tag:blogs.moundsparkacademy.org,2009-01-09:/nais2009//303 2009-04-22T15:18:00Z Thoughts on the annual conference from educator KaTrina Wentzel Movable Type Commercial 4.25 tag:blogs.moundsparkacademy.org,2009:/nais2009//303.4583 2009-04-22T15:17:42Z 2009-04-22T15:18:00Z

KaTrina Wentzel http://www.moundsparkacademy.org tag:blogs.moundsparkacademy.org,2009:/nais2009//303.4413 2009-02-28T16:56:42Z 2009-02-28T19:32:40Z

The line to get in to see Oprah's speech wraps around the inside halls of the conference center. There's something about Oprah--the way she's opened herself up to the world, her strength in sharing her darkest moments, her convictions in...

KaTrina Wentzel http://www.moundsparkacademy.org The line to get in to see Oprah's speech wraps around the inside halls of the conference center. There's something about Oprah--the way she's opened herself up to the world, her strength in sharing her darkest moments, her convictions in equality and education and human rights--that makes many of us feel we know her a little bit. And as I'm standing in this line I convince myself that Oprah wouldn't like this. She would have wanted us to enter just like we did for all the other feature speakers. Yes. I'm sure of it.

But the line does afford me to meet a middle-school director, Hassan Jones from Harley School in Rochester, New York, whose school seems to mirror mine a bit: pre-k through 12, around the same size, strong arts, a more "progressive" feel. And we both started in public education, so there's lots to talk about. And the line does give me time to finally catch up with an old friend, dean and NAIS aspiring head Justin Brandon, from Episcopal in Philadelphia. So maybe Oprah would approve of the line after all.

We finally enter, find our seats, and wait. We don't start on time, but the Groove Yard Jazz Band from Francis Parker is lovely and the introduction given by Reveta Bowers is strong. But as Oprah herself walks in, the crowd immediately stands and applauds and there's a contingency of die-hard fans in the front who begin screaming in a way that makes me look around just briefly wondering if we're in Oprah's studio and not the conference center.

But no, we're in the conference center. Our focus is education and so is hers. She gets right down to business, thanking us for our work, letting us know that she sends students to independent schools around the country. There are numerous shout outs, but Ms. Porter's gets the biggest. And then we delve into her school, The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. We learn about Oprah's journey to create the school, the impactful ten days and twenty-nine meals with Nelson Mandela, the ability to follow daydreams when one has resources.

We then watch a moving video about four of the 3,500 applicants who applied to be the first class of the academy, four of the eventual 150 who were chosen. And it's moving and it's powerful. And if there's anyone in the audience who isn't taking this speech seriously they are instantly transformed because these girls are impressive in their resolve, their intelligence, their strength, and their resilience.

We then hear from Oprah about the challenges of running her school. Some of them we can relate to, others we are thankful we cannot. But throughout the entire speech, Oprah's commitment and authenticity come through. Literacy, education, leadership, character--she values what we value. Her work is our work. It turns out Oprah Winfrey--star, icon, power incarnate--is one of us.

]]> tag:blogs.moundsparkacademy.org,2009:/nais2009//303.4412 2009-02-28T05:51:06Z 2009-02-28T19:50:35Z

The irony isn't lost on me that a workshop on "how boys learn best" was delivered in a dry and boring manner (as the presenter literally read a script for the entire workshop). I tried my best, however, to do...

KaTrina Wentzel http://www.moundsparkacademy.org The irony isn't lost on me that a workshop on "how boys learn best" was delivered in a dry and boring manner (as the presenter literally read a script for the entire workshop). I tried my best, however, to do what we expect our students to do everyday: learn from the style in which one is being taught. So I sucked it up and listened intently because I was there to learn and the content intrigued me.

It was tough going, though, and I'm not sure I really got all I was supposed to get out of it ... perhaps it was a test? Or maybe these boys' experts have made sure all the males in the room get it while I, with my dual X chromosomes, am left in the dust?

