good, bad, or indifferent. Then, as a further requirement, we
    must take action on what we have come to understand. To understand and
    not act is a betrayal of the self—which is the stuff unearthed in
    therapist offices years later.

    Therefore it is important to become familiar with the nuances and
    complexity of courage. This deeper understanding allows one to more
    often spot where it is needed and where it falters: whether with
    friends, making a decision, standing up for oneself, apologizing for a
    hurtful action, not speaking out, or speaking out.

    These kinds of moments and conversations are both intellectual and
    character building. It takes brainpower and conviction to wrap one’s
    arms around some of the contexts, perspectives, and shadings of true
    courage. And it surely takes character to acknowledge shortcomings and
    take the necessary actions to rectify past transgressions.

    At RDS, I believe we prize the complexity that is courage in the
    realms of intellect, character and action. In this way courage is
    viral, long lasting, and ever growing. Most curious of all, in the
    context of a school, we get to see how this quality is a developmental
    feat of huge proportions, and fortunately something that we get to
    witness frequently.

    Have a wonderful weekend.

    Mike

  • January 23, 2009

    January 20, 2009
    (Comments around RDS the Day After)

    I felt really excited when the man (Supreme Court Justice Roberts) said “Mr. President.” He did it, he did it! I don't just speak for myself when I say that it made everyone feel really happy.
    --5th grade

    There is a president who looks like me!
    --K

    It's the first inauguration I've ever watched.
    --6th grade

    I liked that in his speech that President Obama said "all the people" instead of "all men" when he was talking about Martin Luther King's speech.
    --3rd grade

    It was a big step up. There are arguments that there is still a lot of racism in America. But today many people came together to go in the same direction.
    --6th grade

    I hope that people can marry whoever they want.
    --K

    It was a very exciting day because he is the first African American president.
    --5th grade

    I liked seeing all the presidents there.
    --3rd grade

    I saw Jan's son sing! (Brandon Johnson, who is in 7th grade, sang with the SF Boys Chorus. RDS 7th grader Devi Panagos also sang as part of the SF Boys & Girls Choruses.)
    --1st grade
    He seems honest, and that means he will tell people how things really are, even if it’s ugly or unpleasant
    --7th grade

    I hope he will give to and help those of us who are less fortunate. I hope America can become a leader and friend to all countries - except the unjust.
    --7th grade

    I felt really amazed that our first black president is here and that we could have change in America.
    --5th grade

    It was very historical and inspiring.
    --8th grade

    I hope he helps the banks to have money for everyone.
    --K

    I thought I'd be bored but I wasn't. The speech caught my interest.
    --6th grade

    I hope that people don’t fight anymore.
    --K

    I liked that lady who sang. (Aretha Franklin)
    --1st grade

    Such a great speaker!
    --7th grade

    Part of Martin Luther King’s dream came true because he talked about whites and blacks singing together and they did.
    --6th grade

    The speech rang true to his promises of hope and change.
    --8th grade

    I liked the rhymes Rev. Joseph Lowery made.
    --6th grade
    (“Help us work for that day when black will not be asked to give back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right.")

    I hope that President Obama works us out of the recession.
    --7th grade

    He is our 1st black president so he made history.
    --8th grade

    I was really excited that Barack Obama was going to be president and it was cool to get to school at 7am and watch it on a big screen.
    --5th grade

    The speech was inspirational.
    --5th grade

    How much will he change the world? I think he really will.
    --5th grade

    I'll always know where I was when I was 14 and we elected the first African-American president. That's really cool.
    --7th grade

    It was amazing. It showed change in our nation and how everyone can come together to make a big difference. I liked watching it at school because it felt united watching with my friends.
    --8th grade

    And a new tradition every four years, watching and discussing the Presidential Inauguration (no matter the political party) was started at RDS.

    Have a great weekend.

    Mike

  • January 16, 2009

    As RDS continues to refine our place in the East Bay world of independent schools, the word that keeps coming up is “interdependence.” Rather than simply being a great independent school in Oakland, RDS is striving to become a great school that is an integral part of the East Bay, such that we both come to depend on and learn from each other.

    This is most obvious in how we have shifted some of our service learning and community service components. In the lower school, for instance, we have worked closely with Good Cents to support different East Bay agencies over the past couple of years: the SPCA (www.eastbayspca.org) two years ago and Oakland Technology Exchange West (www.otxwest.org) last year. In the middle school, each grade this year has already done a clean-up of the Berkeley Marina. In addition, each grade will be spending a day at the San Francisco Food Bank as volunteers and to understand the science of food production and the math of efficient food distribution. Over the last couple of years, the School has also donated library books to neighborhood schools, worked to clean up Lake Merritt, collected food and winter coats, and even collected used sneakers for recycling.

