Dear Blake Families:
Hopefully everyone enjoyed a nice weekend. After a low-key Friday evening and a day full of soccer and watching Red Sox on Saturday, we had a birthday-filled Sunday afternoon and evening. My brother's family and my parents came over to our house after the Patriots game to celebrate my mom's birthday - with the full agenda of a week awaiting, it was a nice way to unplug and have some family time as we ended the weekend.
A real highlight of this past week was seeing current Medfield High and former Blake students participate in Part 2 of our CyberSafety workshops with Dale and Blake parents. The students who participated on the panel were David Baler, Colleen Beggan, Madison Darmofal, Andy Letai, Cami McCurdy, Andrea Nevins, and Cal Newlon. Their maturity, presence, and honesty gave us a sense of pride in the community that we are trying to establish. I hope we can continue to find more ways to engage these students, as resources for both parents and students - as shown Tuesday evening, they have a lot to offer. Driving home that evening and processing the presentation over the last few days reminded me that we should never stop thinking about what it is that we want for our students and children, both short term and long run, and in turn what can and should be expected of educators. These are age-old questions and there are certainly many varying opinions of effective educators. In this vein I am highlighting an article from last week's Wall Street Journal, Why Tough Teachers Get Good Results, by Joanne Lipman that you may find of interest. In my mind, the characteristics outlined are not ones that I fully agree with, but some resonate on a deep level with my beliefs - Failure is an option, Creativity can be learned, and Grit trumps talent. Staying curious and creative as teachers is critical and falls right in line with our collective theme of creativity. I have shared this post before, but I think it is a good starting point and reminder of ways we can establish that culture with our students: 30 Things You Can Do to Promote Creativity in Your Classroom.
The challenges that await educators each day and lie ahead as well are continually changing and expanding. In order to stay current and supported, I truly believe that connecting with one another is essential. Connecting with each other here at Blake and our nuclear community of Medfield is key, but I know it is equally important to connect beyond these environs. October is Connected Educator month, and I hope that we can continue to find resources for our community to learn, teach, and grow. Tom Whitby, an educator and avid blogger, espouses this approach in his post Do We Really Need to Have Connected Educators? so that we stay relevant for our students: "In a technology-driven society, things change at a faster rate than ever before in history. Educators who are connected use that technology to maintain relevance in the fast-paced, changing world of education. Being connected is not an add-on or a luxury for educators; it has become a necessity. We must have digitally literate educators, if we want digitally literate students. We need relevant educators in order to provide relevant teaching. We need connected educators, if we are to expect them to be life long learners and to model that for our children. Yes, we really need to have connected educators."
In order for us to embrace these connections and gain insight, we all must start with a willingness to be open to questions for ourselves and others. I have posted an article by Jill Berkowicz and Ann Myers from Education Week, entitled Begin the Day With a New Question. Noting the multitude of agendas and influences on education that currently exist, Berkowicz and Myers highlight the strong influence of real conversations and the idea of 'conversational leadership, referencing David Whyte's work. The key question from this perspective that leaders and teachers must ask is, 'What courageous conversations are we not having?' - "...a powerful question to ask ourselves every day. Whether with faculty, staff, students, supervisors, uncovering what is keeping fearfulness alive and community from being created and reinforced can be shifted through these conversations." My hope is to do this with all of you - push and encourage our entire community of teachers, administrators, students, and parents to think, reflect, and discuss. Please do the same for me. Outside factors and influences will always come into play, but our response and control lies within the manner in which we communicate with one another: "No matter what happens, we do have control over ourselves. We can, as individuals, bring a new energy into our buildings by employing the art of conversation. We cannot ignore the situation that lies before us. Nor can we ignore how our faculties are feeling. We can only change how we interact. Conversations, accompanied with honest intention and good listening can make a difference. Conversational leadership can change the culture and climate in our schools. Whyte says 'engaging in conversational leadership is to 'invite what you do not expect', bringing you to the frontier of what is emerging in your organization and asking you to turn into it, rather than away from it."
Our day-to-day responsibilities are important, as are the worthy initiatives for which we are involved. In addition, we must stay current with mandates and standards must also be met. These are all influences that can evoke feelings of being overwhelmed, but I know that the reflections we welcome and conversations we have with one another can only help guide us towards effective outcomes. With our new supervision/evaluation system for educators hopefully rooted and practiced in a culture of reflection, I hope that we will be able to do this with one another both now and in the coming months and years. I know it is not easy, but I encourage everyone to think about this question - 'What courageous conversations are we not having? - each and every day and to connect with each other to seek the answers. For that is what I hope for myself and for all of you - desire to be connected, connect with one another, and stay connected. Let's turn into these conversations together.
Please click here for Important Dates and Announcements.
Please click here for Thursday Packet Information.
Take care.
Nat Vaughn