Whatever the case, here's what I do know ... The "Teaching Boys Project" was started based on the known and accepted work of many scholars who have discovered significant gaps within boys' education. I won't go through all the stats here--we know them. But after all the doom and gloom came out about our boys, other work began to suggest that something was happening at all boys' schools--something beyond the known benefits that both sexes gain at same-sex schools--that had to do with instructional techniques. The project was developed to try to quantify what those things were. That is, to discover how boys learn best in school.


]]> The project included what they called the "boys audit," a yearlong study that collected data from 18 schools worldwide (variety of size and type) and gathered results from 1500 male students (grades 6-12) and almost 1000 teachers. While there were multiple parts to this audit, what appeared to be the most valuable to the study were the narratives. Here, teachers were asked to narrate a concrete lesson they delivered that generated interest and equaled mastery for boys. The audit also asked each student to narrate a lesson he remembered in which he was interested and which helped him master a concept, theme, or skill.

Through studying these narratives, some interesting things became clear:

1)    "Effective lessons" for boys had no basis in teacher tenure. That is, new teachers and veteran teachers were just as likely to deliver them.
2)    Effective lessons had no basis in the gender of the teacher delivering the instruction.
3)    Effective lessons were not discipline specific
4)    Effective lessons were at their core the same for boys around the globe and for boys in all age ranges assessed
5)    Effective lessons were the same regardless of ability or IQ; that is, boys with learning differences and gifted boys were motivated and learned from the same effective teaching techniques

So, what were those effective teaching techniques? There were a few I got firmly, but others seemed to get lost in the delivery. And the ones I did understand didn't present any surprises. I still, however, present them here. Effective lessons for boys are one or more of the following:

* Active (ie movement)
* Novel
* Centering (helping reach in or draw out)

Effective lessons also have an element of:

* Surprise
* Playfulness
* Adventure
* Social validation

One of the things the presenter spoke briefly on was what he called the transitive factor of effective lessons, and this I found quite interesting. It was a realization that sometimes activities that we plan to be more "fun" actually have a high correlation to learning for boys. A teacher who "takes a break" from reading and discussing Huck Finn, for instance, and instead has the class spend the day fishing may actually be having a more productive teaching day than she or he thinks. These types of activities, scattered into content, were proven to greatly improve boy interest, enjoyment, and mastery of a subject.

This struck me. How many of us--when we're crunched, when we fall behind in our lesson plans and have to cut something--how many of us cut the very type of activity that may be just what our boys need? If I cut the fishing, I'll be on track. And that's just for fun anyway ... that attitude is pervasive in education, and the study's transitive factor of effective lessons and its effect on boys, could be, to me, the most interesting piece of information from this session.
]]> tag:blogs.moundsparkacademy.org,2009:/nais2009//303.4411 2009-02-28T04:21:55Z 2009-02-28T04:39:32Z

As a teacher at an established laptop school, I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to technology. As a faculty, we have dialogued and discussed a student body that chooses to stay inside looking...

KaTrina Wentzel http://www.moundsparkacademy.org As a teacher at an established laptop school, I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to technology. As a faculty, we have dialogued and discussed a student body that chooses to stay inside looking at their screens during break periods versus going outside; that will text, email, or IM a person they're sitting right next to; and that seems to be coming to school more sleep deprived, often due to gaming or facebooking late into the night. We've tried to figure out how to trust our students with their new technology: Are they taking notes as we're lecturing or are they playing a game? Are they plagiarizing and cheating more? If so, how can we stay on top of technology to "catch" them? Over the past few years, some of the conversations in our building have surrounded the effect of the laptops on our male students. Anecdotally we've noticed more issues with computer use with our boys over our girls, and parents lament the same thing. So I was excited to see that Michael Thompson, whose work on boys I already knew, was tackling this subject.

I quickly realized, however, that I went into the session with expectations that were too ambitious. Thompson is just leaning into this area, and this particular presentation on boys and technology was his first. He himself is far from tech savvy (watching him trying to get a video to play off his computer and on the screen was painful), and his research is not yet complete. All this said, however, Thompson did bring some interesting insight and ideas to the forefront.

