The first day of school is now complete, and like everyone else on the campus I am exhausted.  However the fatigue I am feeling is the good kind of tired, one which is helped because the day went well.  It is interesting how energized I feel when the entire school is together as we were in today's All School Assembly.

I am often asked whether I miss vacation, and the truth is I love my vacations. However, one of my real passions in life is helping to educate the next generation.  I truly believe each of us has a responsibility to leave the world a little bit better than we found it.  Helping the next generation receive a strong educational foundation is one way to insure the world moves forward and not in reverse.

At Manzano Day School our professional staff is aware of the significant role we can play with children.  A successful partnership with parents is paramount in helping to make an educational experience successful.  As we go through the year I will write about this partnership and other educational issues on my mind.

I also want to know what is on everyone else's mind.  Any readers of this blog should feel free to contact me with questions or issues they would like discussed.  In addition I love to stop and talk with our families simply to find out how their child's year is going.

I want this school year to be as successful as possible for all of Manzano Day School's families.  Pleas let me know what I can do to help make this come true.  Thanks

Rhonda strongly hinted  (ok she told me) she would like me to see the movie The Help last weekend.  We had not been to a movie in quite a while primarily because there had not been a lot to interest me.  My preference for movies is away from special effects and violence and more toward people and feeling good. The decision to see The Help is one I am very glad I made.

I am not going to recount the plot or what the critics had to say because it is much easier to get that information elsewhere on the net.  Simply I want to say that I was moved by the movie as I relived my younger years and recalled so many examples of racism that have occurred since I was born in 1957.

Many of the movie's theses are still very relevant  today.  There are too many people who make assumptions concerning human beings based on a person's appearance, such as skin color or the way they dress, instead of making their judgements by the content of their character(Thank you Dr. King) As I get older I often wonder if prejudice will ever be overcome.

As educators, I/we have a responsibility to educate today's youth on issues such as racism.  If we take the core value of respect seriously, we will make progress toward fixing the problems of society.  I often wonder if the rest of the world will do the same.

A movie such as The Help is not a solution, but rather it is an opportunity for people to share ideas and try to insure things will move in a positive direction. If you have opportunity go see the movie.

It is the last day of school before the ISAS accreditation team starts its visit this Sunday.  I am both anticipating the visit as well looking forward to its conclusion next Wednesday afternoon.

My anticipation is because I know how good our school really is.  I realize it may sound self serving to say Manzano Day School is an excellent school, but it is something I truly believe to my core.  I don't want anyone to confuse my belief in our institutional excellence with my added belief that there is always room for improvement.  Institutionally we are happy where we are, but we are not satisfied.  Receiving feedback and suggestions from other professional educators is an invaluable exercise.  Because the timing of this visit coincides with the current Long Range Planning cycle of our Board of Trustees, the feedback from the visiting committee will give us an added opportunity to improve our school.

I also know there is a great deal of nervous energy being burned by our professional staff.  This is inevitable for all of us when we have important events in our lives.  Yet, I look forward to a "return to normalcy" after the visit. (By the way I know there is no such word as normalcy but I need to give former President Harding a plug)

The next week at Manzano Day School is a great opportunity to celebrate the school's progress while hearing from others regarding ways we can improve.  The hard work that went into our self study has set the stage for the next week. Though I don't know how much time I will have to write during the next week. I will certainly post after the visit.

Has anyone ever been frustrated with technology.  Right now I am steaming.  Those who are Manzano Day School parents received a letter from me today which referenced a recent post I made on this blog.  A little while after the letter was received by our families a parent contacted me to tell me they could not find the post I had mentioned.  Guess what?  I can't find it either, and no one seems to know what happened to that post or the next one.

Okay!  It is now time to solve the problem rather than try to ascertain what happened. I will leave that to those much more talented in technology.  Instead I will attempt to recreate what I posted previously over the next couple of days.

Most of our community knows our 10 year ISAS accreditation is now complete.  As Head of School, I know the community both wants and expects to hear from me to update them on the results. If you don't want to read any further please know that our professional community and I are smiling from ear to ear! 

Any time you work on a project for over a year the hope is the results will reflect the commitment of time and energy.  The self study process for our school started before the 2010-2011 year began.  At that time the entire professional staff joined with parents and trustees to review all aspects of the school. The completed self study is available for review for our parents if they talk with Jennifer Chavez. In its entirety it is over 250 pages, and a source of pride for everyone who helped complete it.