    In addition, in the last couple of years we have chosen to honor the faculty/staff during the holiday season with donations -- to Heifer International last year and this year, closer to home, to Oakland Fire Department’s Random Acts. We have also contributed to Good Cents.

    As you can see, over time the focus has become more local with a goal of having a greater impact on and connection to the East Bay.

    In our various expert presentations to parents and guardians, we have opened and designed many events to and for the greater East Bay community. We host the K Conference each spring, which focuses on the transition from pre-school to kindergarten, specifically the developmental changes in children and the subsequent changes in the classroom and in the home. Just last week we hosted our first College Admissions Panel, with Admissions Directors and personnel from UC Davis, Stanford, St. Mary’s College, Northeastern University, and Goucher College. The crowd was comprised mostly of parents and students from Oakland and Berkeley. Earlier in the year we hosted Emergent Thoughts, a night focused on the latest developments and research on high school education. In addition, for the past three years, the RDSPA has coordinated Parent University, which we open to the entire East Bay community. We are becoming known as an educational resource for parents and guardians in the East Bay.

    We do all this with a goal of even more interdependence, largely because we want a true give-and-take relationship with the community from which we have grown and continue to grow. We know that with more knowledge people make informed decisions in their lives and with their children, which makes the RDS community, and the entire East Bay, stronger.

    Have a great weekend.

    Mike

  • January 9, 2009

    Over the break one of the books I read was “Talent is Overrated” by Geoff Colvin. The author has conducted an extensive review of the literature on exceptional performers—Mozart, Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps, Yo-Yo Ma—and reached the conclusion that, as the title says, talent is overrated. By this he means that the research does not support the popular idea that certain people are born with natural talents, be it art, music, athletics, or leadership. Rather, the most reliable predictor of exceptional performance in any field is the amount of practice one engages in, or more precisely, the amount and kind of practice one engages in, what researchers call deliberate practice.

    Deliberate practice is working on specific areas of performance in precise ways. This kind of practice is often done alone and requires intense concentration. For example, a guitarist who plays the same song from start to finish is practicing, but not in a deliberate sense. Deliberate practice, in this example, might entail working on the transition from the D chord to the G chord and making sure that the change happens with the whole structure of the hand rather than one finger at a time. Another example is the basketball player who shoots everyday as practice, just moving from spot to spot. Deliberate practice in this example of improving shooting accuracy might include making sure the elbow is aligned correctly and that the index and middle fingers guide the release to create the right backspin on the ball.

    Both of these examples illustrate that deliberate practice requires much more thought, precision, and concentrated attention. This kind of practice (and lots of it) is what makes for exceptional performances. As I mentioned in a letter last summer, the research agrees that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in any particular area. (Or as researchers say: 4-6-10. That is, four hours a day, six days a week, for ten years.)

    Deliberate practice is a learned skill. It requires specific feedback delivered in a way that students can hear. That is, it must be supportive while also pointing out how to improve. As parents and guardians, whether we realize it or not, we have numerous opportunities each week to teach our children about deliberate practice. Whether it is in kicking a soccer ball, doing a math problem, sounding out a new word, understanding grammar, or working on a dance routine, we can guide our children towards learning the value of deliberate practice with our feedback.

    “I like the way the joy of the music comes through you as you dance…the only place I see it waver is when you do the spin. Want to try just the spin a few times?” Some kids will take you up on this offer, others will not. No matter whether they act on your suggestion, just by being precise in a supportive way you are pointing out the path to more deliberate practice. This is also where you have to trust that, when the time is right, they will pick up on all those “lessons” you thought they missed, and they will, eventually. That is, and this is huge, if you push your feedback too hard it becomes a power struggle, in which case the lesson is lost. So, when in doubt, say less.

    The goal of introducing kids to deliberate practice is not to make every child an exceptional performer, rather it is to equip them with the tools to achieve better (maybe even exceptional) performance when they discover the areas that ignite their passions and inspire them.

    Welcome back!

    Mike

  • December 12, 2008

    As the students remind me on a regular basis, Holiday Break is just a week away. In families and in schools, this time of year generates lots of excitement and anticipation: staying up late and sleeping in, play dates, visiting and/or visitors, movies, wonderful food, and most of all, lots of fun. The excitement on campus this time of year is palpable. We are all looking forward to the holidays and a break from our normal routines—faculty/staff and students alike.

    The holidays for many are also a time for exchanging gifts, whether it is Christmas, Chanukah, or Kwanzaa, the exchange of presents is often involved in some way or another. For some it means making lists and hoping to get a few of your top choices. Others like to be surprised. In the gift- giving category, some want to get you what you want while others want to give you what they want to give you. And some make gifts with each recipient in mind. Regardless, thoughtful gifts that are exchanged with care are incredibly meaningful to us all….. And while I could go on about this exchange, I want to take an abrupt turn.

