Matt's Monday Memo
May 13, 2019
Good morning all.
I read the opinion piece this week in the New York Times, “Math Teachers Should Be More Like Football Coaches” from someone that knows both well. Recruited by Cornell, Princeton and Stanford before becoming a starting Offensive lineman at football power Penn State, John Urschel played three years in the NFL before “settling” as a Ph.D. candidate in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Early in his schooling, such a fate would have been more than unlikely.
The article centers on his experiences in math but is a larger indictment of dispassionate, impersonal education coupled with meager instructional and assessment design. Urschel noted his struggles as a student in performing more rote, passionless tasks in his course work that had teachers labeling him as in need of remediation or repeating a year in school, the plight of other students of color in our batch system of education. His love of math was not visible in the directed routine he endured.
"But my problem wasn’t with math itself. In fact, I spent countless hours as a child doing logic and math puzzles on my own, and as a teenager, when a topic seemed particularly interesting, I would go to the library and read more about it.
By high school, none of my teachers questioned my mathematical talent, but none of them really encouraged it, either. No one told me that I could become a professional mathematician. And frankly, that was fine with me. I had no desire to spend my life doing exercises out of a textbook, which is what I assumed mathematicians did — if I even thought about what they did."
As he progressed in his schooling, John shared commitment to goals and accountability to his future through his coaches that led to his greater opportunities in post-secondary settings. He points to the need for that work to be shared in the classroom as well:
"A growing body of research shows that students are affected by more than just the quality of a lesson plan. They also respond to the passion of their teachers and the engagement of their peers, and they seek a sense of purpose. They benefit from specific instructions, constant feedback and a culture of learning that encourages resilience in the face of failure — not unlike a football practice. There are many ways to be an effective teacher, just as there are many ways to be an effective coach. But all good teachers, like good coaches, communicate that they care about your goals.
My professor kept giving me problems, and I kept pursuing them, even though I couldn’t always solve them immediately. Before long, he was introducing me to problems that had never been solved before, and urging me to find new techniques to help crack them. The mathematical research I was doing had little in common with what I did in my high school classrooms. Instead, it was closer to the math and logic puzzles I did on my own as a boy. It gave me that same sense of wonder and curiosity, and it rewarded creativity."
I had the pleasure to linger Friday in 7th hour band as they prepared a piece for graduation and in the final rehearsal for the A Capella show on Friday. Both had direct feedback for what performers need to do to improve as well as shared conversation centered in refining the work from Kevin Cole, Eric Dunn, and Jamie Schwartz. Kevin spoke to the setting and the importance of the tone the group would have on commencement. Both took input from students on what they wanted more practice and consequently greater confidence and better end product. And while one might point to the students being self-selected and talented, it is also evident in the work in our Statesmen Center with Zach Smith, Glenn Dutch and others that model belief, resilience and passion each day. While John Urschel maybe an outlier in his abilities, the lessons on how to best craft the learning experiences for our students at Webster Groves are evident.
Best,
Matt
Peek at the Week
- May 16: Graduation Rehearsal, 2:45 p.m., Roberts Gym
- May 17: WGHS Graduation, 6:30 p.m., Moss Field
Celebrations
- Congratulations to Todd Schaefer and the drama students for a final round of the Senior One-Acts!
- Congratulations to Tim Havis, Marilyn Short, and the choirs for the terrific choral concert last week.
- Congratulations to Eric Dunn and Jaime Schwartz for the A Cappella Extravaganza.
- Thanks to Jennedy Lombard and Barb Smith for coordinating AP testing. This is not an easy task. Thanks also to all of our counselors for their assistance.
- Special thanks to the Science Department for another fun tie-dye day. It was great seeing so many students in their tie-dye shirts.
- Congratulations to Jerry Collins, Cliff Ice, and Kim Edwards for another great Statesmen Sports Awards night. Nominees and winners are below.
- This week is SRO week--special thanks to Officer Bob Graeff for keeping our school safe and being a great role model and trusted adult for our students.
2019 Statesmen Sports Awards Nominees and Winners (in orange)
Congratulations, Donald Johnson and the ECHO staff!
