Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (December 2, 2013)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            Happy December!  As usual, the year is flying by, but we still have a lot of time left to do great things.  Today, I reminded the students of our concept of excellence.  The message today was that whenever we finish a project, whether it is a long-term one or just something that we are required to do on a particular day, we should ask ourselves if we have done the best we could under the circumstances.  Educational research indicates that the process of reflection is one of the most valuable tools in our learning toolbox.  If we can learn to reflect and think critically about our actions and our efforts, it is much more likely that we will develop habits of mind that keep us striving to attain excellence.

 Mr. Fletcher reminded the students that as a staff, we meet each week to reflect on what we have accomplished and to discuss ways in which we can improve our craft.  Indeed, we can all probably do a better job of reflecting.  As parents you can model this important habit by “thinking out loud”, which is another strategy that we use with students.  Simply stated, thinking out loud is the practice of sharing our thoughts as a way of instructing learners about how we process things in our minds.  For example, you might say out loud, “So I am thinking that in order to plan our day on Saturday, I will need to make a list of things to do because I am a visual person.”  Or you might be reading to your child and stop at a part to say, “This reminds me of a time when I was young and I made a poor choice, too.”  Reflecting and thinking out loud are strategies that we can teach our children to create those habits of mind that will help them make good choices and also take time to understand the learning process. 

            Now that it is, in fact, December, we need to start thinking about weather-related closings and delays. The procedures for closing school because of snow, for example, are relatively simple.  On days when the forecast calls for snow, I will rise at 5:00 a.m. to listen to the weather reports and check closings that are being posted in the area. Sometimes I will go outside to look for myself at my snow gauge, the barometric pressure, my atomic hydrospheric anemometer or the local squirrels’ bushy tails.  When that fails to give me a sense of the imminent snowfall, I will go inside and turn to Tony Pann on WBAL for advice.  Of course, if there is already snow on the ground, I can look at it.

But seriously, folks, what I actually do is listen to what is happening in the large public school systems.  They have better resources than I have and are evaluating the situation long before I get out of bed.  I will make a decision about closing based on the information I can gather and post our information on WBAL-TV by 6:30 a.m.  You can access my posting by tuning in to WBAL-TV or you can get the information quickly at www.wbaltv.com/closings/index.html. At this site you will view the closings or delays for the day and you can also sign up to get an email or text message about the status of the GreenMount School.  I recommend this because it happens immediately and you don’t have to wait for the TV report to get to our school alphabetically.  Please check your Family Handbook for procedures concerning late openings and early dismissals.  Late openings will also be posted on WBAL.

 Finally, while I said that I consult the major school systems to make my decision about GreenMount, there are exceptions.  Public schools have to consider the safety of bus riders in their decision-making process.  We do not.  Therefore, there may be an occasion when city schools are closed and we are not.  I will also consider parents and your inconvenience, especially if we have late openings.  That said, the first consideration is always safety.

           

Cheers, 

Steve

           

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (October 22, 2012)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            Recently, a concern from a parent came to my attention regarding homework.  It seems that the student is spending hours completing homework with little time left for anything else.  The fact that a child spends nearly all of his or her free time doing homework is counter-intuitive to the idea that we want all of the students who attend GreenMount to have opportunities outside the classroom for exploring the world on their own terms and following their own interests.

This morning, I spoke to our students at our Monday Morning Meeting about the idea put forth in Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Outliers, that in order to be truly exceptional in any field, one must devote at least 10,000 hours practicing whatever skills are necessary to become “outstanding.”  Concert violinists, for example, must practice for 10,000 hours, basketball players must practice 10,000 free throws; the Beatles, according to Gladwell, played together for 10,000 hours before coming to the U.S. to change music forever.  Let’s not think about the fact that it is very hard for a heart surgeon to perform 10,000 transplants or an airline pilot to log 10,000 hours of flight time before becoming certified (Southwest requires 2,500 hours).  Most teachers can reach 10,000 hours in nine years.

So, is time spent struggling with homework for hours wasted time?  Should a youngster be using at least as much time following personal interests as they do completing homework?  The answers to these questions are hard to define.  Sometimes, it is good for students to struggle with problems.  We want them to learn to persevere and to work hard.  At the same time, we don’t want to frustrate them and make them hate the idea of independent, out-of-school assignments.  We want our students to have the desire to complete their assignments and to also have the desire to do things in an excellent fashion.  Please consult the homework policy we developed as a staff a couple of years ago.  Also, check the Family Handbook for suggested times allotted for homework.  If students are taking more than the allotted time to complete assignments, let us know.