    During this Holiday Break, despite the lists and the pleas for this new toy or that new game, remember that the most cherished gifts you can give your children this season are what they can’t quite voice: your time and your attention. That’s all they really want. It’s all they really care about. When they muss and fuss, are extraordinarily needy, regress in shocking ways, or prod siblings beyond belief, take a deep breath before joining in the anger/frustration dance. Most of the time what they are after is your attention and presence.

    In other words, don’t get so focused on the end result this holiday season—the gourmet dinners or the perfect presents—that you lose sight of how you get there. That is, the best moments often happen when you are betwixt and between: standing in line together at Target; shopping in the grocery store; trying a new recipe for chocolate chip cookies; taking a leisurely walk around the neighborhood. Don’t miss these moments because you are too focused on the future. In fact, be on the lookout for these moments—they abound during the holiday season. And our students, your children, cherish these moments more than their words can ever express.

    Have a great Weekend

    Mike

  • December 4, 2008

    In these past few weeks, we have been privileged to have an unusually large number of student performances. From the silly to the inspiring - it’s all been wonderful.

    We have had two Lower School talent shows (two because of the large number of students who wanted to perform) and witnessed an incredible array of talent: jump roping to making funny faces; instrumentals to lip synching; breaking boards to singing while hopping on one foot; roaring like a tiger to original musical compositions. A couple of weeks ago, the middle school presented the Book Bug Boogie, that included a scene from Hamlet, an improvisational piece, an original song, and editorials on some of the books for sale at the Book Fair.

    There is no doubt that talent and the desire to share that talent resides in abundance at RDS. Two weeks ago, middle school students and their drama teacher Vince Faso put on a production of Hamlet. Students transformed the MS Multi-Purpose Room into a theater, and anyone who saw the show was both impressed and inspired by their production. From acting, to set design, to stage management: students were firing on all cylinders.

    This recent outburst of performance led me to reflect on just what is happening at RDS, and for me, it’s as much about the risks kids are taking as it is about the actual performances. That is, why are our students so able and willing to get up in front of their peers and teachers and perform? Is it because we just happen to have an unusually talented student body? While that may be true, I don’t think it explains the phenomenon. As I wrestled with this question, I came upon the obvious solution that was staring me in the face from the start: the RDS teachers. More specifically, the relationship our teachers forge with your children.

    Our faculty are not only terrific teachers in their areas of expertise, they are also finely skilled at connecting to their students and exerting their influence in some profound, subtle, and growth- instigating ways. For instance, they know what to say to the student who is quietly considering taking a risk and they know when and how to say it. They also know when to push, when to encourage, and when to back off -- all skills that grow from knowing and paying keen attention to their students.

    I know this because often when students take risks and perform, I notice at least one of their teachers or coaches perk up, and at some point during or just after the piece, make a profound type of eye contact with their student. More than an “I see you” connection; more like “I see who you are becoming” connection. Even deeper, the eyes of your children say right back to their teacher, “Thanks, I know.” This, of course, is when eyes glisten, chins quiver, and students grow.

    So the next time your child takes an unexpected risk or makes a leap in growth, be on the lookout for the teacher or coach with the misty eyes, and if you spot him or her be sure to acknowledge what they have done. This kind of recognition completes the circle and fuels our teachers and staff to continue inspiring our students’ growth in myriad ways.

    And if you are in the mood for an inspiring RDS performance this weekend, remember that our jazz and rock bands are playing in Jack London Square on Sunday at Barnes & Noble as part of a fundraiser for the Student Exchange Program (SEP). While you’re there, be sure to buy some books if you can; a minimum 10% of sales go to SEP.

    Have a great weekend.

    Mike

  • Today's guest writer is Meredith Spencer, Director of Enrichment & After-School Programs

    November 19, 2008

    As the school day winds down, X-Care revs into high gear from 2:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m. as we prepare the day’s activities and snacks and await dismissal. The lower school multi-purpose room is a whirlwind of activity from 3:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.; some might even call it chaotic, but for me, it remains one of my favorite times of day. When kindergarteners burst onto the scene, they are so full of excitement and joy that even the most trying of days takes an immediate turn for the better. The once quiet, painfully shy students who needed guidance transitioning from school-day to after-school in September, have become boisterous experts, navigating their way through the after-school routine. Watching their growth over this brief period is incredible.

    As the grades file in, I get the opportunity to check in with students and receive updates about their day. From excitement over losing a tooth or celebrating a birthday, to sharing interesting facts learned that day, their stomachs are grumbling and they are ready for first snack (crackers or fruit) and eager to get their afternoon play started. The whiteboard lists what’s happening and what will be offered for second snack (the most important aspect of X-Care for students!). After check-in is finished, activity clubs, enrichment classes and study hall are announced and the intensity of the past half-hour dies down a little as kids disperse until second snack is served. Many students remain in the multi-purpose room to play card or board games, draw, make paper airplanes, assemble Legos or prepare snack, so the room is always buzzing with activity.

