Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children. -- Sitting Bull
Dear Blake Families,
It is with excitement, hope, and optimism that I am writing to officially welcome the Blake community and ‘open’ the 2017-2018 school year. Last year in my opening letter to Blake families I referenced the words of one of my colleagues, Marianne Young, who in my early days as an administrator shared that Labor Day is New Year's Day for all students and teachers as we have the opportunity to start anew on an annual basis. Marianne is retiring this year after serving as the principal at Monument Mountain Regional High School in the Berkshires, and I believe it is fitting to carry forth her thoughts and sentiments as one to embrace and practice. As I wrestle with my own range of thoughts as the summer comes to a close (in addition to the feelings I noted in the opening sentence, questions/concerns/fears all exist as well, if I am being honest!), I hope that Young’s positive and fresh lens on each new year will help all of us work to actualize the words attributed to Sitting Bull that are noted above. With our three children beginning a new school year as well (Maggie entering 8th grade, Owen entering 5th grade, Grayden entering 2nd grade), Katie and I did our best to relish the family time with many wonderful experiences (family visits to the Cape and Berkshires, summer baseball and softball, swimming, blueberry picking, time with friends, boat trips…we do love summer!) that the summer days and change in pace allow to take place. It is my hope that everyone was able to reflect, relax, and recharge with the goal of working together to provide a successful and productive learning experience this coming year for our students.
Our summer days have been busy and productive here at Blake, with teachers and staff members working to create and refine lessons and our maintenance staff working tirelessly to prepare the building for the students. With the first day of school for students a little less than two weeks away, I am writing to provide you with some important information regarding the beginning of the school year. As you read through the information outlined within this letter, I encourage you to join me in keeping our ‘guiding lights’ at the forefront of our work and thinking, along with some words of the great progressive educator, John Dewey…
Our Guiding Lights at Blake
Our Students
Blake's Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reflection
Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Our Mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.
The most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning. - John Dewey
You cannot teach today the same way you did yesterday to prepare students for tomorrow. - John Dewey
My intention is to continue to share and highlight articles that I have read as well as resources that I believe may be of interest and use to you as parents. I fully recognize that not all articles will be read, but my hope is that some will strike a chord, spark an interest, or foster a discussion that is worth engagement. Some articles are ones I have read or come across on Twitter, and others have been shared with me by staff, colleagues, and parents. I welcome these and appreciate the ongoing dialogue to improve our work. As we begin our formal work together for this 2017-2018 academic year, I am highlighting several posts that I hope you will find of interest...
Focusing on Mastery Over Marks
by George Couros (@gcouros)
As we continue to look at effective means of feedback and assessment, I appreciate Couros’s viewpoints and acknowledgement that these ‘issues’ are complex and worthy of great discussion.
This is a complicated topic that is not black and white. What the “real world” actually does, what colleges and universities accept for students, how schools are accountable, and how we move to this new type of assessment in a system that doesn’t seem to support it, are all conversations educators are having, and I am thankful they are doing just that; having conversations. Simply doing something because we have always done it is not a good argument for anything.
The assessment conversation is a critical one and something that we should have keep having in service of our students. Not because expectations should be lowered for our students, but that we expect more from and, more importantly as educators, for them.
How a School Ditched Awards and Assemblies to Refocus on Kids and Learning
by Linda Flanagan in MindShift
Flanagan’s post highlights the story of how a middle school transformed their culture and views on awards and assemblies, citing the work and research of Alfie Kohn and Daniel Pink. This is an area that we have been exploring quite closely as a Blake community and will continue for this school year. The concept of a ‘student showcase’ is one worthy of discussion and I welcome the thoughts of our entire community.
Though data on the extent of school award-giving is scarce, the practice of delivering them is so customary that the Common Application to U.S. colleges includes spaces to report honors and other forms of recognition. Alongside their ubiquity, however, is abundant research showing that awards, rewards and other external incentives undermine intrinsic motivation.
For the majority of students who don’t receive public honors, awards ceremonies spur boredom, anger or resentment, said Marvin Berkowitz, a professor at the University of Missouri—St. Louis and author of You Can’t Teach Through a Rat. Watching a peer receive an award inspires not a drive to succeed but rather a lingering bitterness, as well as an unfortunate association of school-sanctioned success with tedium.
If school is an actual community, separating out individuals for special notice makes no sense. School leaders ought to be looking beyond the short term and thinking more about what kinds of adults they’re trying to develop.
Let’s Think Differently About Change to Understand Why It’s So Difficult
by Karen Gross from The Aspen Institute
Education is in a ‘state of change’, and when it’s working we should continually change to meet the needs of our current students. With this in mind it is critical to really study and understand the ‘change process’ and how we need to identify the emotions that come from change. Gross’s post highlights the feelings of loss that come with change, and I think this has important implications for our work with students, staff, families, and community. (I will be honest - # 2 in the list of suggestions below is hard for me!)