Primarily, Thompson's overall view was that yes, our boys are attached to technology more than (and different from) girls, but no, it may not be as bad for them as we think. And yes, there are some negatives, but many of those negatives are more accurately the fault of the adults around them.

Let me explain a bit better ...

Thompson has stats that are startling: By the time a boy hits his twenties, he will have averaged 20,000 hours on the Internet and 10,000 hours gaming. Thirty-six percent of middle- and high-school boys report spending forty-two hours a week in front of a screen compared to twenty percent of girls. How they spend that time is different as well; while girls are what Thompson refers to as "content dominated" on the web--they blog, post pictures, socialize through social networking sites--boys are dominated by videos--posting them and watching them--and games. And boys between the ages of 12-17 have taken over the largest share of viewers of Internet porn.


]]> But what is the effect of this? Well, first of all, here's what research shows technology is not causing, despite our fears. It's not affeting boys' psycho-sexual development. It's not eroding their moral sense. And it's not making them more likely to plagarize or cheat. It is, however, affecting their physical lives and their relationships with their families and their relationships with school.   

Thompson posits, however, that while technology is having these negative effects it is not necessarily less technology that will fix it. Instead, he argues, it's we who have to change and adapt.

In discussing the effect of technology on the physical lives of boys--they are not experiencing the outdoors, they are becoming more obese, they are spending more time sitting and less time being active--Thompson states technology does play a part, but iis just one of many issues and far from the major culprit. More to blame? The shift to a more fear-based parenting approach. Boys (and many girls, too, I might add) used to be told to go outside and play and come home when it was dark. They used to play neighborhood games in the street. There was an inherent trust in our neighbors and neighborhoods. Adults today, however, are not so comfortable with these types of arrangements. We worry about our children's safety, fed by rare but high-profile stories of kidnappings, random murders, and hit and runs. It's our fear-based parenting, Thompson argues, that sends our boys to the screen. We keep them inside, and the action they used to receive through play has been substituted by something new--videos and gaming.

This same fear-based parenting, Thompson argues, has led to other things we blame on the Internet. Children are acting no different, really, it's just the medium has changed. Take for instance text messaging and IM-ing. Over the past few years, much has been made of cyberbullying and the "secrets" our children are hiding in their cyber world. But, Thompson argues, children and teens have always bullied and kept secrets from their parents. The only difference is they used to leave the house to do it. Now that we're keeping them home, youth continue to bully and have secrets, but now do so via technology. Laptops, Thompson says, are the new outdoors--boys are no longer trusted to disappear outside, so they disappear into the exciting games and communities they discover online.

And that overuse of screen time that parents are concerned their boys are engaging in? Thompson again points to the parents--to modeling. The average adult spends five hours a day watching TV, and while youth are moving away from television (a-whole-nother interesting tangent I will avoid), boys learn from an early age that the screen is okay.

Adults who point to technology as a significant problem for our boys are ignoring their own roles in the matter, Thompson seems to say. It's our irrational fears and our discomfort at not being able to "control" our children in the way our parents "controlled" us that are a bigger problem.

Thompson did not get to finish his presentation as planned; being the first time he spoke about this topic, he realized he had planned on covering too much. But he did convey a fairly clear ending message: we cannot expect our boys' use of technology to diminish. They are kings in this gaming and online world--they put in thousands of hours into gaming, and they're good at it. At a time when boys are failing in so many other realms, expecting that we can take away their successes--even ones we don't value--isn't prudent or realistic. Instead, Thompson suggests we enter their and find ways to validate boys' tech and gaming world. Not that we let the gaming and other screen use go on without boundaries, not that we don't encourage outdoor play and more human-to-human interaction, but that we adapt our households and our schools to appreciate the world of boys, video games and all.
]]> tag:blogs.moundsparkacademy.org,2009:/nais2009//303.4409 2009-02-27T20:40:20Z 2009-02-27T20:41:37Z

The line to hear Oprah talk is crazy!!...