Finally, let’s consider procrastination.  As a project-oriented school, students receive assignments that are to be completed over a given time period. Unlike us mature grown-ups, they sometimes wait until the last minute to finish their projects.  (Imagine that!)  The consequence often is a long evening without much of anything except a battle to complete the project.

Our teachers (many of whom have logged 10,000 hours) give students timelines for projects and remind them along the way about meeting benchmarks before a project is due.  Please check with your child, consult the homework page on the web site, and talk to teachers about these timelines so that you can help meet deadlines with products that are “excellent.”

The GreenMount School Homework Philosophy

Homework is an important part of every student’s learning process.  It not only supports daily instruction, but teaches responsibility and organizational skills. 

The student’s responsibility is to make every effort to complete homework assignments. 

The parent’s responsibility is to provide the time and adequate space to complete assignments. 

The school’s responsibilities include the following:

• Connect homework to classroom learning and clearly identify the purpose of each assignment
• Provide students with relevant tasks that they can complete without adult help
• Use what we know about learning to design homework appropriate for individual students
• Facilitate two-way communication between teachers and students and teachers and parents
• Provide direct instruction and modeling on homework completion strategies
• Provide non-optional help for students who are struggling
• Eliminate zero policy – all homework gets done. Missing homework is not acceptable and will result in a behavior reflection if it is not completed.
• Grading is based on completion only

Cheers, 

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (September 10, 2012)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            At today’s Monday Morning Meeting, Ms. Elaine demonstrated how our Pillars work to guide each of us as we work to create a culture of excellence in our school.  We also spoke to the students about some of the expectations that we have as we work on this initiative for the third year. 

We had a long conversation about this idea at our staff meeting on Friday, and it was good to acknowledge all that we currently do to celebrate excellent work and behavior.  Indeed, The GreenMount School is one that for twenty years now has been growing this kind of culture. 

But there is always more to do.  So, as a staff we will be continuing our efforts to refine our approach to establishing this culture.  For example, at the end of last year we watched a powerful YouTube video about the power of words.  The blind man was getting very little help from passersby, who read his sign that said, “Blind, please help.”  At one point, a woman stopped and took the sign and wrote something on it.  Subsequently, people began dropping money in the man’s hat one after another.  The man did not know what the woman wrote, but the audience then saw the words, “It’s a beautiful day, but I can’t see it.”  The power of words…As a staff we are exploring how we speak to children and how our words are powerful – for better or worse.  We must realize that our words and body language send strong messages to children and that in order to cultivate excellence, we must carefully choose words that encourage students and give them meaningful feedback. 

This week, we are reading an article from Educational Leadership about feedback that is given to students.  The author is Grant Wiggins, who is best known for his work with Baltimorean Jay McTighe and Understanding by Design.  This interesting article reveals to us, as teachers, some of the discrepancies that exist in what we think is feedback. For example, have you ever heard feedback that sounds like this?

-          You need more examples in your report.

-          You should have included some essential questions in your unit plan.

-          Good work!

-          I’m so pleased with your poster!

None of this is meaningful feedback.  The first two examples are actually advice while the second two are value judgments.   Instead of “Good work,” we should offer feedback such as, “Do you remember when you couldn’t do this exercise?”  or “You cited 18 authors in your report.  What strategies did you use to find so many authors?”

It is sometimes scary to think of the power adults have over children, and words often express that power.  The staff at GMS is working to make sure that words convey positive growth for every child, even when the conversation is a result of a bad choice that a student has made.  Students who come to me with a behavior reflection get a chance to do just that – reflect – to use their own words to understand the choices they have made and how they may hinder them from demonstrating excellence.

            Parents and teachers are charged with an awesome responsibility.  Together, we must continually strive to give our children the right message so that they become confident, capable and contributing learners.

