Principal's Blog

Benefits of a Community

12/2/2019

December 3, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the benefits of being part of a community, our topic/question for the dinner table is: How does being a part of a community help you learn and grow? Benefits of a Community (Week of 12/1/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
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.

I am sharing an abbreviated blog update this week, as we spent the Thanksgiving holiday at Disney World. We thoroughly enjoyed these days together, visiting Epcot, the Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom. The kids had a blast - Katie and I did too (pic below is before the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom)!

As I shared with both students and staff at our assembly together last Wednesday, the time we gather as a Blake community before Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. Listening to students and staff share their thanks, make connections, laugh, celebrate, connect, and have fun - for me (and I know others), these are the foundation of a strong community of learners. I feel so fortunate and enjoyed telling Katie all about it on our flight down to Orlando.

Below please find a sampling of expressions of gratitude from our community, along with the links to items of note and reminders for the week ahead (I wasn’t sure if I would be successful at taking a break, but I have enjoyed unplugging and being present a great deal - these were drafted on the plane ride down to Orlando!)...

Topic/Question (Week of 11/24/19): What are you thankful for this year?

I am thankful to work with professionals who really care about children!
I am thankful for the health of my family and the blessings that we have received this year.
My family
My family
Everything! (Especially my family and their support)
I’m thankful for my house, my school, food and more.
I am thankful for having the opportunity to get to know our Class of 2026. I look forward to working with you for the next few school years!
Family
I am thankful for my family
My role as a bishop in theater
I am thankful for my family and the shelter and food they provide me with
I am thankful for my family and the shelter and food they provide me with
My family, friends, pets, nature, and school
I am thankful for a new and very good book series I am reading called keeper of the lost cities
All my teachers
Family, friends, health, dog, community
Books, food, walks with my dog
My mom and dad
My life
I am thankful for the Blake staff and their kindness, energy, and patience.

I remember seeing the words below from Walt Disney when we visited 5 years ago, and they resonate with me just as much today as they did at that time. As we look ahead to the closing weeks of 2019 and a new year, I hope we can continue to embrace new ideas, try new things, and allow our collective curiosity to guide our efforts.

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for District Community Notices.
Enjoy the week and take care.
Nat

Naming and Sharing Our Gratitude

11/26/2019

November 26, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the practice of gratitude and Thanksgiving, our topic/question for the dinner table is: What are you thankful for this year? Naming and Sharing Our Gratitude (Week of 11/24/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
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.

Have the days of November gone by faster than other months this year? It truly seems like yesterday that we were getting ready for Halloween - and, with Thanksgiving being so late this year, I am having a hard time believing it is this week! I felt quite fortunate to be able to attend the Learning and the Brain Conference (see some notes below) in Boston, and the highlight of the weekend was the performance of Frozen Jr. at Blake on Saturday night! Congratulations to the cast and crew and thanks to Tracy Allen, Maureen D., Joe, Nancy M., Ann Marie Tremblay, Ashley Rimbey, Jean Plonski, Christi Barney, Melissa Landis, and all of the parent volunteers - special kudos to Tracy for her leadership and work with all of the students!

Linda Darling-Hammond ended her keynote address at Learning and the Brain with these words from John Dewey. As a strong proponent and believer in Dewey’s philosophy and tenets of education, they resonate with me on many levels. As we begin to enter the holiday season with Thanksgiving, they have helped me to reflect upon our work with students, the practice of gratitude, and the implications for our community. These are certainly ‘seasonal thoughts’ as they come to the forefront of my thinking each year...

It is so important to reflect and convey our thanks
We need to act on our gratitude
A community must be inclusive of all
Modeling our gratitude and acknowledging our areas of growth for where we are ‘falling short’ is critical
We must practice, adjust, listen, recalibrate, and stay with our work - it will help us foster a culture of gratitude and support
Gratitude is an intentional practice
I hope we can learn and give thanks to one another
Giving thanks is something that we all can do

As we enter this week of Thanksgiving, my traditional sharing is one that is grounded in gratitude - gratitude for tangible ‘artifacts’ of recent learning, reflective/active learning, and learning as a community - along with some ‘annual sentiments of thanks’ (Fair warning - it has been a reflective week and weekend for sure!)…

Recent Learning - I am thankful that we are a learning community that is willing to share and listen to one another
Thanks to MCPE (Medfield Coalition for Public Education), I was able to attend the Learning and the Brain conference this past weekend (#latb54) - a wonderful conference that ‘connects educators with the latest research on the brain and learning and its learning implications for education’. The focus this year was: ‘Applying Learning Sciences for Deeper Reasoning, Retention, and Reflection. I will be sharing more in the coming weeks and months, but here are a few ‘mindsets/notes/take-aways’ from a few keynotes, along with some notes from #MedfieldTalks and a keynote from the #ETTInnovate conference earlier in the week (it has been an impactful week of learning!)…

Why Mind, Brain, and Education? Why Now?
by Kurt W. Fischer, David B. Daniel, Mary Helen Immordina-Yang, Elsbeth Stern, Antonio Battro, and Hideaki Koizumi in Mind, Brain, and Education
This article, published in March 2007, outlines the origins of Mind, Brain, and Education from the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society - the goal and purpose is to join the collective efforts and work from education, biology, and cognitive science.
Human beings are unique in their ability to learn through schooling and diverse kinds of cultural instruction. Education plays a key role in cultural transformations: It allows members of a society, the young in particular, to efﬁciently acquire an ever-evolving body of knowledge and skills that took thou-sands of years to invent. It is time for education, biology, and cognitive science to join together to create a new science and practice of learning and development.

Answering key questions about mind, brain, and education requires reciprocal interaction between scientiﬁc research and practical knowledge of educators and caregivers. There must be a dynamic interaction between scientiﬁc research and practical knowledge, with practice shaping scientiﬁc questions as much as research shapes practice.

Scientists sometimes argue that relating biology to education is premature: They say that science ﬁrst needs to answer the deep questions about how the mind/brain works. To the contrary, we afﬁrm that research in educational settings will shape the great discoveries to come concerning basic biological and cognitive processes in learning and development. Research in practice settings is essential for the ﬁeld of mind, brain, and education, in the same way that research in medical settings is essential for knowledge about medical practice.

Barbara A. Oakley - Learning How to Learn: Helping Students Succeed in School
(@barbaraoakley)

People are starved for information about how we learn effectively
It can be good to follow your passions, but it is really important to broaden your passions
Retrieval practice (‘recall’) is the most powerful technique to help you learn
Sleep is critical - retrieval practice happens during sleep

Linda Darling-Hammond - Teaching for Deeper Learning: Implications of Science of Learning and Development
(@LDH_ED)

Shift from Genetics to Epigenetics (malleability and plasticity)
Development is catalyzed and shaped by human relationships - fostered by experience
Key elements of Adult-Child Relationships - secure attachment, positive regard, buffering stress, supporting sense-making
Development of Neural Networks is enhanced by…
- Social interaction
- Rich environments
- Green space
- Physical activity
- Mental activity
- Mindfulness
- Emotional and cultural well-being
Development of Neural Networks is impaired by…
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Loneliness
- Sleep disruption
- Dietary deficiencies
- Toxins
- Identity threats
Cognitive flexibility is enhanced by…
- Art
- World Languages
- Music
As human beings, we are born to be inquirers
The ways in which we can teach can induce a growth mindset
Assessment for Learning: How Feedback Can Be Leveraged…
- Errors are welcomed
- Peers support learning
- Assessment is for learning, not for ranking
- Psychological elements have huge impacts from the practices we choose
Performance assessments are critical
Everything students need for their learning, teachers need

David H. Rose - Deeper Learning for EVERY Student: Neuroscience, Technology, and UDL
(@DavidRose_CAST)

‘It’s going to take a lot of work on both of our parts’
‘You are important to me’
We need to think about control vs learning
Who has a ‘disability’?
- It depends
- Depends on context
What determines where each of us are on the spectrum?
- Biology and Environment
Both biology and environment determine the cut-off for disability, ‘abnormality’
- Culture determines the cut-off
- Cultural determination
Brilliant after school, but not during school (many of our students)
Where am I on the spectrum?
- It depends…
- Context is important…
Need to consider the emotional components of the brain
We need to reduce the barriers and increase the access/pathways to learning

David B. Daniel - The State of the Onion: Peeling Back 20 Years of the Science of Learning and Instruction

Schisms between practitioners and research
Mind, Brain, and Education - Goal is Usable Knowledge
How can I model complexity without bringing in the real world? (We must bring it in)
Goal is to be evidence-generative! Not just evidence-based
Mind-Brain Education - ‘Education by any things necessary’
Evidence-Based vs Evidence-Demonstrated
- Picture of baby goats (kids) - ‘these are kids’
What is ‘evidence’ for teaching?
- It is the interpretation of the evidence that makes a difference
- Is it credible or just persuasive?
  - Skepticism has to be in place
Situating science is very difficult
- When you try and put it all together, it becomes complex
We have a ‘Science of Learning’ - We do not have a ‘Science of Teaching’
Goal of science of teaching is to crete an arsenal of tools
- Goal is not to create best practices
- It is to create an arsenal of tools
- Goal is not a silver bullet
Good teaching is the culmination of the small impacts of everything you do…

