A Life Smart summer

In a few short hours, the breathless pace of the past few weeks will come to a screeching halt.  The children who have brought life to our halls and meaning to our work will go home to you - and life will change for all of us for these eleven weeks between school years.  On the surface, we think of these weeks as a vacation from the real work of a child's life.  I prefer to think of this time between as a reincarnation of that work.  The march of life continues, the learning continues, albeit refreshed.

In truth, play is the most natural work of childhood and the most powerful vehicle for learning.  And what better time to play than summer, when sunshine and gentle breezes beckon our children into the natural world and time stretches to allow uninterrupted exploration, experimentation, creation - and thinking?  The primacy of play in early brain development has not changed despite that for many of our children, childhood itself has undergone radical transformation marked most profoundly by an infusion of adult-directed activity and media consumption and a detachment from the natural world.

What does a "Life Smart" summer look like and how can we preserve - or recapture - it for our children? The heartbeat of rich summer days is child-directed.  It includes physical activity that comes from more than rule-based team games.  It includes rolling down a hill, jumping from rock to rock, spinning until you fall, chasing anything, hiking, hauling, climbing, hanging upside down.

A Life Smart summer also includes make-believe, dreaming, and creating something out of nothing; writing plays or poems or newspapers, building forts or fairy-tale worlds in the woods, lying on your back and seeing magical shapes in the clouds.

A Life Smart summer includes some daily structure, too; household chores for even the youngest members; making beds, emptying trash; routines and responsibilities; contribution to the family; pride of accomplishment.  It includes weekly trips to the library and daily reading - under a tree, in a tent, even with a flashlight in bed.  It includes daily bedtime prayers and daily meals - at a table or on a blanket or on a beach.

A life Smart summer includes conversations and activities and projects with attentive grown-ups; important child-directed, conversations with active listeners who are not rushed or distracted; important, memory-making projects like building a go cart or a garden.

Perhaps most important to a Life Smart summer is immersion in the natural world - regular, extended, full, attentive immersion; skipping stones, jumping in puddles, running in waves, fishing, watching bugs, digging in the mud, growing a bouquet - or a salad; looking, listening, smelling, touching - closely.

A Life Smart summer doesn't have much time for media.  Put limits on it and give your children the time and inclination to grow in really important ways.  Help them shift into a Life Smart summer and delight in watching their natural instincts take over.

Happy exploring, growing, memory-making.  Happy childhood.  Happy family time. Happy summer.

A productive partnership

I was pleased to welcome a small but engaging group of parents to our final Coffee conversation of the year yesterday.  We discussed two related topics that had surfaced in our survey on excellence, namely, high ability students and contemporary instructional resources.

Our Coffees always begin with information, so we started by taking a look at how the school defines and identifies high ability students and how our instructional approaches serve this population of students that seeks intellectual, creative, or leadership challenge.

Our discussion about approaches was a perfect segue into our conversation on instructional resources.  Questions about our rationale for using a variety of selected and created learning materials instead of the more familiar textbooks comes up periodically.  It's an important question because the reason is germane not only to our mission, but to our responsibility to inspire all of our students - even those at the highest levels of ability.  So here it is:  the reason we haven't invested in textbooks in recent years is namely because textbooks offer us a publisher-directed scope and sequence that is neither accountable to our course standards or to the unique needs and interests of our students.  Additionally, published resources focus on what we call lower order thinking and, in the rapidly exploding world of information, can be practically outdated by the time they're in print.

The demands of our Life Smart brand call for problem-based, project-based, applied thinking that is personalized, relevant, and targeted to preparation for a complex future. Simply stated, it is impossible to achieve this mission with a single packaged textbook series.

With our rationales on the table, we moved to an engaging discussion of how the school can improve its partnership with parents in pursuit of these noble goals.  Relative to instructional resources, parents expressed that they are seeking more direction in supporting their children's achievement of these more rigorous outcomes.  Two very specific requests toward this end were made:  first, that teachers share the curated websites that their children are using for class research in the same way that textbooks would have been sent home in the past; and secondly, that the school assure accountability to consistent and transparent expectations for the information that parents can expect to find on class websites and blogs.

