Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (March 25, 2013)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            Ah, spring!  It is finally here and the crocuses are coming up in front of the school.  Soon, we will be enjoying the warm sun and that beautiful spring green around our area.  Gym classes will be outside, and instead of coats being left on the stage, they will be left on the grass.  Then there will be that tricky time between heating and cooling our building, which is always a challenge, especially since our weather in Baltimore is so finicky.  Nonetheless, it will change and the students will be chomping at the bit for summer vacation to begin. It will all happen too fast and before you know it, we will be in summer mode.  For now, we still have a lot of work to do. 

            Our third theme is coming along nicely as students are learning about the history of journalism and media.  Some great discussions are taking place about journalists’ responsibilities and the role of media in shaping opinion and even policy.  And speaking of experiential opportunities for students, our kindergarteners experienced what it was like to be a carrier pigeon with a message attached to their bodies.  Can you picture them “flying” around the gym, delivering their messages?  A subsequent discussion in class amazed Ms. Laura as the students identified all the disadvantages of using pigeons to carry messages.  Some comments were very practical, such as, “The pigeon could get shot!” or “The pigeon could be attacked by a hawk!”

(exclamation points always come after a kindergarteners comment). Other students recognized that the pigeon just might get tired and decide to go visit a pigeon cousin or that it was not his job to deliver messages.  We’ll have to have a lesson with the kindergarteners about what a “bird brain” is.  Teachers will be letting you know about some of the activities as we move forward and perhaps you can find a way to contribute in class as well.  Our thanks to Ann Foster for stepping up and creating an artistic and imaginative bulletin board for the theme.  I haven’t seen that much newspaper since the last time I moved.

            The other day I received a note from one of our second graders.  It came in an envelope and in very neat Denelian handwriting said, Dear Mr. Steve, I am having a great time at GreenMount.  GreenMount is awesome!  Love, ­­­­­______.  As I sit and look at this lovely sentiment, I am struck, as I often have been, by the power that lies within us as adults to bring about so many wonderful attributes in children.  This young student has a family that encourages independent thought and openly expressing feelings.  This student has teachers who provide the tools of self-expression and the skills necessary to put thoughts down on paper. And when I think of this child, who is benefiting from a supportive family and skilled teachers, I think of all the children in our school and the extent to which we mold them into the big people they will surely become.  Will they still love learning?  Will they still innocently express their feelings and opinions?

A lot of research out there, such as that done by Ken Robinson (How Schools Are Killing Creativity), indicates that as students get older they become more inhibited, less creative, and less communicative (talking that is).  I remember my own teenage son’s phone conversations (pre-Internet) that lasted about ten seconds and went something like, Hey, yeah, when?, Cool, Later.  He’s a great adult now, but he was a much more interesting 6-year-old.  And now that he has his own 11-year-old son, I can talk to him about trying to preserve the inquisitive, thoughtful grandson that I have.

I think we all have a responsibility to not make the assumption that children just “get it” as they grow older.  We need to continually stimulate their imaginations and to be thoughtful and deliberate in how we educate them about their world.  And in order to do that, we have to understand their world.  This is what we strive to do at GreenMount.  Why are our seventh graders so excited about the trip they took to help the homeless in D.C.?  I think it’s because it is real to them.  It is something that gives them the opportunity to make a difference and have value.  We tell a kindergarten student regularly that he or she is special and wonderful.  Let’s make sure we say the same thing for our middle school children, because they are, too.

            Cheers,  

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (March 11, 2013)

Greetings GreenMount Community,

            Last week at this time I was actually listening to what the weather people were saying and my whole message was centered on the impending blizzard.  Needless to say, I assume that your kids did not get out and play some of the snow games I suggested. What a disappointment!  Then again, it was an opportunity for our students to rest up and maybe even catch up on some of those assignments they are missing.  And now the crocuses are up and the robins have made their comeback.  This weekend, families were out on the NCR trail walking, biking, fishing and hiking in shirtsleeves and shorts.  How the weather does turn in Baltimore.  Today, as I exited the JFX onto 28^th Street, I saw the daffodils sprouting on the reservoir hill.  It won’t be long now.  But don’t forget the blizzard of ’58!

            At today’s morning meeting we talked about cyber bullying and how we choose words that we use with others.  Some of the students were familiar with two recent events of cyber bullying that appeared in the news, and it was determined that just about everyone has either been bullied in this way or bullied others.  I was proud of the fact that the students acknowledged that they have used unkind words with others and that they recognize that they can be hurtful even if they think they are only “kidding”.  They were very attentive as we discussed how much words can hurt and the fact that cyber bullying has no face or voice.  We also discussed their responsibility for self-advocacy when someone says or does something hurtful to them.  I encourage you to discuss this further at home and to model for them the idea of self-advocacy.

           

            You may be aware that we have begun our final theme for the year titled, Printing Press to Paperless.  The overarching idea as stated for upper school students is as follows: “With the emergence of our industrialized nation, delivering news has evolved, requiring an audience of critical thinkers.”  For the lower school, this is stated in simpler terms as follows: “Getting the news has changed over the years and so have the people who receive it."  Students will be learning about the effect of media on our lives today as well as how it affected the lives of people over the many years since the invention of the printing press in 1456.  This will be an interesting theme requiring a lot of writing.  The students will come away with a much more critical eye on media today.  We think this will serve this generation well as they are part of a rapidly expanding age of information.

            Many of you are aware that Ms. Ali will be having a baby soon (It’s a girl!) and will be leaving at the end of the day on Wednesday for the rest of the year.  Blair Latraverse has been subbing for us and spent a week with Ms. Ali last week learning the routines and more about the students in the class.  She is well prepared to take over.  We will let you know when the blessed event occurs so that we can all celebrate a new member of the GreenMount family.

Cheers,

Steve