Notes from Dr. Colin Rose’s Keynote at #ETTInnovate…
Assistant Superintendent of Opportunity and Achievement Gaps for the Boston Public Schools
Ecology of Equity: Focus on CLSP

CLSP - Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Practices
Need to Shift from Achievement Gaps (Onus is on the student to adjust) to Opportunity Gaps (Onus is on the system to adjust)
Targeted Universalism - High Standards; Targeted Approaches
Where do we start?
- Capacity building is the key…
We need to define things first
Three Competencies of CLSP…
- Awareness: Comprehend your cultural frame of reference/bias
- Cultural learning/relationship-building
- Construction of a repertoire of culturally and linguistically sustaining practices
Why’s for CLSP…
- Positive working and learning environments
- US Economic and Political Health
- More Effective Pedagogy
- Morality
More Effective Pedagogy
- CLSP/CRT - It is a framework, lens, and mindset, not a set of best practices or simply multicultural content
There are consequences to not knowing and not adapting
All learning is contextual
We need equity by design, not happenstance

Notes from James McCauley’s Presentation on Resilience, Riverside Trauma Center

You don’t bounce back after a traumatic event - you are changed
This is hopeful work
You need to start with yourself…
Ask your child…
- ‘In what situations do you already feel strong or effective?’
- ‘In what situations would you like to feel stronger or more effective?’
Three Kinds of Responses to Stress
- Positive, Tolerable, Toxic
ACES Score (Adverse Childhood Experiences)
Most positive impact against ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) is having one caring adult - keeps them from developing toxic stress
Need to teach flexibility in thinking
Gritty people give help and get help
4 Techniques of Mental Toughness (‘Borrowed’ from the Navy SEALS)
- Goal Setting
- Visualization
- Positive Self-Talk
- Breathing/Arousal Control
The Central Governor Theory: Our brains give out before our body
- Celebrate small wins (not miles - yards; not months - hours)
- Small achievable objectives
- Continually reset objectives
Talk about challenges, not barriers
Mental Rehearsal…
- Practice, imagine, rehearse
What is your positive ‘speech’ in support of your goals?
Slow breathing is a great focusing strategy
Practice Gratitude - gratitude journals
Biggest protective factor is strong social connections
Social connection is the greatest predictor of happiness
Find 5 Happy Friends
Importance of play - if it isn’t fun, it isn’t play
Look for cues in your children for when it’s time to talk
- Strike when the iron is cold - address it later…
- W.A.I.T. - Why Am I Talking? (Listen first)
Sleep is so important

Reflective/Active Learning - I am thankful that our community seeks out learning and reflects upon our experiences
Reflection is at the heart of active learning, and I appreciate the interactive nature of engagement that we aim to promote and practice at Blake. The two posts below espouse the practice of gratitude and keep our learning in a contextual framework, and the weekly sampling of responses from last week’s question of the week help us to listen and stay relevant for our learners and community…

How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain
by Joel Wong and Joshua Brown in Greater Good Magazine
This brief post offers insight into the psychological benefits that exist when one practices gratitude. The intentional practice of gratitude is an important take-away from this post.

Gratitude unshackles us from toxic emotions
Gratitude helps even if you don’t share it
Gratitude’s benefits take time
Gratitude has lasting effects on the brain

...gratitude writing can be beneficial not just for healthy, well-adjusted individuals, but also for those who struggle with mental health concerns. In fact, it seems, practicing gratitude on top of receiving psychological counseling carries greater benefits than counseling alone, even when that gratitude practice is brief.

Regardless of whether you’re facing serious psychological challenges, if you have never written a gratitude letter before, we encourage you to try it. Much of our time and energy is spent pursuing things we currently don’t have. Gratitude reverses our priorities to help us appreciate the people and things we do.

The science behind why you shouldn’t stop giving thanks after Thanksgiving
by Colby Itkowitz in The Washington Post
This post highlights the importance of gratitude, including an interview with gratitude expert, Robert Emmons. I came across this two years ago and it clearly had an impact on many readers, as at that time it was being ‘republished’ - Editor’s note: This post is being republished. The advice is timeless.
On most days, gratitude manifests as an emotional reaction to a favorable event or outcome. But it also can be a way of life. People who consciously choose daily to seek out things in their lives to be thankful for are, research has shown, happier and healthier.

The best way I practice gratitude is to continually think about those people who have done things for me that I could never do for myself. Who is looking out for me, who has my back, who has made my life easier because of their sacrifices? Who and what do I take for granted? Then gratitude becomes, real, concrete, personal. We all have people like that in our lives. I make a mental list of these, and try to think about ways in which I can give back some of the goodness I have received. Basically, I try to practice being non-self-absorbed. Non-grateful people are self-absorbed. Grateful people are absorbed by the good that others are doing for them. Focus on the other — this is the best gratitude message we can give people.

Indeed, gratitude rescues us from negativity. Left to their own devices, our minds tend to hijack each and every opportunity for happiness. Negativity, entitlement, resentfulness, forgetfulness, ungratefulness all clamor for our attention. Whether stemming from our own internal thoughts or to the daily news headlines, we are exposed to a constant drip of negativity. Doom and gloom is on the horizon, as financial fears, relational turmoil and health challenges threaten us. Weighed down by negativity, we are worn down, worn out, emotionally and physically exhausted. To offset this chronic negativity, we need to continually and perpetually hear good news. We need to constantly and regularly create and take in positive experiences. Gratitude is our best weapon, an ally to counter these internal and external threats that rob us of sustainable joy. In gratitude, we focus on the giftedness of life. We affirm that goodness exists, even among the rancor of daily life. This realization itself is freeing, liberating, redeeming. Gratitude works!

Topic/Question (Week of 11/17/19): What adjustments have you made to help improve your own learning and/or the learning environment for others?

One adjustment I have made is by removing myself from the people who are a distraction
I try to make sure I understand the information as best as possible, and when presenting information, to be as clear and concise as possible.
I have tried to balance a "magnifying glass" and "bird's eye" approach to my own learning and the learning of others.
I like to work more independently and not in groups/partners. I find that it helps me work better.
Speak softly
Keeping up with the work

Learning as a Community - I am thankful that our community cares for one another as learners, students and adults alike
This year I feel fortunate to once again be helping, along with Christine Power and Susan Bycoff, to facilitate our New Teacher Induction/Mentor Program. I find this work critical as we work to bridge our schools, bring educators together, and provide a forum for educators to examine and share practices. We took time this month (becoming an annual theme in Year 2) to discuss the critical role that ‘vulnerability’ plays for all learners (students and teachers) in our community. I firmly believe that both vulnerability and gratitude are practices that must be practiced.

Some Thankful Sentiments - Shared and modified a bit from years past...
Although they most likely read and sound familiar and repetitive each year, I promise that the sincerity of these sentiments continue to grow in their depth. We will be coming together as a Blake community for our annual Celebration of Voice assembly on Wednesday to share our gratitude and have fun! As I share each year, Thanksgiving is a holiday that holds great significance for me and my family since an accident I experienced while running ten years ago. It is hard to believe that a decade has passed since that time (Grayden was 3 months old!). At that difficult time, Katie and I found ourselves filled (overwhelmed, actually) with with gratitude, appreciation, and love for the care and support we received from our Holliston and Blake/Medfield communities. Those feelings, sentiments, and emotions are still very strong and present for all of us. I will be sharing my gratitude Wednesday at the assembly, but I also know that I can not share it enough - thank you. It is a privilege to work in a community that has both fostered and encouraged my own growth while also showing deep care for my family. I have shared these words from President Kennedy and the post below the last few years and will be sure to continue bringing them to light each year...

The Science of Happiness - An Experiment in Gratitude
(7:13)
I encourage everyone to find seven minutes this week to watch the clip and share with others.

In Praise of Gratitude
from Harvard Mental Health Letter
I have shared this brief post the last several years - my very dear friend Mike Norton, who has done extensive work on happiness, sent it to me a few years ago. It provides a nice explanation for why gratitude is important and also offers tips to be more grateful.
In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

Gratitude is a way for people to appreciate what they have instead of always reaching for something new in the hopes it will make them happier, or thinking they can't feel satisfied until every physical and material need is met. Gratitude helps people refocus on what they have instead of what they lack. And, although it may feel contrived at first, this mental state grows stronger with use and practice.