Regarding learner abilities, parents endorse continued movement away from whole-class instruction and formulaic assignments and request more detailed information on our professional appraisal of their children's performance, especially as it relates to reading levels and observations of their children's unique talents.

The parents who participated in our conversation on Wednesday affirmed the effectiveness of our instructional approaches and the direction of school growth.  They are anxious for a deeper, richer knowledge of their children as learners and appreciate opportunities to engage with and support their children in this journey we call education.

Here are some resources that were shared at the meeting:

Bright or Gifted?

Taxonomy of Thinking

Kids, screens, and parenting

With each passing year, our lives become more entwined with our digital devices.  The reality of our time is that technology is not only ubiquitous, but almost indistinguishable from other activity.  As vast warehouses of the tools we use for daily living, our devices have become more the way of doing all the things we do, blurring the lines between technology use and all the rest of daily living.  We depend on our devices for everything from waking up to navigating; from passive entertainment to interactive communication.  We have reached the point in our human evolution where we no longer discuss technology in terms of access, but rather in terms of sophistication of use.  And so, too, medical professionals have adjusted their recommendations to align with the realities around us.  

Hand-held screens were not even our radar when most pediatric screen-time recommendations were written.  Scientifically, we know that near-point exposure to visual media alters brain architecture.  In order to assure that young children develop healthy, functional vision and integrated use of the whole brain, we need to acknowledge that screen time for babies is a bad idea.  Pediatricians have long held that children should not be exposed to TV before age two, but optometrists are now recommending that we protect young children from the effects of hand-held devices until age five (Dr. Amy Jankowski, Metro Eye, Milwaukee).  

As our children grow, however, we do have a responsibility to teach them the nuanced use of digital tools that will allow them to become productive citizens.  With this in mind, The American Academy of Pediatrics revised its guidelines for screen time last fall.  Hopefully, the new guidelines will empower us to be confident - and united - in applying common-sense parenting to our changing media landscape. 

Here are the Academy's simple, but thought-provoking reflections and recommendations:

• Media is just another environment. Children do the same things they have always done, only virtually. Like any environment, media can have positive and negative effects.
• Parenting has not changed. The same parenting rules apply to your children’s real and virtual environments. Play with them. Set limits; kids need and expect them. Teach kindness. Be involved. Know their friends and where they are going with them.
• Role modeling is critical. Limit your own media use, and model online etiquette. Attentive parenting requires face time away from screens.
• We learn from each other. Neuroscience research shows that very young children learn best via two-way communication. “Talk time” between caregiver and child remains critical for language development. Passive video presentations do not lead to language learning in infants and young toddlers. The more media engender live interactions, the more educational value they may hold (e.g., a toddler chatting by video with a parent who is traveling). Optimal educational media opportunities begin after age 2, when media may play a role in bridging the learning achievement gap.
• Content matters. The quality of content is more important than the platform or time spent with media. Prioritize how your child spends his time rather than just setting a timer.
• Curation helps. More than 80,000 apps are labeled as educational, but little research validates their quality (Hirsh-Pasek KPsych Science2015;16:3-34 Google Scholar). An interactive product requires more than “pushing and swiping” to teach. Look to organizations like Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org) that review age-appropriate apps, games and programs.
• Co-engagement counts. Family participation with media facilitates social interactions and learning. Play a video game with your kids. Your perspective influences how your children understand their media experience. For infants and toddlers, co-viewing is essential.
• Playtime is important. Unstructured playtime stimulates creativity. Prioritize daily unplugged playtime, especially for the very young.
• Set limits. Tech use, like all other activities, should have reasonable limits. Does your child’s technology use help or hinder participation in other activities?
• It’s OK for your teen to be online. Online relationships are integral to adolescent development. Social media can support identity formation. Teach your teen appropriate behaviors that apply in both the real and online worlds. Ask teens to demonstrate what they are doing online to help you understand both content and context.
• Create tech-free zones. Preserve family mealtime. Recharge devices overnight outside your child’s bedroom. These actions encourage family time, healthier eating habits and healthier sleep.
• Kids will be kids. Kids will make mistakes using media. These can be teachable moments if handled with empathy. Certain aberrations, however, such as sexting or posting self-harm images, signal a need to assess youths for other risk-taking behaviors.