“Adults are always asking little kids what they want to be when they grow up because they're looking for ideas” – Paula Poundstone

           

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (September 4, 2012)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            WELCOME BACK!  This morning, we finally got our families back from what I hope was a productive and enjoyable summer vacation.  For some of you, today was an anxious moment and one in which you already began missing your children.  For others, it was noted that you did not hesitate to click your heels and let out a hearty “Yahoo!” as you left the gated area. (The gated area, by the way, was heavily congested today due to almost everyone arriving on time.  I hope that habit continues as it is important for students to be present for the morning meeting and to begin each day with their classmates.)

            I am seeing lots of smiles today, and it does my heart good to see how welcoming our “old timers” are being to the very large group of new students that have joined us.  This new group of students seems excellent and we are all excited about how they will contribute to the school. We are also especially excited about the families who have joined us.  It was obvious during our picnic last week that we are continuing to gain parents who will be tremendous assets to our school with the many talents they bring.  I hope that all parents will consider visiting classrooms to talk to students about your professions and skills that you have developed as adults.  It is important for kids to understand that it takes hard work and persistence to achieve success in life and that we are all learners, no matter what our age.

            Speaking of success, this summer I read Outliers by Malcomb Gladwell.  What a great book!  I loved it because it spoke to me about the need for opportunities to be given to children to find their passion and that which will drive their inquisitive minds.  The research in the book is very interesting and relates especially well to the kind of standards that we are growing to build a culture of excellence in our school.  If some of you have read the book or would like to, I think we could have a great discussion about it.

           

            Many parents and teachers, both new and returning (notice I didn’t say “old”), are very kind in their praise of our school and our approach to learning.  We believe that approach is fashioned to create learners that will be equipped to meet the challenges of a future about which we can only speculate.  It is an exciting and yet uncertain future that our children face, and who knows what will face our kindergarteners in 2062 when they are retiring?! So, we know that we have a great responsibility to create a culture in our school where the “cool” thing to do is to work hard and achieve our very best.  We have laid out a plan for inculcating excellence, and that plan is shared with you on the following page.  Our professional development plans for the year will extend our research and discussion in creating this culture and I hope you will join us in using the language that inspires children to take risks, strive for excellence, and unleash their curiosity and innovative spirit.  Each year at GreenMount is better than the previous one, and as our staff learns, so do the children.  It will be a banner year for all of us.  Aren’t you excited?

            The same quote as last year.  We are still pursuing this goal:

E X C E L L E N C E

“Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise; risking more than others think is safe.  Dreaming more than others practical and expecting more than others think is possible”

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (February 22, 2012)

Greetings GreenMount Community,

            How do we begin to describe the China theme event?  Those of you who have been attending theme events for some time surely recognize the significance of this one.  We had the best participation by parents ever, with nearly 300 parents and guests attending!  We know that this was in part due to the fact that we held the event in the evening, enabling many of you frequently hampered by work schedules to attend.  It was indeed rewarding to see so many of you packed into our gym (probably over capacity, but who knew?).  Also, the feedback we received was very positive and many parents followed directions and asked the students questions about the work they have done.  Those questions were answered with surprising insight and knowledge.  I am so proud of our students and the teachers who have guided them to this conclusion.  We also had some feedback from visitors who have never attended a theme event.  As you can imagine, they were amazed at the whole thing.  Those of us who have been a part of fifteen or more theme events can certainly appreciate what the kids accomplished and the way they demonstrated their learning, and for some this kind of excellence is what is expected.  For someone experiencing a theme event for the first time, it was very special.

            Speaking of excellence, we discussed with the students before the event the idea of how their performances, displays, and demonstrations represent the concept of excellence.  They were right on when they talked about showing parents that they truly care about how they showcase their learning.  I thought that this was a breakthrough in the development of a culture of excellence that we are working to institutionalize.  I believe that we are well on the way toward reaching our goal of having students work intuitively to produce excellent products.

            Now it is on to our Baltimore theme.  This morning, a group of parents met to discuss ideas of how we might make this next theme significant.  We have a great opportunity here to teach our students about the city in which most of them live and to appreciate its history and unique characteristics. I was very impressed with the knowledge our parents have about Baltimore.  Perhaps we have even more parents who have some interesting perspectives on the city and how we might use your knowledge to enrich the learning of our students.  If you have suggestions, please email them to me and I will be sure to share them with the staff.  Thank you.