It is incumbent on us as a community to recognize and remember that this time of year can be a particularly stressful and emotional one for both students and adults. Personal situations, the loss of loved ones, or memories can bring forth many emotions, so please be sure to look out for one another and also rely on our community for support. Although I wish I could, I know it is unrealistic for me to have the opportunity to personally wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving before Wednesday afternoon. So...Happy Thanksgiving! I am incredibly grateful to be a part of the Blake community and believe we are making a difference. Let us be sure to maintain a culture and spirit of eternal vigilance for learning, listening, and gratitude.

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for District Community Notices.
Enjoy the week and take care.
Nat

Making Adjustments for Learning

11/19/2019

November 18, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about adjustments we make as we learn, our topic/question for the dinner table is: What adjustments have you made to help improve your own learning and/or the learning environment for others? Making Adjustments for Learning (Week of 11/17/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
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.

As much as I do not want to admit it, it seems as though the cold weather is here to stay! As Katie was finishing up her yoga teacher training this weekend (proud of her for doing this!), the kids and I had a relatively quiet weekend - doing some errands, a little bit of yard work, and time to just ‘hang out’. It never feels as though we have enough time to do just that!

I always find this time of year to be particularly challenging, and I think it is for a number of reasons or factors - the change in light in the afternoon, the ‘proverbial honeymoon’ of the start of year being over, the holiday season beginning, planning and budgeting for the next school year, just to name a few. As one who self-admittedly feels deeply I have learned to recognize that this is a pattern for me and is one that is ok to acknowledge. Re-reading Marc Brackett’s book, Permission to Feel, has also helped me to name these feelings and embrace them. That has been an adjustment and one that I am continuing to practice. As I think about this dynamic and the internal adjustments I have tried to make in regards to my mindset when it comes to situations or times that challenge me, it has really helped to apply that thinking for my day-to-day ‘work’ at school. Whether it is trying to #slowitdown, ask more questions, or simply take an inquiry stance, these adjustments have proved to be quite helpful and provided space and structure for me to grow and learn.

There are a number of influences and considerations that contribute to our learning and the experiences we want for our students (and ourselves, for that matter), and I appreciate and admire the collective willingness to try and ‘do it all’. I also recognize that I can contribute to a feeling and sentiment of being overwhelmed by all of the possibilities and ideas that are out there. I firmly believe that we need to be open to change and have a willingness to consider everything (as I often reference one of my favorite quotes from Ted Sizer)…

That said, I need to make sure that I keep in mind all of the feelings, dynamics, and considerations that come into play. And that is an adjustment, or collection of adjustments, that I am working on making. Change does not need to be significant, but the willingness and openness to adapt is where the sustainable impact will be felt. A goal I have for when I experience these feelings of challenge, for lack of a better phrase, is to simply name it (the feeling) and also name the learning that I am experiencing at that time (tangible and intangible experiences).

The two posts below, along with the responses from last week’s topic/question, serve as reminders for the ways that we can make adjustments to help continue our collective growth as a learning community. I welcome and embrace questions, resonance, dissonance, and dialogue they may provoke (my door is always open)...

Topic/Question (Week of 11/10/19): How does ‘taking a break’ help with the process of learning?

Sometimes a pause in one's work allows for fresh and different perspectives when the work is returned to.
Yes. In fact, I think clearing one's head helps in a wide variety of situations.
Being with family and friends can help renew the idea that we are all here for each other no matter what.
It helps you cool down and take a break from what you’re doing.
When I come back, it makes me feel better. It also gives me a new perspective.
Because it’s your choice
It helps you think.
Taking a break helps you unwind for a bit, and refocus on the topic your working on. It lifts your spirits and is something to look forward to when your doing a boring task.
The break let’s your body and mind catch up to each other. It allows your brain the time to make connections while it relaxes a bit with your body.
So then you get a chance to restart your mind
It helps when you’re learning when your stressed because you have a lot to do or when you just need a short break to put yourself together.
It helps our minds calm down and let’s us take a sigh of relief, which will allow for better concentration and productivity in the classroom.
It gives my brain a chance to process things without me:-)
Taking a break just lets you forget everything that was cluttering your brain, and make it easier to try again. Sometimes you can work yourself into a frenzy, and you just need a little time to reset.
It helps me from being overwhelmed by learning

Trauma-Informed Teaching Strategies
by Jessica Minahan (@jessica_minahan) in Educational Leadership
The title of the post may lead one to believe that these strategies only apply to ‘a distinct cohort’, but these strategies hold true for all students and adults. The foundational element of a safe and supportive learning environment is true for everyone, and the strategies and information within are pertinent and critical.
Neurobiologically, students can't learn if they don't feel safe, known, and cared for within their schools (Aupperle et al., 2012). When teachers are proactive and responsive to the needs of students suffering from traumatic stress and make small changes in the classroom that foster a feeling of safety, it makes a huge difference in their ability to learn.

Expect Unexpected Responses
Employ Thoughtful Interactions
Be Specific About Relationship Building
Promote Predictability and Consistency
Teach Strategies to ‘Change the Channel’
Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking
Create Islands of Competence
Limit Exclusionary Practices

Students can't learn unless they feel safe. When it comes to student trauma, there is much that is beyond educators' power, but there is also a great deal they can do to build a supportive and sensitive environment where students feel safe, comfortable, take risks, learn, and even heal.

Assessment Works Best When Students Are in the Driver's Seat
By Anne Vilen in ASCD Express
Vilen’s post affirms the belief that we need to make sure that students are understanding feedback and also play an active role in their own learning. This means we must make adjustments to our practice, and this post espouses the principles that foster self-assessment: Teach Students to Say Where They're Going; Teach Students to Reflect and Identify Missteps; Teach Students to Set a New Course. These shifts in assessment practices will help to keep the learning relevant, transferable, and sustainable.
As teachers we want to teach our students the important things—the fundamental concepts of disciplines, academic work habits (perseverance, critical thinking) and skills, as well as how to be a good person, with the confidence and competence to contribute to a better world. But if standardized tests don't measure these things, how do we know if our students have learned the important things?

We need student-engaged assessment, a system of interrelated practices that position students as leaders of their own learning. Often it takes place in students' own heads while they are learning. It's the kid in the back row wondering, "Do I understand this? What questions do I have?" It's the student who pulls a draft of her paper from her backpack and thinks, I need to rewrite this conclusion. What did my workshop group tell me again?"

Think of "student-engaged" assessment like driving a car. Students who are engaged step into the driver's seat, tentatively at first and often with the teacher coaching from the passenger seat. What are the coaching moves that enable students to become confident drivers of their own learning?

In American life, one of the most important tests a person takes outside of school is a driving test. For many good reasons, you have to perform—demonstrate your skills, not just fill in bubbles on a paper. Student-engaged assessment invites us to create opportunities for students at all grade levels and in all subject matters to metaphorically read the driving manual, take the written test, practice on the road with lots of feedback from an expert instructor, and finally demonstrate the skill for a real audience.

At the end of the day, as the driving examiner writes "passed" on the form, the student knows that she drove smoothly, followed all the signs, and brought the examiner back safe and sound. She also knows that she could have gotten a teensy bit closer to the curb in that parallel parking spot. That assessment, inside her head, is the one that counts most because it motivates her to continue learning well after the test—in fact, for the rest of her life.

Having read these two posts several times over the last couple of weeks, I found them to be affirming in the sense that our mission we have embraced for all learners in our community is one that encourages all of us to learn, adapt, grow, and reflect. By continuing to assess ourselves, we will increase the ‘knowledge base’ of our own learning and the learning of others.

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for District Community Notices.
Enjoy the week and take care.
Nat

Taking a Break

11/11/2019

November 12, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the benefits of ‘taking a break’, our topic/question for the dinner table is: How does ‘taking a break’ help with the process of learning? Taking a Break (Week of 11/10/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
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.

Hopefully our ‘No Homework Weekend’ was one that was ‘lived’ by all, allowing for some quiet, reflection, and time to recharge - whatever that may look like! We took some time to do just that - after an ‘over and back’ to the Berkshires on Saturday, we did some gardening, leaf pick up, and enjoyed the break. I want to once again express my sincere thanks to our entire staff for embracing and supporting these efforts - thank you!

As conveyed heading into the weekend, my intention was to ‘live our mission’ and stretch myself by unplugging, taking a step back, and slowing it down. It has definitely been a challenge with a fair share of reminders and nudges from my family, but I am pleased to share it has been pretty successful. Taking a break always provokes deep reflection and new perspectives for me, and in that spirit I am sharing a sampling of responses from last week’s question, a post that offers a different perspective, and some words from Ryan Hall that provides a healthy lens on the confidence needed to allow rest to take place...

Topic/Question (Week of 11/3/19): What process do you use to make decisions?