KaTrina Wentzel http://www.moundsparkacademy.org The line to hear Oprah talk is crazy!! tag:blogs.moundsparkacademy.org,2009:/nais2009//303.4406 2009-02-27T17:26:35Z 2009-02-27T17:28:43Z

I tend to be a bit critical of the whole "school as a business" approach that many people take or believe. There's something about thinking of my curriculum and delivery as "product" and my students as "consumers" that dehumanizes the...

KaTrina Wentzel http://www.moundsparkacademy.org I tend to be a bit critical of the whole "school as a business" approach that many people take or believe. There's something about thinking of my curriculum and delivery as "product" and my students as "consumers" that dehumanizes the important work that we, as educators, do. The humanization of our students, working to understand their individual complex identities, experiences, and lives--then our work toward making connections with each of them on multiple levels--that's what we do. Not deliver products to consumers.

I know many who would argue this point with me. And Guy Kawasaki may be one of them. Despite that, however, I found his speech this morning both fun and applicable. There's no doubt that he is engaging and is a true speaker who knows how to captivate his audience--even when it's not his typical one. And his list of eleven things that relate to innovation were helpful. I wish, however, that his speech would have focused more on the list of ten things he gave during his last five minutes--that was the most interesting component to me. The list was his Top Ten Things I Wish You Would Teach Students So I Don't Have To. In other words, when our students go out into that eventual working world, what skills will be helpful for them to have? Kawasaki asked that we teach students:

1. How to figure out anything by themselves
2. How to explain anything in 30 seconds (interesting comment from Kawasaki here about how we have students practice to give presentations that are "at least" 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or 15 minutes, but they need to learn how to "give a pitch" in 30 seconds, because that's often all someone has)
3. How to write a one-page report (another interesting comment from Kawasaki--as students go through school, we ask them to write longer and longer papers. In the "real world" they need to learn how to be concise.)
4. 10-20-30 rule (powerpoint presentations--10 slides, 20 minutes, size 30 font)
5. To know that an optimal length of an email is 5 sentences
6. How to survive a meeting (how to get what you want and then park your brain)
7. How to run a meeting (start on time, end on time, have as few as possible with as few people as possible)
8. How to work as a group (being a brilliant person means nothing if you can't work in a group)
9. How to negotiate win-wins
10. To know that learning is a process, not an event

I'm now heading to the next workshop ... can't wait to hear Michael Thompson speak!
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KaTrina Wentzel http://www.moundsparkacademy.org This morning I attended a workshop called "Initiating and Sustaining a Positive Environment for LGBTQ Students and Teachers."  Led by Cheryl Bruttomesso of Germantown Friends School, it was a practical workshop that presented some facts, but mostly resources and ideas. (Most updated fact for me: the average age that a student is aware of his/her sexual identity is 9--give or take 4 years ... are there people who still don't think these discussions should be starting in Lower School???) While I didn't learn many new things here, it is always inspiring to see the hard and-rarely-rewarded work that our colleagues are doing around the country. Speaking up for those with little power is always so important--the work of all of us. As a reminder of what we can all do to support our LGBTQ youth and teachers, here is a list of websites with LGBTQ resources Bruttomesso shared:

• Glsen.org
• Lrei.org (good for Lower School)
• Hrc.org
• Pflag.org
• Outproud.org
•  Siecus.org
• Safeschools.org (note: there is a great PDF here called "Learning About Sexual Diversity at School ... What Is Age Appropriate?")

While you may already know some of all of these, reminding ourselves of resources is always important ... it's worth checking them out for the first time or anew.

]]> tag:blogs.moundsparkacademy.org,2009:/nais2009//303.4389 2009-02-27T00:51:14Z 2009-02-27T01:21:35Z

A few years ago (okay, it was 2002) I went to POCC (People of Color Conference) right here in Chicago. And amongst the workshop sessions and affinity groups there was a lunchtime speaker, whose name, unfortunately, I have forgotten. (Can...