JournalismSTL has released its 2019 ratings and awards.
The Echo earned a superior rating for its Online Overall.
The Echo earned a superior rating for its Print Version.
The Voices of Webster podcast earned a superior rating for Radio/Podcast Overall.
Individual awards are listed below.
JournalismSTL Superior
Senior Trinity Madison—Broadcast Feature-- Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Sophomore Jaden Fields and freshman Gant Gibson—Broadcast Feature-- Halloween brings questions about safety
Senior Gretchen Skoglund—Broadcast Feature-- Seniors share high school insights
Senior Greg Frazier--Sports Photo-- Men's Basketball wins back-to-back State championships--Cover
JournalismSTL Excellent
Senior Cole Schnell—Commentary Copy-- Unsolicited sexual photos are sexual harassment
Senior Josie Krueger—Commentary Copy-- America needs better gun control
Senior Josie Krueger—Commentary Copy-- Recent climate report predicts environmental crisis
Senior Cole Schnell and graduate Ashli Wagner—News Copy-- Students, staff, moms take action after MSD shooting
Freshman Zeke LaMantia—Portrait Photo-- Musical make-up artist tests designs
Senior Gretchen Skoglund—Broadcast Feature-- Historic Shaw Art Fair exhibits craftsmanship, culture
Sophomore Ada Foley—Broadcast Feature-- Students express beliefs about ghosts
Junior Emily Stisser—Sports Feature Copy-- Softball head coach emphasizes community
Junior Ethan Weihl—Sports Photo-- Sophomore Lauren Kelley begins her stretch of the Women’s 4×200 meters
Senior Ellie Marshall--Sports Photo-Senior captain Mason Schultz kicks ball
JournalismSTL Honorable Mention
Sophomore Maeve Taylor and junior Lindsey Bennett—News Feature Copy-- Innovative teaching styles create new opportunities for learning inside, outside of classroom
Senior Cole Schnell—News Photo-- Man challenges protesters
Senior Ethan Ryan—Broadcast News-- DECA sponsors Night in the Courtyard
Senior Trinity Madison—Broadcast Feature-- Water Polo in WG
Sophomore Maeve Taylor—Broadcast Feature-- Thrifting students find bargains, help community
Sophomore Jaden Fields--Sports Photo--Senior Dallas King and Gateway player Jemard Sykes grapple for ball
Reminders/Announcements
- The District’s Retirement/Years of Service Celebration is on Tuesday, May 14 at 4 p.m. See the posted signs around the building for details.
- Reminder to those teachers who are working graduation: We will have a brief meeting in the PV Commons on Wednesday, May 15, at 2:50 to review assignments. This meeting will last 10 minutes – please arrive on time. For those of you who cannot make it to the 2:50 meeting, we will have another on Thursday at 7:20 a.m.
- Please also remember that graduation rehearsal in on Thursday, May 16. Seniors will be using 2nd and 3rd floor new addition classrooms at 2:50 p.m.
- Teachers, remember that final exams are approaching. All teachers must give a final exam. Please see a revised school calendar for the exam schedule. The purpose of final exams is to evaluate a student’s progress for the semester. The exam shall count for 10-20% of the final course grade, with the exact percentage determined by the department chair. Each teacher must provide to the department chair a copy of his/her final exam. Also, please note that students may not take exams early, unless the student will be absent on Friday due to family circumstances, and you agree to give the exam early only during finals week. In most cases, though, we are going to require that the student receive an “I” and make-up the exam. If, for some reason, you are giving an exam other than the time scheduled, you must have approval from the administrator who oversees your department.
- Please call parents on any drastic grade changes at the end of the semester, especially if the student is going to fail your class and was passing at the 12-week progress period. It is always better for them to be prepared opposed to surprises on the report card. Each year the AP’s receive 10-15 calls from parents questioning grades, especially when a grade has dropped significantly from the 12-week progress grade. It is often difficult for them to explain, and they usually need to track you down over the summer to return a call. Let’s do our best in being proactive on making these calls.
Upcoming Professional Development
- May 24: Records Day (11:05 - 3:00)