I am guided by this question: How will this impact the children?
I review what is going on in the past, ask students what is working for them in the art environment, continually try out their interests, my own interests, and pray that I can make better decisions.
I try to think of a few different variables and perspectives to help ensure the decision is a good one. Sometimes time does not permit, but putting myself in the shoes of those affected by the decision is helpful.
I consult my wife. She's a lot smarter than me.
What do I truly want to do and if my parents were making the decision what would they say
I do a lot of stop and thinking and brainstorming
Sometimes I think before I act. Other times I think does this fit into the conversation. I also think if this will hurt anybody.
Weigh the pros and cons and then, inevitably follow my heart/gut.
I think it out and do what makes sense
I have learned to slow myself down. I ask people who are very different from me what they would choose to do.
Depending on the decision I will ask my peers for more than one opinion on the topic.
Process of elimination

Yes, it’s good to stick with an activity. But there is also value in walking away.
by Kirsten Clodfelter in The Washington Post
Clodfelter’s post aligns with the idea of taking different perspectives, as she provides a healthy alternative to some of the mantras we inherit, embrace, and pass along to our children (all with good intentions). As one who believes in staying with commitments and ‘working things through’, I appreciate the message that it is important to step back, ask some more questions, listen to the answers, and focus on developing healthy paths.
My entire life, I’ve heard “Finish what you start” touted as a critical maxim for kids. After all, sticking with something when it’s difficult or uncomfortable can teach perseverance, discipline and confidence — all important skills to carry with us into adulthood. But watching through the observation window as my first-grader seemed to drag herself into each ballet position, I started to question how much sense that blanket advice made. Is it really in our kids’ best interest, or even practical, to see every commitment through to its bitter end? What if there are different but equally valuable qualities to be gained by learning to let go of the things that aren’t right for us?

Quitting carries plenty of stigma, even for adults, and figuring out when it’s the best choice for our kids is often nuanced and complex. Outside of extreme circumstances such as bullying or abuse, Eric Bean, a sports psychology consultant, says “quitting is never really a black-and-white issue.” The decision can feel especially fraught when a child wants to leave a sport or activity they’ve shown a talent for or that they’ve previously enjoyed.

As an adult, I’m inundated with messaging about the energizing, door-opening power of saying yes, but what about saying no? The ability to recognize when an activity isn’t an appropriate investment of our time or energy is a fundamental skill, and it’s one that extends beyond youth sports or extracurriculars. As my daughters get older, I want them to feel confident that they can exit a degree path or a job or a relationship that’s no longer meeting their needs. They shouldn’t feel beholden by the fact that simply because they’ve started something, they’re obligated to finish it at any cost.

...we should make room for our kids’ interests and passions to evolve, even if the result is they end up walking away from an activity they — or we — thought would be a big part of their lives. After all, if what we want is for our children to be happy and fulfilled, we have to give them space to decide what that looks like. Quitting means they’re clearing a path to love something else — and that’s a good thing.

As I look to the busyness that inevitably awaits us in the holiday season, I hope to lean on these perspectives and remember the value of taking a step back and resting. It’s not easy for me and I hope others can help me along the way.

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for District Community Notices.
Enjoy the week and take care.
Nat

Naming the Evidence

11/5/2019

November 5, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the ways we make decisions and support our claims/beliefs, our topic/question for the dinner table is: What process do you use to make decisions? Naming the Evidence (Week of 11/3/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
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.

Hopefully the extra hour of sleep was taken advantage of and enjoyed by all this weekend - it sure was appreciated by all in our house! We have spent the days doing our best to be outside (such gorgeous weather!), amidst the kids’ activities, gardening, and ‘catching up’. It was fun to watch the Medfield-Holliston playoff game (one of the times I feel as though I should stand in the middle and not pick a team to root for), although it was a tough loss for the Medfield team. On Sunday evening we attended an annual Guy Fawkes party with our British friends - always a fun event! I want to extend a special thanks to all the staff members who chaperoned the 7th/8th grade dance on Friday evening, helping to provide a safe and fun night for our students: Cynthia McClelland, Deb Manning, Jillian Shaw, Kelly Campbell, Kelly Ruminski, Lisa Matthews, and Maura Batts.

This past Wednesday one of my former students who graduated from Medfield High School visited Blake for the day. He is currently teaching history at a local high school and is doing site visits as he is pursuing his administrative licensure. I thoroughly enjoy having visitors come to our community, as it serves as an opportunity to take the proverbial step outside, reflect, observe, and listen to a new perspective. At one point in the day he asked me what I spend most of my time doing each day - in that split second before I answered the question, I felt this irrational ‘pressure’ to give this poignant, insightful answer. After having talked it through a bit, my answer was shared between listening and making decisions. Flushing that answer out a bit more, at my core I hope that listening is taking up the majority of my time.

This discussion pushed me a great deal, though, and it has stayed with me...Am I doing a good job listening? How will I know? How do I (should I, can I) distinguish between listening and agreeing? Do I listen enough in making decisions? And, from there the decision-making reflection began...What is my process for making decisions? Do I consider the evidence needed? How does time impact my decision-making? What evidence is used or employed in my own decision-making process? Is the process (or should it be) different for ‘easy’ decisions vs difficult decisions? Who decides what decisions are easy and what decisions are hard? How do my own beliefs inform my decisions?

As is now evident (if it was not evident before!), my own thinking tends to ‘spiral’ from time to time - and, I have learned to allow that to be part of my own learning. I am a worrier and tend to categorize myself as an ‘over-thinker’ - stating worries, projecting situations, reading into things - some based in fact and rationality and others based in myth and irrationality. I imagine I am not alone and often hear similar sentiments when talking with students, parents, and teachers - ‘I worry that (fill in the blank)...I’m not sure they understood the material...Am I reaching all of the students?...Are they making progress?...I’m frustrated and feeling a disconnect…’. In one of our workshops with Christi Barney several years ago, she shared the importance of asking oneself and others - ‘What evidence do you have this is true?’ It has proven to be an effective question - pushing me to slow down, reflect, determine evidence, name evidence, ‘listen’, and respond. It is a question that has helped me to keep an openness to my own beliefs and the beliefs of others, an openness to change, and a drive to listen a bit more to myself and others.

At the essence of this question - ‘What evidence do you have that this is true?’ - is the encouragement to be scientists of our learning and growth (citing the research, naming the evidence, and taking steps towards progress). Reading through a sampling of responses from last week’s topic/question, reflecting upon my own ‘worries, thoughts, and process for making decisions’, coupled with the post I have shared below have really helped me to articulate my own methods and processes for learning - affirming some and challenging me to rethink others. I hope that they may do the same for others - and, in turn, do the same for our students...

Topic/Question (Week of 10/27/19): What have you learned this year about yourself as a learner?

I am a planner and a procrastinator, after making my plan, I need to create action steps to make sure I complete what I planned in a timely manner.
I like efficient and substance over excess.
I have learned this year that group assignments are much harder for me to accomplish than solo assignments
I learned that I need to be really focused to get the job done.
I work best in a quiet environment
That I don’t work as well in groups as I do alone.
I'm stubborn. I'm trying to move away from this by trying new things and taking risks.
I can achieve things that I didn’t think I could do
It is easier for me to learn when I rewrite something because I have to start understanding the words I’m writing down, even though it takes longer. But we don’t get to do that a lot in middle school.
I love basketball
I enjoy projects and teamwork.

Social Media Has Not Destroyed A Generation
by Lydia Denworth (@LydiaDenworth) in Scientific American
Social media comes up in almost every conversation I have about my own children or our students - even if it is not the subject of the conversation, it always trickles in. Although ‘positives’ are discussed, most of the talk is negative and I would by lying if I did not admit that I often can fall into that ‘trap’. Similar to the oft-expressed phrase of ‘kids these days’, this article speaks to the importance of slowing the determinations down, examining the evidence, and really talking things through. Denworth’s post summarizes Amy Orben, Andrew K. Przybylski, and Jeff Hancock’s research and work on the work, research, and analysis on the studies of social media. I look forward to the conversations that this article will foster for us.
The results to date have been mixed because the effects measured are themselves mixed...Przybylski and Orben measured the percent of variance in well-being that was explained by social media use and found that technology was no more associated with decreased well-being for teenagers than eating potatoes...this new research reveals serious limitations and shortcomings in the science of social media to date...Most have relied on self-reported use, a notoriously unreliable measure. Nearly all assess only frequency and duration of use rather than content or context.

To be clear, it is not that social media is never a problem. Heavy use is associated with potentially harmful effects on well-being. But effects from social media appear to depend on the user—age and mental health status are two important factors that make a difference. Also, cause and effect appear to go in both directions. “It’s a two-way street,” Hancock says.

Anxiety and panic over the effects of new technology date back to Socrates, who bemoaned the then new tradition of writing things down for fear it would diminish the power of memory. Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Jefferson both warned that communal relationships would suffer as industrial societies moved from rural to urban living...Radio, video games and even comic books have all caused consternation. Television was going to bring about the dumbing down of America.

