(One of) Today's Educational Challenges!

I was reading an article recently about America's declining scores in math and science and how other industrialized nations test scores have surpassed our own. I have to say I am at a loss for this decline, as it seems we are expecting more and more of our students each year.

I can't imagine any adult has looked at a child's textbook in the past five years and not marveled at what students are learning now versus what we learned at the same grade level. Perhaps that is part of the problem. As we are constantly forced to "up" our curriculum to stay on pace with what other schools are doing, not to high school expectations, we may be exposing our children to too much too soon.

As children's mature, their brains are also developing and it is only at specific developmental stages that they are capable of certain thought processes. This development continues through their teen years, but we often forget this because the child "looks like an adult." If a child is expected to comprehend concepts before they are capable of grasping them, perhaps our students are convincing themselves that they are incapable of doing well in these areas and thus they stop trying.

Another possibility may be what seems like an increased emphasis on athletics over academics. It seems with the advent of club sports, high school sports agents, etc., more and more people are identifying athletics as their child's route to college and beyond and school work is taking a back seat. Similarly, the overly regimented schedules many of today's youth follow allow very little, if any, free time. Children need to be bored if they are going to develop their creativity and imagination, which can be essential elements of understanding specific content in science or higher level math.

Another possibility may be that we have become complacent with our standing in the world, and we no longer feel the urgency to be the best because we already think we are.

I don't know the answer to all this. I know teachers are teaching, students are learning and parents are involved. I think it's a very real issue that we as educators, and as a country, need to consider and search for answers. We still are dealing with incredibly bright, talented children who have the capabilities to be leaders in any field, but we must supply them with the proper tools to accomplish this.

Abolishing Religion at Holy Angels

That headline had to get some attention! About a month and a half ago, the entire school was asked to respond to a survey about the school as well as share any thoughts or opinions regarding what is going on at Holy Angels. Some of the comments were ones we have received, and responded to, in the past, while others contained new critiques and insights. Probably the most interesting comment, to me, was the survey that called for the elimination of religion classes at the school.

My first thought was why would you send your child to Holy Angels if that was your opinion. If the desire was to obtain an inexpensive "private" school education, Holy Angels is a bad choice. We are first and foremost a Catholic school. (Yes, a significant difference exists between the two.) We provide a strong education, but our faith is the reason Holy Angels exists.

However, I did begin to reflect on what it would mean to the school if we did get rid of the religion classes. We would have the minutes in the day for the Spanish classes or extra P.E. people often speak about. That would be great! But we would also lose what makes Holy Angels the school that it is, and more importantly, it would change the students we produce at Holy Angels.

Teaching our students about our faith provides the foundation for so much of what we do and what makes the school special. We do not view Catholicism as a subject that fills thirty minutes of the students' day. In addition to being the building blocks of the values we pass on to our students, it also becomes the rationale behind our expectation that the students live their faith.

Living your faith may sometimes mean collecting for those less fortunate than ourselves. While compassion and social justice are qualities I would hope every school-aged child learns about, for our students, it is mandatory. Sometimes it may be taught through our school family activities or when classes collaborate on an activity. Responsible leadership, the sharing of knowledge, and community building are all characteristics of the Church that our youngest students should be learning about and participating in.

Even if we eliminated religion classes from Holy Angels, to eliminate the words and teachings of Jesus from our school would be doing our students a huge disservice. Peace, tolerance and love of God and others can only make our world a better place.

We are fortunate to have religion as part of our curriculum. It is an invaluable guide in helping us produce individuals who know that what they do is more important that what they say. As a principal, I'd rather have a Catholic child who only speaks one language than a bilingual child lacking the qualities that make our students who they are.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Perhaps one of the few things that can add to the stress of all that is going on during the holiday season is the highly anticipated report card conferences! It's ironic that often times, these conferences are viewed with a sense of hesitancy from both the parents' and the teachers' perspectives.

Hopefully, no one is coming into these meetings with a sense of wonder or will be leaving surprised. Everyone should have a pretty good sense of how their child is doing in class, particularly if it is an area of concern. We all should enter these talks with the belief that we are attempting to strengthen the partnership that must exist if our children are to succeed. It is just as important for parents to come into conferences prepared as it is for the teacher.

Before you meet, write down some questions you may have regarding your child's you have concerns, see if they match with he teacher's concerns. Be aware of the difference that occurs with group learning versus working alone with an adult at home. Do not become defensive about your child's school performance, partner for ways to improve it. Make a plan with the teacher (and your child) to do better.

Afterwards, sit down with your child and look over the report card together. Find items to praise and discuss how to improve the areas that need improvement. Now is not the time to get upset about a bad grade, but instead ask your child how you can help him or her do better.

Finally, be careful about rewards for good grades. Again, consider the message you are sending. Do you want to attach a dollar amount to a grade, or prefer your child understand that the most important benefit of acquiring a good grade is the knowledge gained from that grade?

Virtual Zoo

With the constant barrage of thoughts that filter through my mind regarding kids, education, global warming and how it will all come back to haunt me when my child becomes a teenager, I think its important to consider the rationale behind writing this blog. One of my primary objectives is to celebrate all the great activities that take place at Holy Angels.