When the ISAS visiting team arrived they had read the self study and were prepared to examine if we are doing what we say we are doing as well as how well we are doing it. The visit lasted over 3 days and was exhausting. Though we don't have the complete report we heard the summary commendations and recommendations before the team left.

The summary commendations were almost exactly what we hoped for.  In fact, as Head of School I could not have been more pleased with the compliments our school received.  The sentiments that were expresses left everyone in the room feeling great.

The summary recommendations are very different than 10 years ago when the visiting committee left us with stiff challenges.  This accreditation team has given us work to do, however it is work we are confident will be done in a timely fashion.

As Head Of School, I am happy with the current state of our school, but I am not satisfied. Manzano Day School will always be committed to providing the opportunity for the best foundation possible so our students will be successful life long learners.  Though I am extremely pleased with our accreditation visit and the current status of the school, I am looking forward to the future with enthusiasm and a sense of purpose. 

One of the characteristics I admire most is passion.  I truly believe all of us need our passions and should follow them in an appropriate way.  As most of you are aware I have many passions I follow.

The passions I most readily identify in myself include in no particular order: family, golf, education and Boston’s professional sports teams.  As I get older I have discovered that I have chosen to spend more time following my passions and am less apologetic for them.  I have also discovered that disappointments and or failures regarding my passions are more easily overcome than when I was younger.  The truth is I am probably maturing and growing up as I get older. Oh well, I can’t remain a child forever!

Speaking of children, I often wonder what inspires different children in their passions.  I further contemplate whether the displays of “passion” I see on playgrounds or television and read about in various places is healthy.  It is clear children sometimes need redirection and their passions need to be harnessed when enough becomes too much. Our job as educators is to inspire healthy passion while teaching children what is unhealthy.  It is of course sometimes a fine line between the healthy and the unhealthy!

As a way to further educate our children about healthy and unhealthy passion, November will be known as “Celebrating Sportsmanship Month” at Manzano Day School.  We believe children should always display respect for others in any activities regardless of the level of passion one has for the activity.  In November we will highlight the ways children can be positive in pursuing their passions.

Recently our school completed its last formal parent mixer for the year. For those who may not be aware, Parent Mixers began 4 years ago to help parents in each grade become better acquainted with each other in a purely social setting.  I am the only member of the professional staff who attends the mixers unless a faculty member is attending as a parent in a particular grade.

After attending each of the mixers this year I felt great about the enthusiasm and passion so many parents exhibited towards each other and our school.  I use these mixers to meet parents who I have not interacted with before as well as to renew relationships.  There seemed to be a higher turnout in many grades this year than at previous mixers.

The mixers are sponsored by both the school and the MDSPA.  This is one of many ways we are able to partner with the school’s parent association.  I often talk about the belief I have that a strong partnership with parents is necessary for Manzano Day School to be successful. As the world changes I am more certain than ever a strong school-family relationship will help children succeed.

In the next few weeks parents should expect my November letter which will focus on the nature of partnerships and the importance of these partnerships at our school.  I am hopeful these partnerships will grow stronger as Manzano Day School looks to the future.

Today was the first day I was in the office after an ISAS conference in Houston.  This meeting was one of two that Heads of Schools are required to attend during the school year in order to fulfill ISAS requirements.  This particular meeting had unusual significance because it was also attended by Presidents of Boards of Trustees. 

The professional development offered to us was particularly good.  The best session was titled the Music Paradigm and was conducted by Maestro Roger Nierenberg.  The message of the session focused on common themes regarding leadership interdependence, cooperation and teamwork.  What I found particularly fascinating and rewarding was because the teaching was done by using the Houston Symphony Orchestra.  I am not going to recount the specifics of the session but encourage those who might be interested to ask me about it or to research this workshop.  For those who may have the opportunity to participate in this experience, I strongly recommend you do so.

The other aspect of professional development I particularly enjoy is the time spent both formally and informally with colleagues I only see a couple of times a year.  Exchanging ideas and thoughts with other Heads of School gives me better perspective of our school as well as Independent Schools as a whole. 

As a school we strongly support professional development for our employees.  I am fortunate to also take advantage of opportunities presented.  Like most people I am better at my job when I am able to here from those who are passionate about education.