KaTrina Wentzel http://www.moundsparkacademy.org A few years ago (okay, it was 2002) I went to POCC (People of Color Conference) right here in Chicago. And amongst the workshop sessions and affinity groups there was a lunchtime speaker, whose name, unfortunately, I have forgotten. (Can anyone help me out here?) But I remember being surprised as her speech developed because she was critical of independent schools: critical about how our demographics don't match our greater communities, critical of our inherent white privilege, critical of potential damage we may be doing to the public school system. Her speech was remarkable. The standing ovation was long. But I was surprised that NAIS booked her--they had to know what she was going to say, didn't they?

And then I thought, that's what we do in independent schools. We're not scared to look at ourselves, to examine, to criticize, and ultimately to push ourselves to be a better version of ourselves. It's why our recertification process is designed as it is, with surveys and intensive self-studies and school visits. Should I be surprised, then, that our association of independent schools would be any different? This was why that speaker could deliver a speech that wasn't about praising us (although the speech did offer a few kudos) but was instead about asking us to take a closer look at our inherent biases.

I realize this is a long introduction to get to anything about Michelle Rhee and her speech today, but I was immediately brought back that 2002 lunchtime speech shortly after Rhee began speaking. Rhee started with the question, why is a superintendent of the nation's worst public schools speaking at an independent school conference? And while simultaneously listening to her continue, I realized there would be those in the audience wondering the same thing: why did NAIS bring Rhee here over someone from the independent school world?

Now, I'm not someone who's about towing the party line, so I mean this authentically: Thanks NAIS. Thanks for bringing in speakers who challenge us to look at ourselves authentically and critically and, in this case, for bringing in one who reminded us that education is education--not independent or public or charter, but education. That the nation's children, that the world's children, are our chlldren and their safety and education is paramount.Thanks for not shying away from tough questions or issues. Thanks for not spoon feeding us or merely patting us on the back and saying "good job."

And as for Rhee, she is a force to be reckoned with. She is tackling big issues, important issues. Her startling statistics included the fact that while kindergartners in DC public schools start at the same level of like counterparts around the country (in regards to demographics, such as NYC, St. Louis, L.A.), by the end of fourth grade they are two grade levels behind those same like counterparts. Public school students from NYC, Rhee argued, who are already performing below grade level, still have two years ahead of DC students of the same age. Rhee then made the startling statement that keeping children home from school might actually be better than sending them to DCPS.

Rhee's been quite the controversial figure, and based on her speech today, it's easy to see why. She doesn't deny or sugarcoat her district's problems. And she's not just speaking about these issues, she's acting on them both quickly and in big ways. As a commanding, relentless, and unwavering personality, Rhee has come down firmly on polarizing and substantial issues--closing schools, massive firings, teacher tenure and pay. She is going to war with teachers-- seeing them as both the primary problem and ultimate solution--and that is one tough war to be in.

So while I thought about that 2002 speech when Rhee started hers, by the time Rhee concluded I was thinking about a session earlier today. You see, I still have disruption on my brain (see earlier post), and Michelle Rhee is a disruptor. She knows that minor tweaks aren't going to make the difference and she's willing to take the heat. And if there's any school system that needs some disruption, it's DCPS. I know she is controversial, but Rhee is inspiring and I think wonderful things will happen in education--things that will affect education in its broadest sense--because of her.  

]]> tag:blogs.moundsparkacademy.org,2009:/nais2009//303.4388 2009-02-26T20:40:33Z 2009-02-27T01:29:08Z

I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but this is my first NAIS Annual Conference. I knew ahead of time that it was geared toward a broader audience than just teachers. And sure, I've seen a greater number of administrators...

KaTrina Wentzel http://www.moundsparkacademy.org I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but this is my first NAIS Annual Conference. I knew ahead of time that it was geared toward a broader audience than just teachers. And sure, I've seen a greater number of administrators than I typically see at conferences. And yeah, I noticed that the schedule had a lot of sessions that were geared toward governance and finance and the like. But nowhere was it clearer that this is not a "pure" teacher conference than my walk through the exhibitor's hall today.

First, look at my meager pittance of free goods.



