Serendipity

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