The best news from ISAS is in regard to our schools reaccreditation process.  At the meeting Manzano Day School officially had its reaccreditation renewed for 10 years!!! 

Since Parent/Teacher Conferences are next week, I found this article to be relevant and interesting:

      Parent/Teacher Conferences inspire a wide array of emotions in parents, teachers and students.  Most often, the conferences are enjoyable and informative meetings, but not always.  Occasionally, parents and teachers have to identify, discuss and find solutions for problems - all within the time limits of conference day.  Those are the times when preparation and skills, mixed with a good amount of thoughtfulness and common sense, will make even the most difficult discussions productive.

     It is important to remember that we are all on the same side.  The conference is an opportunity to discuss plans to improve a student’s school experience in the future.  It is also a time for parents and teachers to freely express concerns and find ways to help each other to do what is best for each child.

     Parents should be honest with teachers and freely express concerns.  If the teacher shares a parent’s concerns, the two can begin to make a plan to address them.  Occasionally, the teacher may see a child as more capable than the parents see him.  In those cases, teachers can reassure parents.

     Sometimes, teachers raise concerns and it is in these conferences that parents can find themselves feeling defensive.  Remember teachers do not expect parents to fix problems and parents shouldn’t expect that of teachers either.  Teachers know improvements involve a long and steady process and the conference is a place to discuss and clarify the process.

     Excellent schools have both teachers and parents understanding the importance of steady progress.  A great deal of a school’s success comes from a very simple formula - challenging expectations from both home and school joined with appropriate support from both home and school.  The effects of that formula may not always be immediate, but with the proper balance of challenge and support over time, the formula rarely fails.

     Parents and teachers are essential to each child’s progress and an open and honest conference should leave both feeling like partners in the most important process.

Reprinted with permission from The Bridge, Palm Beach Day Academy, October 2007.

Report cards were mailed today, Monday, November 14.  Mailing report cards prior to Conference Day ensures that parents will have the opportunity to review them before meeting with teachers.  Having a written record as a basis of discussion will help conferences go smoothly. I want to share some thoughts with you regarding report cards and conversations with children.

I’m sure all of us remember the stress we went through when we were children concerning our report cards. “Did I do well enough?” “Are my parents going to be pleased? Upset?” “Will I get any rewards?”  These and other questions may have gone through our minds as we carried our card home.  Of course, it really was a card back then, with hand printed grades and remarks, not a computer generated piece of paper with comments.

Some may wonder what they should do with the information they receive about their child.  My simple advice is to acknowledge it and discuss everything that is on the report with your child.  Be sure to celebrate the strengths that are mentioned while making a concerted effort to work on areas which need improvement.

Please remember to communicate with any and all faculty when appropriate. The greatest chance for success for any student occurs when school and home are working together.  The time to communicate about the rest of the year is now. Do not wait until the next Conference Day, or the next written assessment to continue communication.  Let’s work together to ensure the rest of the year is a success for every child at Manzano Day School! 

Very simply, Thanksgiving is and always has been my favorite family.  I often think back to my youth and remember the things that made it special then and how many of them overlap with today.   Food, family, friends, frolicking and football always were part of my youth and still play a role in this great holiday, though it is now watching football instead of playing!

I also love this holiday because even in these times of political correctness people come together at this time of year and celebrate the many things we have to be thankful for.  Most people understand the meaning of Thanksgiving and appreciate its importance to virtually everyone in our country.

To each of you who read this I wish you the happiest and safest of holidays.  Please enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday!

It is hard to believe the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred 70 years ago today.  Franklin Roosevelt, the only person to be elected to more than two terms as President referred to the attack as “a day which will live in infamy”.  For my parents’ generation it was a time they recalled where they were when they heard the news.

As many know the United Sates was not at war in 1941, but declared war on Japan after the attack.  Because of an alliance among Japan, Germany and Italy, the last two countries then reluctantly declared war on the United States.  As a result, the United States became involved in a two front war which was arguably the defining moment of the 20^th century.

I wonder how often, if at all people play the “what if” game.  In this case what if Japan had not attacked or had waited to attack for another 6 months or a year?  What if Germany and Italy had not declared war on the United States?  What if the unthinkable had occurred and the Allies had lost WWII? (It could have happened).

As an educator I want us to motivate children to think about questions things like this.  I believe we have a responsibility to use days like today as a teaching moment, not merely as an anniversary with which young people have a hard time finding relevance. After all how else will we learn from the past?