Teachers love free stuff, and those that exhibit at teacher conferences know that. We walk away with bags, pencils, key chains, hats, water bottles, and erasers galore. We sign up to win everything you can possibly imagine. But here? Nope. The exhibits were such that I was scared to approach--I can't even converse in much less sign my school up for Blackbaud, legal representation, or auditing services. I did thank Target (note: pencil and clip--they know their teachers) for their philanthropic giving. But other than that, I walked with my head a bit down, not unlike how I walk through that section of the mall where they try to straighten your hair or polish your nails when all you want to do is get to the sale at Macys. I avoided eye contact, even though there were Hershey's Kisses on some of those tables. That's how much the exhibits didn't relate to me. And while there were places you could sign up to win stuff (Ooh! I want that Kindle!), you had to drop your business card in the bowl. Okay. At teacher conferences, you can drop your business card in the bowl, but they also have paper to write down your info because not all teachers have business cards. But no paper here. Maybe I won't win that Kindle.

I did hit the jackpot with these two items, though:


Interesting source, too. I got them from a man representing the Outstanding Schools Initiative in Qatar. Unbeknownst to me, The Outstanding Schools Oversight Committee (OSOC) of Qatar is actively recruiting independent and international schools to open branch campuses in Qatar. The Qatari government will subsidize these schools (they will select 2-3 schools to open each year over a period of the next 3-5 years), including the purchase of land, the building of the schools, and lots more. The first two schools opened this fall: The International School of London and the Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions (out of Texas). I didn't have the heart to tell the kind exhibitor that I had absolutely no power to submit a proposal for an MPA Quatar Campus, but I did thank him for the flashdrive and key chain ...

]]> tag:blogs.moundsparkacademy.org,2009:/nais2009//303.4386 2009-02-26T19:24:35Z 2009-02-27T01:53:01Z

After hearing Mary Cullinane, the U.S. Director of Innovation and Business Development for Microsoft Education Group, I'm thinking about disruption. I'll admit it; I've heard and read a lot about innovation--a word that's become almost as cliché as the phrase...

KaTrina Wentzel http://www.moundsparkacademy.org After hearing Mary Cullinane, the U.S. Director of Innovation and Business Development for Microsoft Education Group, I'm thinking about disruption.

I'll admit it; I've heard and read a lot about innovation--a word that's become almost as cliché as the phrase "think outside the box"--so I was prepared to hear a lot of the same. But several things about Cullinane's presentation really struck the right chord with me, and the one that I can't quite shake is the idea of disruption.  She was not about gently guiding her audience or giving pats on the back; Cullinane had only an hour and so she minced no words: Innovation and disruption go hand in hand. We need to disrupt our schools. We can't go on merely tweaking and fixing and making small changes and then be surprised when they don't make a difference.

I know what she's talking about. I've done it. I've seen others do it. The tweaking, I mean, and the disappointment that follows. So I'm thinking about disruption.

Most of the educators and administrators I know aren't scared to think big, but acting big is a whole new ballgame. My crazy ideas for my school have run the gamut from buying land and creating a working farm to expanding our fine arts program to include glass blowing and design. I have a colleague who thinks we should have a care center for aging seniors and integrate them into the school.  No, thinking big and (here I go) "outside the box" isn't a problem. But acting on those ideas... that quite a bit tougher.

But it's money, right? Ideas--many of them anyway--cost money. Sometimes lots of money. But is it really the money that stops us? It is an easy thing to point to--the it's-too-expensive excuse can stop an idea in its early stages quite easily. But truly, is that what stops us? We have all seen that when money is needed money can be found. My school instituted a 1:1 laptop program eleven years ago. Money was found. We introduced Mandarin three years ago. Money was found.  

Money has also been found to start hundreds of charter schools based on innovated ideas ranging from schools for LGBT youth to arts academies to virtual high schools. And, as those in the independent school world know, charter schools are one of the primary disruptions to our independent school world. They have created a disruption in education, and, many will argue, it has brought about change for the better. So perhaps it's time we responded--not to them, but for our students.

Let's disrupt the classroom.