“It’s ironic that in the end the real danger is not smartphones—it’s the level of misinformation that’s being directed at the public and at parents,” Odgers says. “It’s consuming so much of the airtime that it’s causing us to miss potentially some of the real threats and problems around digital spaces.” For her part, Odgers is far more worried about privacy and unequal access to technology for kids from families with lower socioeconomic status. She also suspects that some adolescents find much needed social support online and that adults should pay closer attention to what works in that regard.

The power of mindset serves as a reminder of the power of perspective. In the 1980s people were wringing their hands about the time kids spent staring mindlessly at television screens, says Gentzkow, who has studied that era. He imagines asking those worrywarts about new technologies that would allow kids to instead interact with one another by sharing messages, photographs and videos. “Anybody then would have said, ‘Wow, that would be amazing.’”

Making decisions will continue to be at the heart of our work - decisions for ourselves, our students, our curricula, and the list could go on and on. And, listening should truly always be the first step in this process of decision-making. I came across the words below from Isaac Newton and they really resonated - it is not to say that we can not (nor should not) make decisions quickly at times (for those times are called for) - rather, the mantra of ‘patient thought’ is one that I hope to embrace/live. It aligns with our mission and is one that I believe will serve us well, both individually and collectively.

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for District Community Notices.
Enjoy the week and take care.
Nat

Learning About Ourselves

10/29/2019

October 29, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the importance of reflection and learning more about ourselves, our topic/question for the dinner table is: What have you learned this year about yourself as a learner? Learning About Ourselves (Week of 10/27/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
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.

Welcoming our 7th graders and teachers back from their trip to Nature’s Classroom Friday afternoon was a great way to start the weekend. A special thanks to all of the chaperones for their willingness to support the experience: Emily Alland, Jon Haycock, Deb Manning, Nate Walkowicz, Juli Dalzell, Michael Gow, Judy Silva, Matt Millard, Kelly Campbell, Mark Nickerson, Lisa Matthews, Greg Keohan, Kara Farrell, Kevin Farrahar, Amy Cuomo, Tracy Allen, and Maura Batts. And, of course, a very special thanks to Judy Silva, Kelly Campbell, Tracy Allen, Aimie Keigan, and Tricia Williams for their thoughtful planning, care, and preparation for a safe and successful trip!

One commitment I made to myself a number of years ago (advice from one of my mentors, John D’Auria) was to set aside time each week to ‘name the learning and reflect on the personal implications of that learning’. This reflective practice has taken a variety of forms over the years and evolved - notes, e-mails to myself, journaling, Natworthy/blog, conversations, etc. (often it’s a combination or ‘all of the above’) - but it is something that I believe has allowed me to grow and learn. It has humbled me, encouraged me, sustained me, and grounded me in our work - again, often all at the same time.

This past week was full of learning, both from the day-to-day work at Blake but it was particularly uniquely full of professional development (both formal and informal)...

Attending a screening of the documentary, In Search of Greatness
- Speaks to much of what we discuss and explore as a learning community here at Blake (passion, creativity, play; fostering intrinsic motivation and interest; meaningful feedback; the role of teachers/coaches in learning)
- The concept of a ‘rage to master’ - within the film, that is a thematic element that is found in ‘greatness’
Attending MassCue's Fall 2019 Conference at Gillette
- Enjoying the opportunities to explore some recent trends with colleagues across the Commonwealth
- Learned about some tools for assistive technology, ideas for community-based learning for our students, and made some tangible connections for future collaboration with schools and districts
Attending DESE’s Leading With Access and Equity conference
- A series of workshops aimed at examining our current practices and gaining an increased awareness of how we can put innovative systems and practices in place to support all students
- One of the most meaningful conferences I have attended (both last year and this) - really pushing all educators (at every level) to look inward and outward at the ‘# 1 for Some’ reality we have in our schools/districts/state
- See some notes/highlights below

Through each of these experiences, coupled with the conversations/dialogue/reading that followed (and will continue to happen in the future), I learned more about myself, our learners, the practice of teaching, and others (for lack of a better term or more articulate phrasing). That is at the heart of our work and our mission for our students, ourselves, and our community - I hope that the sampling of responses from last week’s question, some ‘sharing out’ from the formal learning above, and the two highlighted posts will serve a similar purpose...

Some Notes/Ideas from Leading with Access and Equity Conference
Kimberly Parker (@TchKimPossible)

How do we do better at engaging kids?
- By reading about different cultures
‘I work with young people who hate reading’ - consistent across all ages
Every child, Every day…
You have to read to improve writing
‘All of our behaviors emerge from beliefs’ - Elena Aguilar
‘I can cite the research that informs my practice.’ - Cris Tovani (@ctovani)
‘The internal work matters...a lot’ - Tricia Ebarvia (@Triciaebarvia)
‘All that you touch you change. All that you change changes you.’ - Octavia Butler
Jason Reynolds - @JasonReynolds83
- ‘They don’t need you to save them, they need you to see them’
Know and articulate your non-negotiables

Katie Novak (@KatieNovakUDL)

‘Dinner Party Dilemma’ - analogy for learning/school
- How would you prepare a dinner for 30 people?
- What would you serve?
- One size fits all barriers
Kids are not broken - curriculum design is broken
The old system never worked...for all students
What do we have in place - what do we not have in place?

Jason Wheeler from Safe and Supportive Schools

Important to focus on what’s going well, why it’s going well, and how we can replicate ‘the good stuff’
All families are different
All students deserve a safe, supportive school environment free of bias-based behavior
All students are scanning for safety
What does respect look like here?

Topic/Question (Week of 10/20/19): What is going well so far for you in school this year?

I am enjoying getting to know my students and developing positive relationships with them.
I’m able to manage materials and find good storage areas. Students are doing a great job of returning materials
Choice Reading Time is re-motivating students to love the written word!
My son is loving 7th grade accelerated math
Our choice reading initiative is going well. It is great to see so many students enjoying a pleasure reading book on a daily basis!
Getting 3s in math and s s
making new friends
My grades!
What’s going well for me this year is adapting to change. Middle school (as I expected) was a big change. Going to all the different classes and much more responsibilities was something that took a while to get adjusted to, but overall was (and still is) a great learning experience.
I am getting good grades
Advisory is fun
I have amazing teachers that support me in my growth as a student at Blake. I am really liking middle school because we switch classes and get to be with lots of teachers that each have their own unique way of teaching.
I have done well in intro to engineering.
This year in school I am doing well in math
Collaboration among colleagues
New to the district and am becoming more familiar with different student management computer systems. Staff is welcoming and very helpful.

Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors
by Rudine Sims Bishop
Written in 1990, Bishop’s piece has become one of the most oft-referenced ‘truisms’ in education, specifically the efforts to diversify our curricula for all students. It gets at the heart and essence of our work (or what should be at heart and essence of our work). With 30 years having passed since its publication, we still have much work to do.
Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books.

When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part. Our classrooms need to be places where all the children from all the cultures that make up the salad bowl of American society can find their mirrors.

Those of us who are children's literature enthusiasts tend to be somewhat idealistic, believing that some book, some story, some poem can speak to each individual child, and that if we have the time and resources, we can find that book and help to change that child's life, if only for a brief time, and only for a tiny bit. On the other hand, we are realistic enough to know that literature, no matter how powerful, has its limits. It won't take the homeless off our streets; it won't feed the starving of the world; it won't stop people from attacking each other because of our racial differences; it won't stamp out the scourge of drugs. It could, however, help us to understand each other better by helping to change our attitudes towards difference. When there are enough books available that can act as both mirrors and windows for all our children, they will see that we can celebrate both our differences and our similarities, because together they are what make us all human.

The TLC Interviews: Elena Aguilar
Jim Knight’s interview with Elena Aguilar (@brightmorningtm)
This interview with Elena Aguilar delves into her work as a ‘coach’ and focuses on her beliefs about what are keys to impact others. Aguilar writes for Edutopia and her insight speaks to the process of change, influence, and emotional resilience - and, how courage plays a key role in all of this.
Emotional resilience is the ability not only to get through adversity and challenges, but to thrive in spite of them and perhaps to thrive as a result of the learning and the growth that we gain in challenging moments and experiences...in our dominant mindset about what it means to be professional, we don’t talk about emotions; we don’t even acknowledge that they exist.

The key concept is that we coach around behaviors, lesson planning, classroom management, use of assessment data, and building relationships with students. We also coach around beliefs because every behavior emerges from a belief. So unless we explore and surface those underlying beliefs, we may not get sustained change and it may not be transformational. The third area that we coach about is our way of being, which is most often communicated through our emotions and nonverbal communication.

I am focused on resilience for two reasons. First, we deserve joy, happiness, and tranquility, and we deserve meaningful connections with other human beings. Second, with the energy from joy, connection, contentment, and resilience, we can more effectively fulfill our purpose in life, which is to help other people cultivate their resilience and, in the case of educators, help our students get what they need in order to thrive in life. This includes literacy, numeracy and so on. So, our resilience allows us to fulfill our purpose to serve others.

