Dear Blake Families:
I hope that everyone found some downtime this past weekend after another busy week at Blake. The weekend for the Vaughns was a good one - dinner out with the boys on Friday evening, Owen's soccer game on Saturday morning, watching the Kentucky Derby, and a Saturday night out for High School Musical at Blake. I was so impressed by the work of our students on Saturday evening - what courage and presence! I also want to commend all of the students who worked tirelessly backstage 'behind the scenes' to help make the performance a success. Thank you to Joan and Tracy for their leadership in making the production come to fruition, and also to Annie, Kathleen, Eileen, Kelly D., and Kayla for all of the help with the sets, choreography, and acting - it was wonderful. In addition, a final thank you to our custodial crew for their patience and support, and to those of you who helped chaperone and monitor the students during the performances. Once again, I am honored to be a part of this community.
This past Thursday evening, the Blake staff held a retirement party to honor our retirees, and as I shared with the staff that evening, I have been continuing to think about the ways that we thank and recognize each other for the good work that is taking place on a daily basis at Blake. The party was a great night, and it was affirming and centering to hear the multitude of ways that we, as a community, were able to appropriately and thoughtfully recognize the distinct and special individuals who will be moving on to the next phase in their lives. Our retirement parties are typically closer to the end of the school year, and due to the pace and inherent craziness that takes place at that time, we do not always have time to reflect and connect after the party. What I realized through many conversations I had on Friday was that an unintended benefit of our earlier date was that the recognition of our honorees could continue - the dialogue, memories, and thanks can now 'settle in' and stay. In essence, a real 'take-away' for me is how important it is for all of us to take time in the moment to slow down, talk, and simply thank one another for help, guidance, inspiration, and words of encouragement. With it being Teacher Appreciation Week this week, I hope I will be able to take my own advice and convey my own sense of gratitude and respect that I have to our staff members. The quotations I shared on Thursday evening are ones that truly do resonate in this regard:
In teaching you can not see the fruit of a day's work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years.
-- Jacques Barzum
A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.
-- Henry Brooks Adams
The effort and importance of recognizing one another directly relates to the work with our students. The conversations and discussions we have had as a staff this year regarding the ways in which we recognize and honor student achievement here at Blake are critical, as they are a reflection of the values we hold and want to instill in our students. For your interest, I have attached an article from American Educator entitled 'How Praise Can Motivate - Or Stifle' by Daniel Willingham, a Professor of Cognitive Psychology at the University of Virginia. The article is from 2005/2006, but I believe that the topic is still timely and the points made from his research are thought-provoking and worthy of discussion. Willingham presents research on the topic of praise, and in the end, states that praise should be kept 'in perspective': "Praise can take so many forms that its effects are inevitably complex. Still, some useful generalizations can be made. Praise should be sincere, meaning that the child has done something praiseworthy. The content of the praise should express congratulations (rather than express a wish of something else the child should do). The target of the praise should be not an attribute of the child, but rather an attribute of the child's behavior. Parents and teachers are familiar with the admonition 'criticize the behavior, not the child'. For similar reasons, the same applies to praise - praising the child carries the message that the attribute is fixed and immutable. Praising the process the child used encourages the child to consider praiseworthy behaviors as under his or her control." I hope you will be able to find some time, within your busy days and week, to read the article - it certainly helped me to reflect as an educator, administrator, friend, and parent.
This week we will be taking some dedicated time at Site Council and in a parent forum to discuss this very topic of student recognition, achievement, and praise - information is detailed in the 'Important Dates and Announcements' tab of this blog. I look forward to these discussions and welcome your thoughts. On a separate note, I have attached a separate article from this week's Wall Street Journal, entitled 'Tweens' Secret Lives Online'. As educators and parents, I think it is always important to stay current and informed regarding the activities and interests of our students.
Please click here for Important Dates and Announcements.
Best wishes for a great week.
Take care.
Nat Vaughn