]]> tag:blogs.moundsparkacademy.org,2009:/nais2009//303.4383 2009-02-26T15:47:18Z 2009-02-26T15:47:41Z

KaTrina Wentzel http://www.moundsparkacademy.org ]]> tag:blogs.moundsparkacademy.org,2009:/nais2009//303.4382 2009-02-26T15:18:20Z 2009-02-26T23:54:01Z

I work at a school with limited AP course offerings, and that is so by choice. The four AP courses we offer are there because we already had existing courses (two world language courses and two math offerings) that already...

KaTrina Wentzel http://www.moundsparkacademy.org I work at a school with limited AP course offerings, and that is so by choice. The four AP courses we offer are there because we already had existing courses (two world language courses and two math offerings) that already matched quite closely with AP courses. But we have stayed firm on saying "no" to AP in other disciplines, and have effectively (I hope!) communicated to outside stakeholders why we do so.  

This morning I attended a session called "A Whole New Independence: Moving beyond AP," and in quoting my daughter (from an earlier blog posting), I found my peeps. The room was filled with school personnel who are questioning AP, and many who are in the process of replacing it in their buildings. Did I feel a little smug that my school had avoided much of that trap already? Well maybe just a tad ... but mostly I was excited. It's great to feel connected to people who have similar educational beliefs. And this wasn't just a session for people who are in the beginning throes of it all--I came away with some realizations and ideas that could help us at Mounds Park as well. But since "what will the colleges think?" seems to the question always on the top of people's mind when they look at a school without AP, I offer this great quote from the session:

From Ted O'Neill, Dean of Admissions, University of Chicago:

"The AP curriculum resembles nothing that students will ever face at the University of Chicago ... APs have the unfortunate result of offering a countable, but meaningless, set of statistics that seem to offer the admissions counselor important information but, in fact, distract us from what really matters--imagination, curiosity, rigor of mind, compassion, energy, generosity of spirit."

]]> tag:blogs.moundsparkacademy.org,2009:/nais2009//303.4377 2009-02-25T20:48:56Z 2009-02-26T22:38:09Z

When I hear about the Fugees, I can't help but to first think about the band.Now, however, I'll have something else to think about. Today's feature speaker was Luma Mufleh, a 33-year-old Muslim woman from Jordan who, despite the possibility...

KaTrina Wentzel http://www.moundsparkacademy.org When I hear about the Fugees, I can't help but to first think about the band.

Now, however, I'll have something else to think about. Today's feature speaker was Luma Mufleh, a 33-year-old Muslim woman from Jordan who, despite the possibility of an "easy" life (her family, as she puts it, are millionaires and she wanted for nothing growing up), has devoted the past four years of her life to helping young refugee males in Atlanta through the initial realm of soccer.

Mufleh has taken her love of soccer and coaching and, by a chance meeting, has turned it into a greater love for her refugee athletes (called the Fugees--short for refugees), their families, and the inequities that surround them in this country. The story of the Fugee Family is multi-layered and is about so much more than soccer--Mufleh helps entire families with jobs, education, and meeting basic needs--and worth hitting the link to learn more.

But what struck me most is how much Mufleh is a clear example of what we try to teach our students--go out and make a difference. That small things can become big. That everything we do matters. Who thought a chance street soccer game, for instance, would lead to a team of refugee players? Who thought that team would lead to four? Who thought those four teams would lead to jobs and shelter? To a new school? To scholarships? Mefleh is a great example of how skills+passion+compassion = great things.


]]> tag:blogs.moundsparkacademy.org,2009:/nais2009//303.4376 2009-02-25T20:36:16Z 2009-02-26T16:12:01Z

Lest I forget I'm amongst creativity ... I came across this left on a table. There are so many possible explanations going through my head right now ......

KaTrina Wentzel http://www.moundsparkacademy.org Lest I forget I'm amongst creativity ... I came across this left on a table. There are so many possible explanations going through my head right now ...

]]> tag:blogs.moundsparkacademy.org,2009:/nais2009//303.4374 2009-02-25T19:15:04Z 2009-02-26T16:12:55Z

What percentage of our students should receive a global education focus? Well, that's the question I'm pondering. After the first two breakout sessions of the Global Education Summit, I'm now reconsidering an essential question to which I thought I had...