Many years ago, at another school, I had a long time parent approach me and say, "I can't believe all the things that take place here that I had no idea about." She realized this as she was going through photographs for the yearbook, and it made me think that often times, the child's response that "nothing" happened at school that day is not altogether accurate. Today was a great example of one of the many fantastic, yet less publicized, events that take place at the school.

Our fourth grade assembled their "Virtual Zoo" in which they researched an animal, dressed like that animal, and presented information about the animal to people who visited the "zoo". Ms. Woehler always does a great job with this event, and the parents and students both loved visiting and participating in it.

Our teachers are constantly providing the students with creative ways to learn, and amidst all the concerns within education, we have to remember that making learning fun is an important component of educating . Congratulations to our fourth graders and to Ms. Woehler for a job well done. I hope one use for this space is to celbrate the accomplishments within our school like this one.

Developing Responsibility

Probably one of the most difficult aspects of raising or educating children in a society so focused on instant gratification is to make decisions with an eye to the future. Growing up, I am sure we were subjected to regulations that were more important for the lesson they teach than the actual rule they enforce. I am sure more than one parent has instituted some of these same rules. We can't forget that these lessons are vital to ensure that our children develop into the adults we want them to be. The same holds true for some of the regulations in place at Holy Angels. Sometimes they may seem petty in nature, but may have a more far reaching intention than the momentary consequence.

We have been relatively unbending this year in regards to our permission slip policy. Clearly stated at the top of every slip is that it is due no less than one school day prior to the event. More often than not, we could accommodate a child who brings the slip in on the day of an event, and it is extremely difficult to refuse a student the privilege of participating in an event. However, we believe it is more important that the students learn responsibility and its consequences, both good and bad.

This concept can be taken much further, be it denying access to a classroom after school so a student can get the books he forgot to take home or refusing a call home to bring a child's homework. Similarly, parents must insist that a child take responsibility for his or her school or home work instead of intervening on their behalf, not to punish the child, but to help build the responsibility necessary for success later in life.

None of us enjoy seeing a child suffer. Denying a child can often fall into the old, "It hurts me more than it hurts you" adage. But it is extremely important that we make decisions not to alleviate the momentary discomfort of the child, but based more upon who we want all our children to become as adults.

What Has Your Child Learned?

Today marks the conclusion of our first trimester, and once again the time honored tradition of assigning a letter to represent how a child has done in a class begins.

Thirty years ago, we lived in a society fairly obsessed with grades. Today, we live in a society that is ten times as obsessed. We have gotten to the point where many of our children view anything less than an "A" a failure. God-forbid they receive a dreaded "C", a grade that used to mean the students were performing at grade level.

Now days, it seems that we view the grade as the objective, and not the learning. Any teacher can recount story after story of children who scored 100% on their spelling tests each week, received an "A" in spelling, and misspelled every other word when using the words in a writing assignment. Grades do no reflect learning, and we have to keep this in mind when we view the students' grades. Students come to school to learn.

This trimester, my algebra class will probably receive a very limited number of "A"s on their report cards. But that is in no way a reflection of the learning that has taken place. In fact, I will say this group of students has probably put more effort into and learned more about algebra than any group I have ever taught. We need to keep this objective in mind. Before getting upset or frustrated by your children's grades, remember that it is the learning you should be concerned with.

Butterflies in my Stomach

A theatrical presentation about puberty and adolescence entitled "Someone Like Me" was put on today by Kaiser Permanente's Educational Theatre Ensemble. I have to admit, I had real trepidation about having them to the school. Despite talking with the director of the program, speaking with principals from other schools that had presented the play, and discussions with my supervisor at the Archdiocese, I still was not comfortable that the content was going to be appropriate for our students. I mulled canceling the production many times.

Before the performance, I talked with the actors and felt a little more comfort about what we were about to witness, but it is still a topic that can be controversial (is this be information taught at home or by the school?) and I have to admit, I was more than a little nervous through the start of the play.

Some of the topics covered included physical changes, pre-marital sex and STDs, hormonal changes and mood swings, changing relationships with friends,and suicidal thoughts. Not really a litany of good times. One of our area principals referred to it as The Little Shop of Pubescent Horrors.

Teachers, staff and parents watched the production with the students and I can safely say that despite a few moments of uncomfortableness, it was an excellent production and teaching vehicle for our students. All of the adults were in agreement. Very real issues that many of the children have or will experience were presented with simple but quality follow up. Students could ask questions. Very current and very important issues were addressed. The actors/facilitators did an amazing job.

I left with the opinion that this play, or at least this information, needs to be presented not to just students, but to parents as well. The high school experience we all went through does not exist any more. Our children are privy to an enormous amount of false information. Often times, this false information can have very damaging consequences for our kids. Our students, and particularly the eighth graders, seemed to feel it was very relevant information.