As I get older, I’m becoming more and more aware of how much fear that there is in the world. It shows up in every coaching conversation, so I find that I am often working with teachers, leaders, or coaches on how to activate your courage to deal with fear. Where does your courage come from? How do you surface it? What are the seeds of courage within you? Courage is an emotion, essentially it’s a disposition, and we are not going to get anywhere if we don’t activate and strengthen it.

This week I am asking our staff to reflect upon our work this far in advisory and our next faculty meeting will be focused on continuing our efforts to calibrate our practices of feedback. Both of these are critical components of our school and serve as opportunities to reflect, articulate and affirm our beliefs, and establish some points of action - taking the ‘mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors’ approach for ourselves and one another. As we look to truly dive deeper into the challenging work of truly serving all of our students in a meaningful manner with a concerted focus on authentic access and equity, I am excited and inspired by the prospects and the path we are travelling together.

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for District Community Notices.
Enjoy the week and take care.
Nat

Naming the Positives

10/21/2019

October 22, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about our taking time to share successes, positives, and growth, our topic/question for the dinner table is: What is going well so far for you in school this year? Naming the Positives (Week of 10/20/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
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.

Although I never want to wish time away or say goodbye to the warmer days, I really do love this time of year - the gorgeous light, the crisp morning air, and the colors of the leaves. I did my best to take it all in this weekend - doing some gardening, going for bike rides, and finding a little time to read outside (all amidst chauffeuring the kids to their various activities!). Katie had her second to last yoga teacher training this weekend as well - we enjoyed having Sunday dinner together as we have felt like passing ships as of late!

Last Thursday night I had the privilege of hearing Eve L. Ewing (@eveewing) at Wellesley College. Ewing is an assistant professor in the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration and was this year’s chosen speaker for the Diane Silvers Ravitch lecture series at Wellesley College. Ravitch is a graduate of Wellesley and is a well-renowned professor and historian of education. Ewing is the author of Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings On Chicago's South Side and her lecture highlighted this work.

As we ‘marked’ the halfway point of Term 1 this past week and taking time with our students to reflect on their progress and learning, I was inspired and encouraged by the shared endeavor for learning during Ewing’s talk. The audience included students, community members, professors, social workers, and activists - all invested in learning and furthering an understanding of a pertinent topic. As I reflect upon our role as educators, that is in essence what we are trying to do every single day in our classes, meetings, and interactions. Nancy M.’s Why I Teach reflection spoke to this as well - sharing the importance of a community, caring for students, and opening doors.

These positive experiences are important for me to name (or write down - the process of journaling works for me), as I can easily shift to finding what is not working. I do not want to ignore what is not working, but I need to remind myself to ‘name the positives’. As such I am sharing some positives from the last week for me - a few notes from Ravitch and Ewing, a sampling of responses from last week’s topic/question, and a post by Carol Ann Tomlinson. They are positives as they represent and encompass a cross-section of voices who are invested in future-oriented, solutionary-minded, and reflective educational practice...

A few of my notes from Diane Ravitch’s words…

Education is political - it just is
We need to work towards a more nurturing society for our students
We need to fight for a system that fosters the best in all of our students

A few of my notes from Eve Ewing’s lecture…

We should always challenge the notion that academics should only speak to academics and narrow audiences
Institutional mourning - always something to be aware of...affective impact and the social and emotional impact of loss
If one does not own private property, then the institutions (schools, places of worship, neighborhoods, etc.) become one’s home
History and context always matter
What are education issues?....Everything is an education issue - it connects to everything
Think about this question - What can we all do to ‘get in to fit in’?
‘All of these kids are our kids’
Good news: If humans made these structures that are not working, then humans can undo them as well

Topic/Question (Week of 10/13/19): What inspires you to learn and improve? Why?

Once you realize it is more important in some ways to recognize how much more you can learn than to fall back on what you already know, then the inspiration to learn and improve comes naturally. I liked when Jamele Adams said last year that "Optimism is the belief that we have yet to be our best selves."
The potential for quality of life to endure or improve.
Teaching others inspires me because if they are learning, I want to too.
I see others that are doing impressive, stand alone or with others,work that inspires me to learn and improve. Growth does not happen until we observe others in helping all of us as a community of learners.
You have to learn to be successful in life
self-determination, personal accountability, inspiration, and intuition
My colleagues inspire me to learn new things and improve my teaching. I admire the passion of my colleagues and the constant interest in new teaching techniques and philosophies. They inspire me to try new things and get outside my comfort zone.
I am inspired to learn because of my teachers. They always encourage you to try your hardest
My friends and family, when they do something it inspires me and lets me want to do it. It’s nature.
I strive to better myself in order to set an example for my children.

One to Grow On / Being a Guiding Light Teens Need
by Carol Ann Tomlinson (@cat3y) in Educational Leadership
‘Adolescence is a sea of uncertainty, but teachers can help navigate it.’ - This first line of Tomlinson’s post summarizes the essence of the message, as she highlights the writings of Max Van Manem and the research from John Hattie. The post articulates the 5 elements adolescents need: They need teachers who embrace, invite, lead, trust, and embody.
So what do they need in school? The simple answer is, "Everything." Adolescents in school need help navigating a terrain littered with sinkholes and sharp-edged rocks. They need teachers who see teaching as much more inclusive and encompassing than just providing and measuring content.

Adolescents need adults in their lives who "embrace" them, who seek to know them, who have abiding respect for who they are and who they will become...In order to grow cognitively and academically, adolescents need what John Hattie (2012) calls an invitational learning environment—a place where they feel seen, known, appreciated, challenged, and supported...Adolescence should be a time for dreaming and giving shape to dreams. Excellent teachers don't cover content and prepare students for tests on which they will be asked to select "truth" from a brief set of snippets.

What adolescents need in school is teachers who not only care about them, but who care for them (Gay, 2018). They need teachers who enjoy their company, but who go well beyond that to ensure that they build foundations for strong, sturdy, contributing, and satisfying lives. That seems an appropriate mission for teachers who commit to teaching young people during the most complex, promising years of their lives.

An aspect from both the responses listed above and Tomlinson’s post that rings true for me is the idea that we all will learn and grow in a nurturing environment. The nurturing can come from a variety of sources. One source that should not be forgotten is from our own reflection and thoughts. It is important to take the time to recognize our own successes, our own thoughts, and our own ensuing hopes. The intentional reflective practice of ‘naming the positives’ can help to inspire us as learners to take the next step in the learning process.

Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for District Community Notices.
Enjoy the week and take care.
Nat

Finding and 'Using' Inspiration

10/14/2019

October 15, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about our individual and collective sources of inspiration and ‘drivers’ for learning, our topic/question for the dinner table is: What inspires you to learn and improve? Why? Finding and 'Using' Inspiration (Week of 10/13/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
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.

We have enjoyed a lovely few days, mixing in both time with friends/family along with some time to just relax around the house. The weekend started with a celebration for Katie’s father’s 80th birthday at his house in Boston, amongst friends spanning a long period of time. It was a real treat for me as one of Jim’s friends is Nancy Sizer, one of my true sources of inspiration as an educator (she and her husband co-authored The Students Are Watching Us), and it was wonderful to talk with her! Another highlight of the weekend was seeing The Head and the Heart in concert on Saturday night - such a great time. The extra day of the long weekend was certainly a welcome reality for us!

After ‘allowing’ myself to sleep in and going for a bike ride Saturday morning, I acted on the inspiration I was feeling from my chat with Nancy Sizer - reading up on Ted and Nancy’s work, reflecting upon my own practice as an educator, and truly ‘diving in’ to the elements of our work at Blake. Despite the feeling of being tired from a late night out, I was so energized and motivated to learn and act upon the learning. I’m not sure if there is any other way to describe the feeling besides one of real excitement and inspiration. Webster’s defines inspire as ‘to breathe life into, to infuse, to influence’ and that was certainly real (and still is, for that matter!). No one told me to read, an assignment was not given to me, and deadlines were not in place. A spark had been lit and I was motivated to understand, learn, and grow.

This ‘phenomena’ is at the heart of our work as educators. Although it may sound trite or too ‘pie in the sky’ for some, but our goal is simple - to help students learn and grow. As Sizer notes in the quote above, the ‘conditions’ are critical for this to take place - and this is why we must stay in a constant space of reflection and self-examination for ourselves, our students, our community, and ‘our conditions’. Continually encouraging the cycle of beliefs, practices, and action to intermingle and weave will push us towards our shared 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 real key is the willingness to act (the ‘willingness to adapt’, if you will) upon our inspiration - otherwise, we will remain ‘in the sky’ and in ‘the land of theory’.

From this very reflective place, I hope that the sampling of responses from last week’s question along with three posts that inspired me will do the same for you as well - maybe not necessarily impacting you in the same way, but at the very least prompting some reflection and questions to percolate. I believe that is at the heart of our work - I welcome your reactions and thoughts...