KaTrina Wentzel http://www.moundsparkacademy.org What percentage of our students should receive a global education focus?

Well, that's the question I'm pondering. After the first two breakout sessions of the Global Education Summit, I'm now reconsidering an essential question to which I thought I had an answer. On a base level, I can still answer firmly--one hundred percent of students who graduate from our schools should experience a global education. And there are components to that answer I remain committed to--our students should all experience a global perspective through the curriculum they receive and attitudes they are exposed to day in, day out. But in bigger terms, in the ways schools are growing their global education programs, I'm thinking that perhaps to some extent it may be better to allow everyone the opportunity to have a global education focus (and "focus" is perhaps the operative word here), but not to require it.

... (click on the link to finish reading ...) ...


]]> Case in point: my first session. Vicki Weeks, Director of Global Programs at Lakeside School

in Seattle, Washington, presented the school's global service learning program, GSL. While Lakeside used to have trips to other countries and areas as many of our schools do, one of their main focuses now is on service learning trips that follow a particular structure. Over time, with task force work, evaluation, and more, here's the program as it currently stands:

• Available to high schoolers (although no seniors and usually not freshmen)
• A month long summer program: 3 weeks in a rural environment and 1 week in an urban environment. Current countries include China, the DR, India, Morocco, Peru, Senegal, and Tanzania
• Moving students "off the grid"; that is, no ipods, cell phones, only one camera per group, etc.
• Ideally a mix of physical and cognitive labor/responsibilities (plant trees AND teach, for instance)
• 3 weeks curriculum before and after the experience
• a local service project designed and completed upon return
• well-funded with sliding fee scale, allowing many students to go, regardless of socio-economic status

In addition to this, Lakeside's plan looked at creating a semester long global education class that would be required of all students, and in their excitement, they also looked at requiring the service learning trip for all students between sophomore and junior year. It sounded great. Funding wasn't an issue. And global education should be for everyone, right?
 
Well, here's where it gets tricky--on several levels.

First, does the idea of requiring every student to be gone from home for a month over the summer have some inherent socio-economic bias? While many independent-school students could do this, what about the students who need to watch younger siblings at home or need to work in order to help support their families? Then there's the question Ms. Weeks and her colleagues realized--as she put it, "Do we really want to be in the middle of the Moroccan dessert with a student who doesn't want to be there?" These experiences are already difficult on so many levels, does it make the overall experience worse for everyone if there are people who are not there by choice?

In looking at the concept of a required course, the Lakeside task force was met with a lot of resistance. What class disappears to make this happen? What about other classes that are important that couldn't fit into the curriculum? What, exactly, would be taught? And then there's a question I've grappled with in the past: in having a separate "global" class, does that keep regular curriculum from pushing toward a global focus?
 
These are tough questions. Currently, Lakeside has kept their trips voluntary and is instituting the course as a three-week summer course open to both Lakeside students and non-Lakeside students. They'll see where it goes, and, as is their nature, will evaluate and revamp.
 
The Lakeside presentation brought questions to the surface for me, and it primed me for the second session I sat in on: a session on a school that offers (in addition to their regular high school diploma) a global studies diploma.
 
That school is Providence Day School, in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Laurent Fochier, Director of Global Studies, described it. Students have required courses they must enroll in (for a total of around 8 credits), they must pass level 4 of a world language, they must earn 750 "points" in global extra curriculars (everything from going to hear speakers to participating in Global UN), they must participate in a cross cultural exchange, and they must work on a semester-long senior capstone in which they research and present a solution to a world problem. The program is fairly intensive and voluntary, and currently 51 students are part of it (representing ten percent of their upper school student body).
 
Again, I was torn. What a wonderful opportunity for all students--and yet, somehow allowing students to voluntarily sign up for the work, focus, and commitment of global education seems right. We ask our students to do many things, then complain that they are overbooked. We want them to be well rounded, yet want them to have focus and a "passion."

So again-- what percentage of our students should receive a global education focus? Or rather, should all students in our schools receive a global education focus? ]]>