    Each member of our talented staff brings a unique skill set to the extended care team and enables us to offer a variety of stimulating, fun activities for your children. I want to introduce them and encourage you to take a moment during pick-up to meet them. Robert Dinh, Kathy Ma, Rochelle Rainey returned to RDS for their 2nd year, Ruby Rogers and Yannira Toscano for their 3rd year, and new to RDS this year are Sara Baker, Latifa Cleveland, Meredith Macleod and Jennifer Padilla. Robert and Kathy are our resident sports enthusiasts and can often be seen playing baseball, basketball and football along with other team sports on the playground and Back-40. Both are also amazing cooks and have prepared many delicious snacks for X-Care.

    In addition to free play and enrichment classes, daily activity clubs are offered every two months, led by X-Care staff. These classes are offered free of charge to kids who are enrolled in X-Care. We kicked off the first rotation with: Story Telling Club for grades K-2, Monster Sewing Club for grades 3-5, Cooking Club for grades 2-5, Sports Club for grades 5-8, and Journaling Club in X-Plus for grades 6-8. Students in Cooking Club had the opportunity to make culinary delights for everyone to enjoy including: bruschetta, spinach & artichoke dip, fruit tarts, pizza, wontons, fish ‘n chips, toasted sandwiches and tostadas. Our second rotation of activity clubs started in November and includes: Cooking Club for grades 2-5, Costume Club for grades K-5, Monster Sewing Club for grades K-3, Journaling Club for grades 6-8, and Movement for grades K-2. If your child is interested in any of these clubs, please encourage her/him to participate. Clubs usually run from 3:30-4:30 on the scheduled day and we also offer clubs during In-Service days when school is closed and X-Care is open.

    See you around the playground,

    Meredith Spencer
    Director of Enrichment & After-School Programs

  • November 7, 2008

    For the past four years, I have had gym duty every Thursday, and it has grown into one of my favorite times of the week. Each week, middle school students are anxiously waiting at the door, waiting for the welcome wave, at which point they burst into the gym at full speed. No such thing as a warm-up. Much more like a cheetah that hits full speed in three strides. And here’s a big hint as to why I enjoy this duty so much: when the kids burst into the gym, more often than not they don’t have a destination in mind. They are simply running to run. And always with smiles, laughter, and some gentle jostling back and forth.

    This is middle school play at its best. During this twenty-minute free period, multiple games are played, simultaneously: basketball, soccer, dodge ball, wall ball, volleyball, jump rope, and tag. I think of it as organized chaos. And the organizing factors are fun and play. Rules are unimportant. For instance, in basketball, the out-of-bounds lines are ignored and people walking or running through the game are simply avoided—or not. And even if someone does take a fall, 98% of the time they are back up on their feet within seconds, and always with a huge smile on their faces.

    Teams are divided up randomly such that athletes and non-athletes, boys and girls, all participate. After all, when the goal is fun and play, being the best isn’t the determining factor to sides and who is invited to play or not. And people join in and exit games as they choose—usually when there is more fun to be had elsewhere.

    There is also a critical social factor to this play. Who sits with whom while ostensibly watching others play, but really working at securing their social spot with a group of friends. There is also the question of where you have your conversations with one another. Many happen in the bleachers, but just as many take place sitting on a pile of mats in the corner or standing in a circle at midcourt. So at times the social goal is to create new connections and strengthen others, while at other times it is to be seen with a certain group of peers—hence having the conversation at midcourt.

    Of course there are also the intermittent flare-ups, when someone bumps a little too hard or when words shift from joking to teasing. In these cases, seldom does the adult have to intervene directly. Typically the students resolve the issue quickly and get back to the play at hand. And when they get stuck, a raised eyebrow or walk in their general direction usually suffices.

    Over the years, I have also watched as lower school students make the transition into middle school, and specifically into the gym on Thursdays. It’s a rite of passage, of sorts. For example, there are the explicit rules: no eating, no hitting, etc.; but it’s more the implicit rules they struggle to comprehend: do you need permission to join an ongoing game? Can a sixth grader play with a seventh or eighth grader? Do you have to be good at sports to play? They all figure it out without anybody having to explain the hidden rules to them, and here I get to watch their social acuity and awareness develops right in front of my eyes.

    Given the normal hyper self-consciousness that develops in middle school students, this daily twenty-minute reprieve is welcomed by all with open arms. And it is at times like this that we get to see the free-spirited child within our students unleashed in full glory.

    As a Head of School who also trained as a developmental psychologist, gym duty is about as good as it gets. So next Thursday when you sit down to lunch think about me in the gym, with a big smile on my face watching your kids play and grow.

    Have a great weekend!

    Mike