List of Exemplary Blogs

I believe blogging is here to stay. Heads of school would be well advised to get into the world of blogging to parents and the rest of the world.

Claudia Daggett, Executive Director for the Elementary School Heads Association (ESHA) — "a non-profit organization established to promote a sense of identity among heads of independent elementary schools" — has compiled a set of slides with links to Exemplary Blogs. See what you think.

I distinctly remember in the mid-80s when the VHS video was introduced to take the place of a school admissions view book, but I guess I don't remember when the WWW took the place of the VHS video. It's all a blur.

Also, I just read in Sir Ken Robinson's book Out of Our Minds where he describes when the television was introduced at the 1939 Worlds Fair. Skeptics said no way that it would take over the radio.

How do You Define Success?

Be sure to read "How Do You Define Success?" in the latest issue of Independent School magazine. It gives a practical take on the work of Dr. Carol Dweck. Here is one excerpt from the article:

"Students scored better academically than other students when they:

• participated in more extracurricular activities;
• were viewed by advisors and deans as socially and emotionally competent;
• took more rigorous courses; and
• felt well known by at least one adult."

Meet Tatiana and Krista

As I approached the bagel shop on my way to buying the Sunday paper and procuring requisite breakfast croissant and muffin, I saw and heard a set of one-year old twins fussing in their stroller right outside the shop. I surmised the parent was inside. As I got closer, I made eye contact, they settled, and their mother came out of the shop and positioned the stroller so the boys could see inside. I obliged the twins, held the door opened, and continued my conversation with our eyes. Mom completed her purchase, said thank you, and exited the store.

Little did I know that I would soon meet Tatiana and Krista Hogan another set of twins when I got home and began reading the NYTimes Magazine. These beautiful four-year old twins are conjoined. Read the article "A Mind of Their Own" and watch the video to see their remarkable lives and learn about how their brain works.

World Peace

Recently, my son introduced me to long-time Virginia teacher John Hunter who founded the "World Peace Game" an extraordinary 3D board game that can be played by students from fourth grade through adults. My son, John, and I talked for nearly two hours about his 34-year career in education and future plans for the Game. Click over to his website to view the trailer to his award wining movie "World Peace and Other 4th-Grade Achievements."

Better yet, click on his TED Talk right here. John is clearly a very special educator and person.

Moon Over Manifest

Having finished Clare Vanderpool's 2011 Newbery Medal book, Moon Over Manifest, I want to recommend it to you. The story takes place in Manifest, Kansas over one summer in 1936 but spans a generation of from 1918 through 1936. The intricately woven story takes in all of the characters in 12-year old Abilene Tucker's world.

The Ultimate Forgive

Stop and think about what is the most one person could forgive another person for in life. This StoryCorps story has to be right at the top of the list of one person forgiving another.
Listen to this beautifully touching, 3-minute story about Mary Johnson and Oshea Israel, and pay particular attention to the last five words spoken.

Helpers and Hinderers

You'll be fascinated by this video. Here is the introduction given

"Kiley Hamlin, Karen Wynn, and Paul Bloom of Yale University have found that infants as young as six months of age can tell the difference between who is helpful and who is not. Children get so much information from others and they learn which information to trust, and which not to trust. For more information, visit Families and Work Institute."

Peace Starts at Home

"One of the most challenging relationships is that between a mother and stepmother," says Ellen Gottlieb, organizer of the Peace Starts at Home Peace Summit, an event dedicated to bringing mothers and stepmothers together. "Children of divorced parents need a peaceful, stable and healthy environment in which to thrive. We are making that possible where it wasn't before." Ms. Gottlieb added.

If you live in the New York City area, please join the panelists and me.

The Peace Summit will be held

this Wednesday, May 18^th

7:00 to 9:00 p.m

at PS 29 in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn

Faculty & Staff Summer Reading

Each year, I look forward to a book or two that is suggested/recommended/assigned (take your pick, depending on individual school cultures) to read over the summer months. Here are the books from which our faculty and staff will choose to read:

[Clicking on "Google Books" will take you to Google Books, where you can read summaries, excerpts, and reviews of the books. Clicking on "More info" will take you to a site for more info.]