We push our kids to go further and further in with their academic learning, but when it comes to being educated regarding issues such as sex or drugs, we want to ignore it. Age appropriate education is always a positive, in my opinion. We adults need to present the children in our lives with relevant information that will truly aid them in the world in which they live. To do less is a disservice and a danger.

My Child vs. The Students

Many times in the career of a teacher or a principal, they must respond to a parent who has a complaint or an idea based upon "My child..." As a parent, you should be your child's number one advocate and speak up for him or her. But often times, when considering your statements from the perspective of "My child..." replace those words with "The students..." and try to consider the situation from the school's perspective.

Our decisions have to be made based upon ALL the students of the school, and not just an individual child. The recent decision to disallow anything but pie from our Pie Feast has to be considered from that perspective, in addition to the purpose of the event.

Having a complete breakfast during this event is an awesome occurrence, unless you are in the class that gets just pie. The event was initially intended for the students to gather and share a moment of thanksgiving as a school. As with many events, each year the need to do the Pie Feast a little bit "better" than last year was becoming a reality. The "event" was becoming more important than the purpose.

The purpose of our Pie Feast is to gather as a community and be thankful for the abundance of gifts we have in our lives. I think by scaling the event down, we get closer to the true meaning of the event, which ultimately makes it more valuable for all our students.

Good Hug Bad Hug

Last Friday, I imposed a directive upon the seventh and eight grade students that they were no longer allowed to hug one another. Admittedly, the rule was reactionary and came at the end of a long day (Jog-a-thon) and after a particularly trying situation.

Reaction from parents was mixed, with some joking about the directive and some angry about it. While most of the angry reaction filtered back to me from the parking lot, one parent actually took the initiative to meet with me and discuss the situation. (It was greatly appreciated!)

We discussed the decision, and I think both sides shed some light upon the situation. We ended up having a very positive and beneficial discussion.

From the school's side, trying to define what is an appropriate and inappropriate hug is extremely difficult, and virtually impossible to enforce. The majority of our students engage in :appropriate" hugging while some are taking it to an extreme. The hugging, hand holding, etc. is more an expression of a "relationship" rather than a sign of support amongst friends. To alleviate the less than scientific application of such terminology, hugging was banned.

The parent pointed some good points including her concern that we may be sending the wrong message about hugging (it's not a bad thing), that perhaps I did not explain the decision to the students well enough, as well as her child's feelings that she had lost an important privilege.

It's a minor problem that takes on some rather enormous complexities once it is examined. Bottom line, our students know right from wrong, appropriate from inappropriate, and I as the principal need to be comfortable with that fact. The students were spoken to again today, with an explanation of the decision, as well as an addendum that they could still hug one another, but if I or another staff member deemed it inappropriate, then it was inappropriate. The students were asked to not put themselves in a situation that could be determined inappropriate and I am comfortable that our kids can and will make the right decisions.

Jog-A-Thon

Last Friday, we completed our annual Jog-A-Thon, and it looks to be the most successful one we have ever had. While final numbers have yet to be tallied, it looks as if we will surpass our school goal of $25,000. The next obvious question is, where will all the money go? Here is our plan.

Right of the bat, we spend roughly $6,000 on software licensing. That should leave us with roughly $20,000. As I mentioned earlier in the year, we want to complete our project of installing computer projectors in the Science/Art lab, as well as the 4-PK classrooms. That should run about $10,000, which leaves us with just enough to remain on target with out technology plan goal of upgrading ten computers in the lab, putting the other ten in the classrooms.

As we all know, when it comes to technology, the money goes very quickly. But if you consider the improvement s this will make with our classrooms, it is well worth it. Our students, your children, will reap great benefits from the funds raised. This is a major component of our goal to have all our students learning in a modern and up-to date classroom.

Too Much Too Soon

The faculty and staff of Holy Angels is struggling with the non-stop requests we seem to make of the parents for donations. From the second week of school and straight through the holiday season, we seem to be asking the parents to be buying items or donating something, be it clothes, money, food or gift wrap! It becomes even more troubling because all of these requests are for very good causes. Sometimes it is for the betterment of our school (Innisbrook, Jog-A-Thon, Angels Among Us) and sometimes it is for socially just causes (clothing drive, mission collections, canned food.) We are aware of what a drain it is on our parents and we are trying to address this issue as we plan for next year. We appreciate the extreme generosity that exists within our community but we also recognize that generosity has its limitations. Any input or thoughts on this matter are always appreciated.

An Inauspicious Beginning

Our trusted Trumpet editor, Anne Yenny, recently suggested the idea of this blog as a way of better communicating what is going on at Holy Angels. I have to admit I was less than gung ho about it when she suggested it, and may still have a leaning towards unenthusiastic. But I also realize the positive impact this can have on our school community in so many different ways, so I have opted to give it a shot.

What I hope to accomplish is a real dialogue regarding events, ideas and decisions at Holy Angels, while also addressing issues that come up in a more timely manner than than the monthly Trumpet. As of today, I promise nothing other than my best efforts to keep this updated. As I, and I assume many others, learn more about this, I hope to create a valuable tool in the ongoing effort to better communication between all of us at Holy Angels School