Topic/Question (Week of 10/6/19): Share something you have learned about yourself as a learner this year.

I have learned that I can make time for pleasure reading each day with some minor adjustments to my schedule and planning.
Small epiphanies deserve attention; they are highly valuable.
I have learned that working in groups a lot harder for me and working independently is a lot easier.
I can learn things, and solve things really fast (mostly math), and I didn’t know that about myself.
I have learned that learning can happen in the most unusual places.
I’m a good listener.
I do best when the teacher is teaching right in front of the class and telling use in advance when a test is.
I learn better in a quiet environment

Why Is Middle School So Hard for So Many People?
by Alia Wong in (@aliaemily) in The Atlantic
Wong’s post is an excellent read for educators, parents, and policy makers - provides a brief history of the structure and introduction of the middle school model, highlights the needs of ‘the age’, and outlines a sense of optimism. The essence of this article inspires me to be a better educator for our students and is affirming on many levels.
Middle school. The very memory of it prompts disgust. Here’s a thing no one’s thinking: Geez, I wish I still looked the way I did when I was 12. Middle school is the worst. Tweenhood, which starts around age 9, is horrifying for a few reasons. For one, the body morphs in weird and scary ways. Certain parts expand faster than others, sometimes so fast that they cause literal growing pains; hair grows in awkward locations, often accompanied by awkward smells. And many kids face new schools and a new set of rules for how to act, both socially and academically. But middle school doesn’t have to be like this. It could be okay. It could be good, even. After all, middle schoolers are “kind of the best people on Earth,” says Mayra Cruz, the principal of Oyster-Adams Bilingual School, a public middle school in Washington, D.C.

it doesn’t help that adults often dismiss middle school as the nightmare they remember it to be. “They tend to fear this precarious age range,” Cruz, the D.C. principal, says. “[Adults] misunderstand those years” as a chapter that these days is defined by sexting and narcissism, poor critical thinking, and civic apathy. “Adults want to control,” Cruz says. And that may be why grown-ups struggle to adequately serve middle schoolers, whom she describes as “consistently inconsistent.” Yet Cruz is optimistic that middle school could be great.

The middle-school movement has experienced somewhat of a resurgence in recent years. For these efforts to be successful, adults will have to embrace the messiness that is middle school. Tweenhood is torturous, and tending to those in the midst of it can be excruciating and embarrassing: Tweens will make lots of mistakes, and they’ll learn from them, and still make more mistakes after that. Yet those mistakes—and the growth that follows—are precisely what give middle school its meaning.

Students in high-achieving schools are now named an ‘at-risk’ group, study says
by Jennifer Breheny Wallace in The Washington Post
Wallace’s host is an important and pertinent read. Within this article, Wallace references current research, the work of Challenge Success, and much of what we talk about at Blake, in Medfield, and in the MetroWest area. The 'at-risk' categorization is very real and it is something we can not ignore. This information must serve as an action-driven source of inspiration - pushing us to ask questions, adapt our practices, and establish structures that support our students. I do not believe we have a choice.
A consensus study report on advancing health equity among American children published this summer by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine added youths in “high achieving schools” to their list of “at-risk” groups, along with kids living in poverty and foster care, recent immigrants and those with incarcerated parents...It may sound counterintuitive, even perverse, to put relatively affluent kids in the same category as our country’s most vulnerable youths. While the stressors are markedly different, researchers are finding that both are “at risk” for elevated levels of chronic stress that can affect health and well-being.

When a child’s sense of self-worth is dependent on what they achieve, it can lead to anxiety and depression. Anxiety can come from worrying about keeping up with or outshining peers, while depression can be caused by a failure to achieve.

Adolescents who believed that both of their parents valued character traits as much as or more than achievement exhibited better outcomes at school, greater mental health and less rule-breaking behavior than peers who believed their parents were primarily achievement-minded, the researchers found. Those who fared the worst reported their mothers placed a higher value on achievement than character, and were also critical.

Playtime, down time and family time all buffer against stress and pressure, and parents must protect that time, even when it goes against popular norms.

The Feels of Learning Something New
by Mandy Froehlich (@froehlichm)
I have always been a fan of Mandy Froehlich’s posts and this one about the feelings of learning something new really resonated with me. As a big proponent of self-reflection, making change, and challenging the ‘status quo,’ I am continually reminded of the importance of ‘practicing what I preach’. Orla highlighted this post for me, specifically the graphic within (copied below). The awareness and experience of learning something new (or many new things) is one of the true sources of inspiration and satisfaction in our vocation.
I have always believed that the only differences between people who learn technology easily and the ones who don’t are A) they are willing to push buttons knowing it won’t break and B) they rely on what they already know to get started.

If I claim to be a lifelong learner, I better be one. If I want to model growing in an area that I’m unfamiliar with, I better be willing to take risks. That feeling – the one of shock and nervousness and doubtfulness that I would be able to learn something – will not be forgotten anytime soon. I believe these kinds of experiences, when we notice them and do our due diligence to reflect, is what keeps us grounded and connected with others in our field. It generates empathy. It guides us and helps remind us how we want to treat others and provide a supportive environment so we don’t need to go to school feeling bad about ourselves because we just don’t know.

We have such a privilege to work every day in a community of learners - and, I believe that privilege comes with an immense responsibility to support our students in their growth. I hope that we can inspire (‘breathe life into, influence, and influence’) our students in a positive manner with the goal of allowing the necessary space for their own sources of inspiration to develop. The practices of reflection, mirroring, and listening are critical. In keeping with the ‘Sizer theme’, Ted’s words below help me to both acknowledge the day-to-day essence of our work while also keeping the global sense of growth in mind. They are sources of inspiration, for sure...

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for District Community Notices.
Enjoy the week and take care.
Nat

Gaining Understandings

10/8/2019

October 8, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the practice of self-reflection to gain a better understanding of ourselves as learners, our topic/question for the dinner table is: Share something you have learned about yourself as a learner this year. Gaining Understandings (Week of 10/6/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
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.

With the pages of the calendar turning to October this past week, it was hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that we have only been in school for a month! I love this time of year with the cool, crisp air and I am looking forward to this stretch. This weekend has been full and fun - seeing the Avett Brothers and Lake Street Dive with Katie at the DCU center on Friday and celebrating my mother’s 78th birthday with family on Saturday, all amidst sports games for the kids. I feel as though I could use a weekend from the weekend!

This past week was one that I felt a dynamic of the ‘push and pull’ of school and our roles as educators. (There are many ‘push and pull’ dynamics in our day-to-day work, but this one felt strong for some reason.) It seemed like at every turn, I was vacillating between a particular ‘situation’ in the moment and the ‘40,000 foot implication’ of how we address that particular ‘situation’. I know that this is true all the time - each decision has a ripple and is indicative of a ‘larger picture’, but for whatever reason, that awareness was very present in my mind a great deal…

At our faculty meeting discussing the principles of MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support), with the intent of examining our practices to better support all learners
Meeting with the Challenge Success team as a status check, mapping out some plans for the year
Participating on the Future Ready Coalition team for Holliston High School, as the community works on their ‘portrait/vision’ of a graduate
Reviewing the results from the 2019 MCAS and thinking about interventions and systems of support
Checking in with our Advisory committee on the progress of the year
Meeting with a student who will be interning us for the next few months
Drafting grant requests for Blake PTO, SEPAC, and MCPE

As with everyone the list of activities, lessons, and meetings that we are all a part of could go on and on - and, no list is more important than any other, necessarily. But what struck me was this heightened awareness during the interactions noted above was not only my own vacillation from the moment to the implications, but also the necessity to vacillate between the two. And, with this awareness came a realization (one I have had before, but is certainly cycling back now), that that is simply the nature of our work…

Addressing individual needs in the moment, but never losing sight of the big picture
Putting systems in place at every level (individual student interactions, meetings, classroom lessons, master schedule, systems of support, administrative structure) to align with our mission and vision
Continually asking questions and listening
Acknowledging and listening to challenges and frustrations, but taking and embracing a ‘solutionary’ approach
Highlighting successes and looking into the roots and paths that led to these successes

All of these things are not new, I know - yet, the practice of noticing has certainly helped me to move forward. In this practice of reflection I continue to learn more about myself as a learner - and, that is what I hope we can do for our students and one another. I hope we increase our own collective ‘understandings’ - of ourselves, our students, our community, and the implications that inevitably will result. The responses from last week’s question and two posts also touch on these ideas - asking questions that prompt reflection and putting some thoughts to paper, gaining strategies, examining implications for our work and sharing out - I hope they help to foster inner and collaborative dialogue...

Topic/Question (Week of 9/29/19): How does collaboration help you learn?