            Yesterday morning, I applauded our many students who learned some Chinese language.  I then challenged them to decipher the following Baltimorese:

“It spaced a snaid mora. Better pitcher snay tars owen. Ah got me somefar stain tars at the Tee Goz bay the Glimburny bopass.” What?

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (February 13, 2012)

Greetings GreenMount Community,

            We are very excited this week because of the upcoming theme event.  We have just four days left to prepare, and I think you will be impressed with what the students have learned.  Today, at our Monday Meeting, we discussed this and it pleased me that the students, in response to my question of what the event would be, answered in unison, “Excellent!”  I know it will be.

Remember that the event is Thursday night, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., with a Chinese dinner beginning at 5:00.  This dinner will be very special because it is being prepared by Mark and Lilis Hauptman, who prepare authentic Chinese food a lot.  We are very fortunate to have this couple commit to such a huge task.  We may feed as many as 250 people!  So bring your drinks (no alcohol) and your plates and utensils and be prepared to be well fed and entertained. 

Most of the theme event will take place in the gym, but parts will be occurring in classrooms.  We ask that you try to spend a little time at each site reviewing the students’ work, trying not to congregate in any one place.  You will receive an agenda on Thursday night, and we will further explain your movement around the building at that time.

            Speaking of timelines, do you know that there are only 37 days until the first day of spring?  What happened to winter?  I shouldn’t ask that question.  However, it looks like we may escape the kind of winter we had last year.  But I’m not a weather man so don’t hold me to that.

Another important date is fast approaching. Amazingly enough, we only have 74 school days left!  There is so much to do in so little time, as is always the case. It seems to me that this happens every year.  Suddenly, we are staring at the end, only recently remembering the beginning.  To some, the days go faster.  Perhaps it is those who are having fun.  For me, that is definitely the case.  Each day here is an adventure and a reward.  If I haven’t thanked you lately, thanks for the opportunity to be part of this wonderful community.

“Time flies. It's up to you to be the navigator.” - Robert Orben

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (January 30, 2012)

Greetings GreenMount Community,

On Saturday, Ms. Elaine and I presented at the 2^nd Annual Progressive Schools Summit, held at City Neighbors Hamilton High School.  Our presentation focused on the work we have been doing to create a culture of excellence at our school.  The workshop went well and our audience asked a lot of questions about our direction and how we were trying to inculcate the idea of excellence as an important part of the school culture.  The discussion was very interesting and also gave us pause to reflect on our success so far.  We explained to our audience that cultural shifts in a school can take years to occur, and even though GreenMount students are generally the kind of students who strive for excellence, it isn’t always obvious that this is something that is intrinsic.

So today, I asked the students at our Monday Morning Meeting how they think we are doing in our pursuit of a culture of excellence. I was pleased to learn that they understand excellence as being the quality of work that represents their best effort, and something they care about.  Students also shared that their excellent work is a result of the tools they have in their toolboxes.  One younger student expressed that each of us has a big tool in our toolbox that is something for which they have a special talent.  Several students then gave examples of those big tools that they possess, and it was interesting to hear what they thought were their special tools. Each example, by the way, was fodder for a discussion about why their special talent was important.  One student mentioned fencing as his special tool. Through questioning, it was determined that in order to fence well, one must be disciplined and in good physical condition.  When questioned by a teacher about his acquisition of this skill, it became apparent that it took many tries to find success to be even considered adequate as a fencer.

This led to discussion of the fact that, in order to produce excellent work, it takes many tries and failures before something becomes a permanent part of our toolboxes.  I think that we are making good progress in this effort, and I encourage all parents to be part of the discussion with your children.  Here are some important points to emphasize as you discuss excellence around the dinner table:

• Excellence represents that which you care deeply about and something that reflects the best you can do given the tools you have.
• Many “drafts” or attempts to reach a goal are required before you can attain excellence.
• Excellence can only be attained by establishing a value for the product.
• Once a value is established and understood, it takes effort and hard work to achieve excellence.
• All of us have special talents and creativity. We can attain excellence by using our best tools and improving others so that our toolbox becomes full of useful things.
• Excellence comes as a result of trials, errors and, many times, disappointment.
• We all have examples of achieving excellence.  Share them with your children.  Discuss how you used the tools in your toolbox to create an excellent product.

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” - Aristotle

Cheers,

Steve