Back-to-School Night is a perennial favorite of mine. It is the one time out of the year that our parents have the opportunity to be in the classroom with our teachers. My hope is that parents get a glimpse of the excitement that we have about teaching Middle School kids. It is also a wonderful chance to hear more about our curricular goals and the ways we hope to translate the school’s mission statement into day-to-day practice with students.

 

As many of you know, annually I put forward a challenge to Middle School parents. The challenge is to try something new, preferably something outside one's comfort zone. My hope is that by learning something new, we are reminded of how exciting and challenging it can be. Getting reacquainted with how it feels to put ourselves out there, uncertain of our success, is a reminder of how intertwined making mistakes and making improvement actually are.

 

Each year, I also “walk the walk” by taking on something new. Over the years, I have tried a variety of different “new things.” I have slalom water-skied, become a certified scuba diver, done yoga, taken western dance lessons, windsurfed, white water kayaked and kite boarded, to name just a few. Last year, as one of the two pictures will attest, I tried to learn to surf. This was great fun AND I spent a LOT of time off the surfboard and just a little time on it! Some of these new activities have become a real part of who I am. I love to windsurf, slalom reasonably and have added yoga to my weekly routine. Some activities were fun to learn but have not made it into my “life rotation.” And there is one, kite boarding, that I am still wrestling with each summer. I have yet to stay up for longer than five seconds, but my hope is to set a personal best next year of six seconds or maybe even more. Still, to me the purpose is not to become accomplished in each of these activities, but instead to refresh my empathy for our students.

 

Each day, we ask our students to put themselves out there, to take risks, to try new things and to receive constructive feedback on their progress. This is absolutely essential to growth, and it takes courage on our students’ part, lots of courage. At Back-to-School night this year, I also put forward my hope that you will join us in setting high, but realistic expectations for our students. Few of us are wired to be GREAT at everything; instead, we have interests, passions, predispositions and abilities that make us unique. Our ability to discover our passions and to develop these particular skill sets is what is most likely to lead to long-term success.

 

I hope you will join me this year by taking up my challenge to try something new. I hope we will all keep our eyes open to what is special and unique about each child, even if those abilities are not measured by the school’s honor roll.

 

And, if you were wondering, my “new thing” will be to try my hand at making pottery. I am very pleased with our students’ start to the school year. If there is any way that I can be supportive, please do not hesitate to contact me.