The ability to think and then ask probing questions were skills which were encouraged by my teachers as well as my parents.  In this age of technological advancement it is more important than ever for students to learn to think critically.  Our generation has the responsibility to “pay this forward” to today’s youth.

Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year go to everyone who is reading this.  With the start of 2012 I am a year older and hopefully a year wiser, though that remains to be seen.

Breaks from school are always meant to be restful and enjoyable.  This year was a little bit more restful than usual because of the weather.  The good news is I had more time for reading, one of my favorite leisure activities. Years ago I made myself a promise to split my reading between books which are for pure pleasure and reading which qualifies in some way as professional development.  This vacation I read Crucial Conversations, which is written by 4 authors.

I always find book reviews interesting as a critic offers an opinion on a book’s relevance, importance or quality.  Rather than do any of those things, I will simply say that it is an incredibly important book for anyone who speaks with others.  Since virtually everyone I know is included in this category, clearly anyone could/would benefit from this book.

As a professional educator I am aware of the many conversations I have on any given day.  A key part of a Head of School’s job is to be accessible and available to the many school constituencies.  Often I have told our professional staff I hate email (Yes, there are times it is extremely useful) and would much rather converse with someone.  Finding a tool such as Crucial Conversations is very useful for me.

As I finished reading Crucial Conversations I realized the benefits it provides to anyone in the education field.  Because of this, all Manzano Day School employees will be given a copy of the book for professional development.  Thanks Monica for recommending the book to me!

Last week the MDSPA sponsored a parent evening at school for our community.  The speaker was School Counselor Dr. Becky Bone who made a tremendously informative presentation on various aspects of bullying. Clearly I am biased but I believe Dr. Bone did a tremendous job of not only providing information but also making suggestions.

After Dr. Bone’s presentation a comment/question session followed.  At Manzano Day School we always value parent input.  I found the level of comments and questions to be at the same high level as Becky’s presentation almost without exception.  Many thanks go to the parents who attended the presentation.

I have spent a great deal of time thinking about bullying and want to share a couple of thoughts.  I believe bullying has always existed.  There are some who may think that bullying is ok and is a rite of passage.  I strongly disagree with that premise because of the responsibility I feel to make things better if I/we know how to.  I also believe bullying has become more sophisticated over the last few years because of the ability to use technology as a tool.  I need to remind parents advances in technology have advantages as well as disadvantages for children.  Please monitor technology use by your youngsters.

For those who were not able to attend the evening and would like to download the power point of the evening or view a video of most of the evening, the links are here (for the slideshow) and here (for the video).  I believe this information is useful for all of our families.

On a separate note, a great CONGRATUALATIONS goes to EMILYNNE on winning the city wide Spelling Bee for private schools which included students from middle schools.

It has been a crazy day of football and of course I am very happy the Patriots will be returning to the Super Bowl.  Over the last few years I have become quite spoiled regarding Boston’s sports teams and their success.  It was not too long ago I would have been happy if the Patriots merely made the playoffs.  Now anything less than a championship means disappointment at the end of a season.  Clearly there is a great deal wrong with that view.  Yet I know I am doomed to that trap for the foreseeable future.

One of the most interesting stories in the NFL this season was the story of Tim Tebow.  I cannot remember a sports figure that has been covered in the depth or detail of this young player.  Rarely can I remember as much controversy surrounding the performance of a player who seems to want to do the right thing and has thus far acted with complete class. My hope is that Tim Tebow the human role model will be judged and celebrated regardless of his performance as a player.  As I have said often, there is way too much emphasis placed on sports in this country.

Speaking of too much emphasis on sports, I was struck by many of the comments made today regarding the passing of Penn. State football coach Joe Paterno.  I am not going to write about the last few months of Joe Pa’s life but rather am going to comment on the statements I heard today regarding Coach Paterno’s importance to Penn. State and its history.  He was called “the most influential person in the university’s history”. Please know I don’t quibble with the accuracy of this statement but question our society’s values when the head football coach or any other sports figure  at major universities has such a place of prominence.  While some might say Penn State is unique because of the long tenure of Joe Paterno, I would simply ask those people to look around the country and name the most recognized figure at most major universities.  My point is not to place blame at coaches’ feet but rather to ask ourselves to review our values!