AAP (2015)

A pleasant surprise, a sustainable future

This week, one of our school parents brought her new neighbor to St. Robert for a prospective family visit (Thanks, Eileen!).  Because the visitor had not chosen to visit us on her own as part of a more typical school shopping process, we got a unique window into how our school may be viewed by outsiders.  Her reaction was total, utter surprise. "I had no idea something like this would be going on here!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

Why would an outsider be surprised? Because we're small?  Because we're parochial? Because we don't spend at the level of the public schools?

We are frugal, yes, and relatively small, too, but still, school operations come in at over $2 million a year. Maintaining an excellent school in the face of changing expectations and mounting funding challenges demands vision, planning, and hard work.  It also demands collaboration.   Simply put, the more students we have, the less financial pressure we experience. And the simple reality is that it will never occur to some families to take a look at St. Robert - unless you encourage and invite them.

Bringing in more students is not just icing on a lovely cake.  It's what enables us to maintain the staffing, programs, and resources that define the St. Robert brand: innovative instructional practices delivered by mission-driven teachers; personalized learning, contemporary resources, integrated technology and arts; world languages; music electives; small class sizes; inclusion of special needs learners.

This is a critical time of year in terms of organizational planning.  Please join us in working toward a sustainable future.  Reach out to your friends, neighbors, co-workers - even folks you meet at the grocery store.  Tell them the St. Robert story.  Invite them for a visit.  I can assure you they will be pleasantly surprised - and every new family that joins our community helps us build a strong vision for the future.

These holy days

On Sunday we began the silent walk with Jesus to his cross.  Regardless of how we're feeling about the fruition of our Lenten observances, this is the week for our full attention. This is the week to push aside competing noise and keep vigil with our God - because this week marks the culmination of everything that we believe.  These are the holy days that give meaning to our very existence.

But this is also a time for family trips and Easter celebrations.  These realities, too, require our planning, preparation, and attention.   How can we accomplish both the temporal and the spiritual?  We are limited.  We are weak.  We are human.  This is precisely the point!  It is only in surrendering our frail humanity to God that we can be healed and share in the blinding light of the Resurrection.

We proclaim in our creed that our faith is "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic."   Perhaps it is in this oneness and universality that we can find the way.  This week, every Catholic church in the entire world will celebrate the ritual of Three Days known as the Easter Triduum   The Days begin on Holy Thursday evening with the celebration of the Last Supper.  This liturgy continues on Good Friday as we remember Jesus' torture and death, and culminates on Holy Saturday with the blessing of fire and water, the retelling of salvation history, and the resurrection of our buried alleluias.  The three days include our Easter Sunday liturgies and close with Easter's Evening Prayer.  No matter where we are in the world; no matter what else calls for our attention, on these three days we need to make our way to church for at least part of this pilgrimage.  We need to face the God who dwells within; to remember and give thanks; to acknowledge our weaknesses and change our hearts; to be healed.

When I was a child, my grandmother taught us that God invites a wish from anyone visiting a church for the first time.  This little bit of folklore is a sweet reminder that God is always waiting for us. It created in my family the happy anticipation of finding a new (to us) church for our Sunday obligation whenever we were away from home.   If you're traveling for Easter or the Triduum, be sure to include your children in planning the church part of your itinerary.  When and where will you attend Mass?  What will you ask of God as a first-time visitor in this house?  My wish for you will be that your faith will "rise like a blazing fire" during this holiest of weeks.

Happy Easter.

Magic, miracles, and might

Leaving work last night, I ran headlong into a virtual army of minivans parked just outside the Reilly Hall doors.  They were positioned for exit in two orderly rows, cargo doors ajar.  Their drivers -mostly school dads - were making silent runs to and from the Parish Center with bins full of merchandise from the Auction storage area.  They were silent figures, focused intently on their loads, illuminated only by the moonlight and headlights.  It was an impressive sight.  The caravan would soon be leaving for the ICC, to hand off their baton to the display team who is performing their own version of magic today.