Mind in the Making - Ellen Galinsky (Google Books / More info)
Ignite Student Learning - Judy Willis (Google Books / More info)
The Element - Sir Ken Robinson (Google Books / More info)
The Brain That Changes Itself - Norman Doidge (Google Books / More info)

A Voice in Technology

I admit that I am a TED Talk junkie. So many good stories come across these 18-minute clips. When I saw film critic Roger Ebert's TED Talk that was presented in March, I was touched by his message. Also, John Hunter took part in the presentation. I had coffee with John in Charlottesville, VA recently, and his own TED Talk will be posted soon. For now, watch this very impressive Talk and hear Ebert's voice in technology.

Technology in Schools Update

"What Do Kids Say is the Biggest Obstacle to Technology at School?" is an excellent piece and cites the "Speak Up 2010" survey. Above is a chart from the survey and here is a quote from the survey:

"iPads. Interactive Whiteboards. Netbooks. Video games. Although educational technologies are being implemented more and more in classrooms across the country, we don't often stop and ask students - or their parents - what they think their technology needs are. But the newly-released Speak Up 2010 survey has done just that. The project surveyed almost 300,000 students (along with 43,000 parents, 35,000 teachers, 2000 librarians and 3500 administrators) from over 6500 private and public schools last fall about how they're using - and how they want to be using - technology for learning. The results are pretty fascinating, as they show great adoption of technology among even very young students, but lingering resistance on the part of school administrators to sanction some of those tools into the classroom."

JoAnn Deak Knows the Brain

I just returned from hearing JoAnn Deak speak about the brain. Funny, thoughtful, and very bright, she provided so much good information about differences in girls and boys. Brain-based research continues to find its way into the world of education and the study of child development, and it is all so helpful.


By the way, JoAnn's book You're Fantastic Elastic Brain has won two awards: the Mom's Choice Award and the Nautilus Award.


Make sure you listen to her the next time you see her name listed in a conference program, or better yet, get her to speak at your school.

More Bridge for Kids?

My earlier post on Louis Sacher's (Holes) latest, delightful book The Cardturner, a Novel About a King, a Queen, and a Joker got some cred in yesterday's NYTimes article by Winnie Hu. "For Students Raised on iPods, Lessons in Bridge" suggests that the post WWII popular game is making a bid for younger followers.

We're Never Through Learning

I was at a meeting of graduate students where three of my interns were presenting their end-of-year projects to their cohort. After the first intern presented her project, I had the opportunity to give comment and speak about being life-long learners. So, whether we are a teacher, or a graduate student, or a parent, or a head of school, we are life-long learners, and it is particularly important as we become adults because we are modeling for our students.

I sat down and the person in front of me, without turning around, handed me a torn piece of paper with a brief quote inscribed (the image above is a scan of that piece of paper). It really says it all!

Seven Ways to Love a Child

I came across "Seven Ways to Love a Child" by Jennifer Rogers. She opens this beautiful piece with

"A tired working mother stood in the classroom doorway, ready to depart with her two sons. Separated in age by two years, the boys were as different in appearance as they were in temperament, but they were great kids. They enjoyed math and reading, laughed hard and punched hard. They loved learning, loved life, loved each other. Mom’s secret: “There are many ways to love a child,” she said. “I keep it simple. I have expectations. I accept mistakes. And I celebrate the process.”

Click on the article title above to read the seven ways. You'll love them.

What Do Teachers Make?

In dinner conversation last night, one of the guests made a reference to Taylor Mali's 1999 poem "What Teachers Make." It caused me to view it again. If you have never heard it, you'll see that his passionate delivery is half the message. Here, see what you think . . .

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain

JoAnn Deak's book Your Fantastic Elastic Brain is a powerful book to share with young and old alike. Here is a short video to give you a peek inside a brain's power.

Young Adult or Adult?

Our school librarian and I were discussing bestselling author John Green, and she enticed me to read one of his books. She went to the shelves, handed me Paper Towns, said that this was one of his most notable, and that I would enjoy it. Well, it was a good read and reminded me of what it was like to be a senior in high school all over again—funny, emotional, and sometimes lonely. The book's sophistication caused me to ask, "Young adult or adult reading?" Check out this review page.

Like Falling Off a Cliff

     Keep an eye out for 40 research videos on child development coming from Ellen Galinsky's Mind in the Making website.  I viewed 8 at the American Montessori Society Annual Conference the end of March.  Watching them is like eating potato chips: once you start, you can't stop.  See what I mean when you watch this Joseph Campos video.

Good Night [Moon] New York City

     

     

      One of my family's all-time favorite books is Margaret Wise Brown's Good Night Moon.  So, you can imagine my attraction to a book my wife recently purchased for our grand daughter.  Good Night New York City describes the City much like Brown describes the "great green room" in Good Night Moon.

