The Weekly Bulldog
December 5, 2019
From Tim: What do we teach?
I hope you and family enjoyed a restorative and reflective Thanksgiving break, and that the holiday left you in the mood for … more holidays, which are right around the corner this year.
We hand 8th graders a diploma at graduation that documents a Stanley education. What does that paper really mean? What have we taught, and more importantly, what was learned?
Our curriculum guide traces the path of each core academic strand from kindergarten to 8th grade. It also demonstrates how our social-emotional program develops over the same span and how we integrate it. We revisit our K-8 curriculum on a regular basis, particularly in advance of our ACIS (Association of Colorado Independent Schools) accreditation process. We look for alignment across grades and divisions to ensure our academic program is sufficiently broad and also builds thoughtfully from one level to the next.
All of that is important, but it’s not what we really teach. Some years ago, we asked our faculty to reflect deeply on what they hoped and expected students to gain from their years at Stanley. No one’s thinking went to the details of their individual curriculum. Instead, we generated an inspiring list of skills and attributes that are really worth teaching and learning. We coalesced this large list into seven categories, and we call these our “7 Goals for Learners.”
Maybe there really should be ten goals, or we should condense them to only five, but the point is that these goals for learners are the basis of a Stanley education, and they’re what that diploma represents. Our teachers know that a particular subject or topic, whether it’s fractions or earthworms, is really a vehicle for teaching a skill or habit of mind – enabling curiosity, sharpening problem-solving, facilitating communication, developing analytical ability, practicing care for the world around us.
Of course the content of curriculum still is important. Good content helps students understand fundamental realities of the world around them, helps them put current events into historical contexts, and helps them fully participate as informed members of a society. But try explaining to an 8th grader why factoring binomials or the names of all cell parts are essential ingredients to success in life. Much of the content we work with will be forgotten, of course, and it’s all retrievable anyway at the push of a couple buttons (funny how that expression is even dated).
The ability to apply a problem-solving process to a novel situation, to see connections between one phenomenon and another, to apply logic and thinking strategies, to communicate one’s thinking – these skills do matter, and they matter a lot. Much has been written about the predictable economy of the future and the jobs resulting from it. Also well documented is how the way we “do school” lags behind the real changes happening around us.
School systems were established to mass produce workers for an industrial society. That need is long gone, yet the same assumptions of our broader educational system – sort and rank based on a narrow skill set, reward obedience and compliance, provide a standard teaching and learning experience – still largely apply. Instead, we need to insist on an education that values a wide range of abilities and talents, that rewards critical thinking and questioning, and that elevates personalized teaching and learning.
All the best,
Tim
Top Five Things
1. Enlarging the cultural classroom
Students in Kate, Lilly and Susannah's K-1-2 classroom are giving classmates a larger view of the lived experiences around them every week in “Culture Club." The teachers wanted to go beyond simply learning about and celebrating holidays; instead, the students and their families are guiding an ongoing discussion of diversity. Celebrating and learning about ourselves and others’ cultures helps develop a positive self identity and build self esteem, says Susannah. "Developing a strong foundation of belonging and acceptance through cultural celebration and education helps children to create a diverse social network and builds knowledge and empathy throughout our lives." Read more in this week's Learning Report.
2. Bookies shopping proceeds to Stanley through December 8
Need a book for sanity's sake, or for gifting -- or maybe a copy of "The Whole-Brain Child" for the book discussion on campus? Shop one of the best kids' booksellers in town and send proceeds to Stanley's PA. Or come for a special story time (at 3pm on Sunday the 8th) with our school librarian Allan.
3. Just in time for the Holidays!
Thanks to Stanley family and Stapleton's Goose & the Goat lifestyle proprietors Danielle & Jeff Patton... Stanley families who shop on these two days will receive 10% off their purchases, and 10% of all sales will be donated to The Stanley Fund. Learn more on our parents page.
4. Stanley Parents book discussion January 13
Get the book and then get together in our Ballroom in January with other Stanley parents and Tracy Stackhouse, executive director of Denver non-profit Developmental FX, to discuss “The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind.” RSVP info@developmentalfx.org.
5. Screen "Like" the movie on December 11
"Like," the movie, is matter-of-fact, informative and a great way to start or continue the important conversation around the use of social media. Stanley's Middle School is working with students and this film during school hours. Come see what all the fuss is about next week. RSVP to speakers@stanleybps.org.
Upcoming Events
December 5
Bricks 'n Brews Stanley adult pickup basketball
December 6
December 7
Morning greens & candles pickup
December 9-13
Book Swap in the Hambidge Commons
December 10
Colorado Gives Day - Go all in for Stanley!
December 11
Parent film screening: "Like" the movie
December 15
Current families sibling admission deadline: Testing & Teacher Recommendations
December 20
Stanley store open for Holiday Program
Holiday Program student performances
Ordering closes at midnight for January lunches and Extended Day
December 23 - January 6
Stanley British Primary School
Email: admin@stanleybps.org
Website: www.stanleybps.org
Location: 350 Quebec St., Denver
Phone: (303) 360-0803
Facebook: facebook.com/stanley.british/
Twitter: @stanleybps