I highly recommend the book Range by David Epstein. In it he cites numerous examples of how collaboration, especially among groups with diverse backgrounds and interests often produce deeper and more meaningful conclusions than a single minded approach. When you are accepting of others ideas and see how those ideas can deepen your own understanding, good things are bound to happen.
Collaboration challenges me to see how my practice differs from others.
Seeing other’s ideas and how I contrast with their ideas, and the same ideas we have.
Collaboration helps people share ideas and builds communication skills
Collaboration helps me learn because its more than one perspective on the same piece of work
As a teacher, I need to be mindful of different students' learning styles. When collaborating with other teachers, I often learn of different ways to present material, approaches that had not occurred to me.
I learn more when I lean on others a little. I'm very stubborn but I really try and ask for help or look at things through another person and their way of looking at solutions to problems and life in general
You can flourish your ideas with all the people that you’re working with, and have a great project, presentation, paper, etc...
Other people can help you learn
You can bounce ideas off other people that will help you come to a conclusion on a certain topic.

Mindfulness at Work: A Little Bit Goes a Long Way
Interview with Lindsay Cameron in Knowledge@Wharton
This interview highlights the work of Wharton management professor Lindsey Cameron on mindfulness. Her research has shown that incorporating a little bit of mindfulness each day makes employees more productive and helpful.
First, from the higher-level picture, we did find that mindfulness made people more helpful at work...in terms of mechanisms, we found that perspective-taking — being able to look at someone else’s perspective — was one of the reasons that mindfulness helped people become more effective. Empathy — the ability to feel what other people are feeling — also made people more helpful at work.

The key takeaways are that mindfulness works, and that you don’t have to invest in an intensive eight-week intervention to be able to get the benefits from that because we all know that workplace life is deeply relational. You’re with co-workers. You’re with supervisors. We spend more time at work than we actually do with our family, and sometimes there can be frictions. People are working in teams, so mindfulness can act like a buffer to improve relational coordination and functioning. And we’re showing this with really short doses of mindfulness — seven to eight minutes. Even with a one-time intervention, you’re getting smoother, pleasant, more helpful workers. That’s one of the key benefits.

...what we found in this study is that there are no differences between the two different types of mindfulness, that they both led to people being more helpful at work. That lets workers have more choice to try a practice that resonates with them more clearly or more strongly. And you’re still going to have the benefits from the practice.

The Real World Is Not an Exam
by Abigail Zuger in The New York Times
This post from 2014 offers an interesting perspective about the value of standardized tests in preparation for the work force, specifically in the medical field. Zuger challenges some ‘status quo’ notions, offering a perspective that applies to our work with students.
...test-taking savvy may have little to do with job performance. Medical educators have been contemplating this possibility for years. But the problem particular to medicine may be the sheer volume of these tests, and the standard hysterical preparation they engender, which constitute a form of training in itself. Educators may not actually teach to the test, but students think to the test, in linear multiple choice.

Some medical educators have tried to bend the linear algorithms of the multiple-choice experience to the nuances of the actual clinical world. One set, from the Mayo Clinic, specifically set out to teach against the test. Instead of the usual call-and-response questions, the educators took their students through complicated, contradictory cases for which there were no clear “best” strategies, but many reasonably acceptable ones.

The ‘push and pull’ realities of our work are not unique to our vocation, but I do believe that the practice of naming and recognizing them are important. The discussions, self-reflection, and sharing out of our own learnings can serve as mechanisms to enhance the learning for our students. And, in so doing, the metacognition of our own practice may then serve as a lever to further the metacognition of our students.

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for District Community Notices.
Enjoy the week and take care.
Nat

Leaning On Others

9/30/2019

October 1, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about collaboration and the importance of leaning on others, our topic/question for the dinner table is: How does collaboration help you learn? Leaning On Others (Week of 9/29/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
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.

I felt lucky last Friday to start the weekend with a nice bike ride along the rail trail in Holliston - it felt great to be outside, clear my head, and take time to reflect upon the past week. I have done my best to embrace the district’s guidelines for homework for myself (not always an easy task), and the bike ride was a nice way to frame some thoughts with the hopes of putting them aside for a few days. I’m hoping I can try and carry this practice forward!

At our faculty meeting this week, we will be taking some time with Christine and Mary Bruhl to focus on the principles of MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support), with the intent of examining our practices to better support all learners. I look forward to our times together as a staff when we can ‘put our heads together’, introduce ideas, and discuss potential implications for our work with some ‘next steps’ - in essence, the heart and actualization of collaboration. We have discussed as a staff the role that our theme of courage for this year plays in the learning process, and one way is to truly allow oneself to be vulnerable to allow for help and the ideas of ‘leaning on others’. Collective thought and sharing can assist (not the only way, by any means) the learning and I hope that the collegial nature, culture, and structure of our learning community will help the learning to evolve. The ‘sharing out’ of some responses from last week’s Topic/Question, coupled with the posts below, will hopefully help to spark some intentional dialogue about how we can ‘lean on others’ (students, staff, and families) to grow and reflect in a measured system...

Topic/Question (Week of 9/22/19): What problem(s) do you want to solve? What do you need to learn to help solve this problem? Be specific.

I want to solve the problem of climate change and the human impact on our environment. I need to learn the most effective ways to advocate and become involved in this cause.
I want to solve the struggle between pleasure reading and academic reading. Striking a balance is an ongoing area rich in development!
I want to learn why so many teens and adults feel the need to self-medicate (with both legal and illegal substances). What is missing in their lives that makes them constantly crave altering their consciousness?
I want climate change to be solved. I don’t know what I can do to help this.
I want to become a better artist
World peace. Communication skills.

How Collaboration Unlocks Learning and Lessens Student Isolation
by Jo Boaler in MindShift
In this post Jo Boaler espouses the important role that collaboration plays in learning - providing opportunities to connect ideas, foster equity, and simply open up more pathways.
...when we connect with other people’s ideas there are multiple benefits for our brains and for our lives.

The fact that it took work to teach students how to collaborate with each other after they had spent thirteen years in school speaks to the problems in our school system, where the common pattern is that teachers lecture and students work through problems alone. The team leading the work‐ shops was right to point out that success in college requires working with others and making good connections. Many people know this, but they still see no role for collaboration in learning.

Part of the reason students give up on learning is because they find it difficult and think they are alone in their struggle. An important change takes place when students work together and discover that everybody finds some or all of the work difficult. This is a critical moment for students, and one that helps them know that for everyone learning is a process and that obstacles are common.

Collaboration is vital for learning, for college success, for brain development, and for creating equitable outcomes. Beyond all of this, it is beneficial to establish interpersonal connections, especially in times of conflict and need.

Jay has studied resilience over many years and points out that people who survive hardship often do better, but not through “bouncing back,” as some think, because the recovery process takes time and is more of a battle than a bounce. She also points out those who ultimately benefit from hardship, becoming stronger and resilient, do so when they maintain self‐belief, when they “own the fighter within,” and when they connect with other people. The thing that people who overcome hardship and do not become defeated by it have in common is that in times of need they all reached out to someone—a friend, a family member, or a colleague—and those connections helped them survive and develop strength.

Inviting Mr. Rogers into Your SEL Classroom
by Cheryl Mizerny in MiddleWeb
This post draws on Mizerny’s ‘channeling’ of the principles of Fred Rogers, offering suggestions for how to operationalize them in the classroom: Modeling, Setting the Tone, Learning Their Names Quickly (and pronounce them correctly), Being Polite, Getting to Know Them, Helping Them Bond, Minimizing Competition, Celebrating Everyone, Communicating with Them, and Being Seen and Valued.
In the 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation,” Abraham Maslow outlined his Hierarchy of Needs and many educators continue to be familiar with the concept. Maslow believed humans could not be motivated to function at the highest levels until their needs at the previous levels were met. In the classroom, teachers are tasked with helping students reach the highest level by making sure their physiological, safety, and “belonging-ness” requirements are satisfied. Fred Rogers tackled these topics in every show.

Another Fred Rogers quote from the Education World interview makes me feel like I’m on the right track… “When children learn more about one another, and when they know their teachers recognize and celebrate their differences, they are more likely to feel a sense of community in the classroom. Teachers foster mutual respect when they provide activities that encourage conversation, sharing, and interaction.”

It is, and will continue to be, important that we intentionally foster experiences and structures for learning that allow students to practice collaborating with one another. It is truly one of the key learning skills and our systems of feedback will hopefully continue to be refined so that this skill is developed. The same is true for us, as educators and caring adults, in this community. It is important that we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, so that we may find the courage to recognize the benefits of help from and for others as we grow and learn.

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for District Community Notices.
Enjoy the week and take care.
Nat

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Benefits of a Community

Naming and Sharing Our Gratitude

Making Adjustments for Learning

Taking a Break

Naming the Evidence

Learning About Ourselves

Naming the Positives

Finding and 'Using' Inspiration

Gaining Understandings

Leaning On Others

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