Ellen Galinsky Interview

     I had the good fortune to sit with author Ellen Galinsky at the American Montessori Society (AMS) Annual Conference in Chicago last week where she was a keynote speaker to over 3,000 educators. Right after she spoke, I interviewed Ellen for a future article in Montessori Life, the quarterly magazine for AMS.  
     Bright, delightful, and thoughtful, Ellen and I spent much of our time talking about her work and research on her latest book Mind in the Making. What I appreciated most about our time together was how she drew many of her anecdotes and inspiration from her life as a child and parent. I am eager to get started on writing up the interview. Stay tuned.

Norman Rockwell, Cameras, and Kids

     

     The Norman Rockwell Exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum is fascinating.  So many of his subjects are about children.  This particular exhibit focuses on the photography behind the paintings and the preliminary work he did for each of his paintings.  When you click on the link you will get a snapshot—no pun intended—of how he used photographs to walk him thorugh his paintings.

Conroy's Reading Life

     If you like books, Pat Conroy's My Reading Life is essential reading.  He mentions all of the classics that influenced his life and writing.   The chapters titled "The Teacher" and "The Librarian" alone are well worth adding the book to your collection.

     Also, having flown in F-4s as a Radar Intercept Operator in the Marine Corps, I was immediately hooked by his early best seller, The Great Santini.  The double-Oscar nominee movie staring Robert Duvall, Blythe Danner, and Michael O'Keefe is Conroy at his best.

     Here is a seven-minute interview of Conroy by NPR's Scott Simon.

Montessori Transitions Into, Within and Beyond

     So, what is Montessori pedagogy all about?  While I can't describe it all in one blog post, you can click to an article I wrote in the latest edition of The Parents League of New York Review 2011 and read "Montessori Transitions Into, Within and Beyond" to get some insight into this wonderful way of educating children.

Just for a Laugh

     Click on this short video.  It's well worth it.

Fringe and Shel Silverstein

     

     Today's 2nd Annual Fringe Festival at my school closed the afternoon session with poems being read by faculty members.  I got to read two great poems by Shel Silverstein.  "Sick" is a classic and everyone enjoyed hearing it.  And, "No Difference" is one of my favorites.  It has such a good message. 

     Check out his website; it is excellent.

M. C. Escher

     When I taught geometry, I loved to introduce students to the work of Dutch, graphic artist M. C. Escher (1898-1972).  His tesselations and intriguing art capture the interst and imagination of students and adults alike.  This two-minute Waterfall video is one example.  

     Head over to the Escher website to see and learn more about his work.

In-House Professional Development

     I never met Lynda Barry, but I caught up with her work in a faculty and staff writing workshop today.  After being introduced to her book What It Is, we saw a short video featuring Lynda.  The book and video got me wanting to write.  
     One of our teachers led us in an exercise where we chose a word that was written on a slip of paper and many slips were placed in a paper bag.  Upon reaching into the bag and choosing a word, we were to write down the first five things that came to our heads based on the word we chose.  Then we had to choose one of the five and write about it.  The room was stone quiet.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, wrote for five minutes.  Those who chose to share their work helped all of us understand that writing can be fun.
     I love faculty and staff meetings that are inspirational, helpful, and not led by the head of school.

Fringe Festival — Right Here!

     Each year faculty and staff at my school apply for Summer Travel Grants.  Two summers ago, one faculty member was awarded a grant to travel to Scotland and experience the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  She not only enjoyed the experience, but she was inspired to bring the idea home and start a Fringe Festival at our school.  Now, each year one weekend in February or March (this year it is next weekend, Saturday, March12) the school community comes together to enjoy the talents of teachers, students, staff, and parents.
     Here is a clip of the Best of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival . . . 

Khan Academy

     Salman Khan developed the most used Internet, open-education resource for students and adults.  Check out Khan Academy and the available 2,100 free educational videos.  His presentation at the NAIS Annual Conference was impressive and convincing.  Students learning at a pace that inspires them to work and not be afraid to make mistakes.

     I love where Khan says, "This actually becomes the operating system for what goes on in the classroom where every student's allowed to work at their own pace and the teacher actually becomes more of a mentor or a coach."

     Perfect.  Exchange the traditional sage-on-the-stage approach for a more guide-on-the-side paradigm.

     Here, see what Bill has to say about it.