What all this means for me is that if we want change to be successful, whether in education or any other arena, we need to focus on how to deal with loss more effectively. At the front end, we need to recognize the impending loss to faculty (or others who are affected in whatever arena change is occurring). Then, we need to find ways to help affected people deal with the loss.
Consider these three suggestions to facilitate understanding the loss that will then in turn facilitate change: (1) Have personnel overtly recognize that with change comes loss and that loss will likely be disquieting and even painful; (2) Leaders need to realize that change needs to happen more slowly than we might want, not because it is hard to adjust to the new but instead because it is hard to deal with discarding the past; and (3) Giving up old patterns, materials or ideas is accompanied by complex emotions that destabilize, even if these items were sub-optimal in the first instance.
Bottom line: if we want change and we most assuredly should, we need to reboot how we go about making change. Instead of describing with glee all the positives of change in a myriad of contexts with accompanying benefits, we need to focus on the pain, discomfort and disquiet of loss. We need to be psychological in our approach to change; only then will be able to make change happen more effectively, most comfortably and with greater success.
Why ‘Unlearning’ Old Habits Is An Essential Step For Innovation
by Leah Shaffer in MindShift
With innovation (something new and better according to George Couros’s definition) as an attribute/mindset we embrace at Blake, I appreciate Shaffer’s post as she highlights the concept of ‘unlearning’. Within the post three frameworks for implementing unlearning are shared: changing mindsets, changing habits and changing organizations. A foundation of trust must be in place for these frameworks to thrive and ‘unlearning’ to be realized.
Teachers are increasingly being asked to embrace new ideas and styles of teaching, but schools don’t always give their educators time or the mental space to absorb and apply those concepts.
6 Things Parents Should Know About Sending Kids Back to School
by Rachel Rabkin Peachman in The New York Times
One of our core beliefs at Blake is that ‘we are in this together’, and I hope to share resources and posts that may help to foster discussions or provide strategies for families. These ‘6 things’ are by no means an an all-encompassing list, but I think they are worthy of reflection: Listen to Your Kids; Reassess Family Roles; Shift Away From Summer Hours; Do a Health Check; Don’t Underestimate the Value of School Friends; Focus on the Positive.
The beauty of this transition period, though, is that it’s a prime opportunity for parents and kids to explore the mixed emotions that crop up as we say goodbye to summer and say hello to new expectations. So as you figure out your kids’ soccer schedule, make arrangements for that sitter or math tutor, or order new highlighters, be sure to involve your kids in the process, no matter how old they are. Take these next few weeks to talk with them about what they’ve liked or disliked about school in the past, what they’re ready to do differently this year, and how you can help them prepare.
In Praise of Buildings and Grounds Staffs Everywhere
by Peter Gow (@pgow) in Education Week
Each year I share this post as I believe Gow’s words provide a lovely reminder for all of us of the true communal effort it takes to establish, foster, and maintain a healthy school. We are truly blessed at Blake to have such a supportive behind-the-scenes crew, and they are worthy of our recognition:
Ask these men and women why they work so hard and take such care in their efforts, and nine times out of ten they'll tell you it's for the school, for the kids, for the program...They may sometimes be invisible to us in our classrooms and offices, but they are watching--watching us, watching the kids, looking for ways to make our lives go a little more smoothly...when school starts in a few weeks take a moment to contemplate and appreciate the men and women--and sometimes the summer kids--who have made it a point of pride that the school look "just so" when the kids stream back and what we consider the "real" work of the school begins. It's their real work year-round, in rain and shine, and they do it for us.
As I share each year it is my sincere and sustained hope that we can take this message to heart throughout the year, finding ways to remember to recognize one another, students and adults alike, and keep this theme of gratitude and appreciation at the forefront of our thinking. It is a true blessing to work in in a community of inspiring students, teachers, and families. Blake Middle School aims to foster a wonderful, nurturing, and challenging environment and it is truly a privilege and honor to come to work every day, greeted by our mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world. I look forward to working with you and your students throughout the year as we collectively strive to continue to cultivate a culture of learning and respect. As George Couros (@gcouros) shares towards the end of our all-district read, The Innovator’s Mindset, it is important that we continue to ask questions, push boundaries, and in essence (my interpretation) ‘embrace the discomfort and messiness’ for true learning to occur...
As educational leaders and continuous learners, we must commit to perpetually moving forward, for our own sakes and for the benefit of the schools and the students we serve. Never stop asking questions or pushing the boundaries of what is possible for learning for our students and ourselves; this is where the true learning will happen. - George Couros
We have both successes and challenges that lie ahead and I am excited about what the future brings for all of us. Our ‘guiding lights’ will both ground and direct our work as we celebrate another ‘new year’ together as a Blake community! I wish everyone an enjoyable and memorable final stretch of summer. As always, please feel free to contact me, Kelly C., or your student's guidance counselor with any questions or concerns.
Take care.
Nat Vaughn