Well, it seems like magic, anyway - until the structure of this machine we call "The Auction" comes into clearer focus.  I wish you could all have a peek into the office during these weeks from January until this last day before the event.  Activity rises slowly at first until reaching fever pitch in the last weeks.  Donations come in via mail or are lovingly packaged and carried by donors.  Volunteers come and go on a daily basis - some twice a day - to pick up, check off, carry away.  Meanwhile, off-site, others are working relentlessly on acquisitions, raffles, data-entry, catalog, invitations, reservations and promotions.   Then there's the event itself - dinner, music, decorations, display, video, check-in, check-out, and, finally, collecting, packing, and hauling away the last remnants of our presence.  This massive project requires over one hundred well-coordinated hands and hearts.

When we back up to the planning stages, well, you get the picture.  This isn't really magic after all.  It's a combination of creativity and commitment; brains and brawn; and hours and hours of loving effort.  Why do we do it?  We do it because we value Catholic education, generally and this school, specifically.  We do it because we really enjoy working and and playing together. We do it because, as our Life Smart brand reminds us, "we believe in something greater than ourselves."

Maybe it's not magic, but I do believe it's miraculous; a tangible reminder that the the Holy Spirit is at work through us, supporting our mission and helping us discern a way forward in uncertain times.  When we come together in community, invite him into our collective being, and open ourselves to his will, there's really no limit to what we can accomplish.

With special and humble appreciation to the Killorans, the Kloehns, and the McGartlands for their amazing leadership of this phenomenal undertaking, I wish for all of you who have contributed your time, talent, or treasure to the success of this critical effort to know of my deepest gratitude for your passionate partnership.  May God continue to bless each of you - and all of us.

Habits of Mind

Today marks the close of our second trimester.  The report cards you will receive next Thursday are meant to give you a point-in-time snapshot of your children's skills relative to grade level course expectations.  The rubric scores for each course topic provide valuable information on your child's pattern of proficiencies relative to the specific targets they have been working toward over the past twelve weeks.  Easily lost in the clinical sequence of defining, instructing, and assessing these learning targets, however, is a reality we must keep ever before us; namely, that children are not assembly line products.  They develop at different rates and with distinct patterns of strength and challenge at each stage of development.  This means that although the target goal for each student in each topic of each course is to achieve mastery (a rubric score of 3), the reality is that few students will follow the same trajectory of skill development in all topics of all courses at the same time.  And that's OK - when we remember that our goal is not the grade, but the learning.

Pay attention to the overall picture of your child's academic progress so you will know what to celebrate and where your child will need some strategic support - but pay closer attention to the learner behaviors that will scaffold ongoing progress, and, therefore, the highest possible long term outcomes for your own uniquely beautiful child.

Our elementary report cards list a number of these behaviors - intermingled with personal and social growth skills.  In middle school, however, you're left to decipher these from the teacher comments.  Behaviors to support fall largely into three areas:

• Personal responsibility - This includes completing assignments, being on time, and bringing necessary materials home and to class 
• Learner engagement - Refers to focused participation in class and in learning experiences; listening actively, thinking deeply, answering and asking learning questions, and producing best effort/best work
• Productive group process skills - Include listening to, respecting, and building on the contributions of peers in discussion and work production, maintaining an outcome-based focus in partner work and small group work settings, and contributing meaningfully to a collaboratively-defined work product.

A well-respected pathway to these productive behaviors are the sixteen Habits of Mind defined by Arthur Costa and Bena Kallick.  The development of these personal habits is where success or failure fundamentally begins.  Refer to the habits to help strategize some ways to support your child in starting or continuing on a road to developing the behaviors that undergird academic progress - and intellectual development.

Additionally, a very specific practice correlated with academic achievement is reading. Much.  Regularly.  Deeply.  If daily reading and listening to reading are not already part of your family culture, consider adding this routine that may well be the single most important factor in academic success across disciplines.

Finally, it's good to periodically stop and remember that skills don't simply emerge with maturation.  Just as in athletics or music or any other area of skill development, academic accomplishment will come through a process we call a "gradual release of responsibility."  In the early years, adults must necessarily own the responsibility for shaping the development of the foundational habits and behaviors upon which academic learning rests.  It's only with incremental practice that we can expect to successfully release the responsibility for these behaviors to our children.  

Toward that end, consider structuring next week's report card review around the habits and learner behaviors.  Then, support your child in a strategic plan to develop just one or two of them.  These directed efforts, together with an active daily reading plan, will most certainly scaffold a new level of success in the months ahead!