Let's Head to the Movies

Occasionally I will post a blog which is not education related. Shocking I know, but there are actually other things roaming around in my pea brain!

Amy and I love going to the movies. One of our first dates was at Vinegar Hill Theater in Charlottesville, Virginia to see “The King and I” on the big screen. For the last several years, we have enjoyed going to Oscar nominated films. Not just in the best picture category, but across the board. This became much easier once we became empty nesters. I am not a film expert and have not taken any classes, I just rest on my 50+ years of movie going. From my big brother taking me to “The Jungle Book” in the 60’s to this year’s  “American Sniper.”

So, here are my thoughts on this year’s best picture category (minus “Whiplash” which is the only movie we have yet to see). I would place two movies together in the “out there” category: “Birdman” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” Both were well acted (especially Michael Keaton) but storylines were a bit too wacky for me. “Boyhood” is in a category all of its own. No one has done what Richard Linklater has done before, so it is difficult to judge. To me, it was too much like real-life. I go to the movies to escape real-life, you can give me a good story like "Gone Girl" any day. We watched “Selma” on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Loved the acting and story line and learned things I did not know about the three marches. “American Sniper” was excellent showing one man’s realization that we all have limitations, but we can in fact make profound differences in what we do. That leaves two more “bio-pics” which I found outstanding: “The Imitation Game” and “The Theory of Everything.” Both stories were engrossing and enlightening since I knew very little about Alan Turing or Stephen Hawking. These would be my two favorites.

Best performance by a lead actor goes to Michael Keaton in “Birdman.” Steve Carell was creepy-good in “Foxcatcher.” Lead actress goes to Reese Witherspoon. She gave a great performance in “Wild.” Julianne Moore’s (not one of my favorite actresses) role in “Still Alice” is heartbreakingly good. Supporting actor is close to me, but The Judge, Robert Duvall gets the nod. Best supporting actress has some really good performances like Laura Dern in "Wild," but you can’t bet against Meryl Streep.

Disappointment of the year goes to “Unbroken.” I understand this story is long and full of twists and turns and would be very difficult to make. Apparently the sound was incredible. While it was enjoyable, it did not catch the essence of the book. This goes into the great book, movie OK file. Unlike my file for “The Monuments Men” which was a great book and lousy movie. Another disappointment was the omission of “Life Itself” which is a documentary on the life of Roger Ebert. This was outstanding.  

So, here are my random thoughts. Next time, it’s back to school.

One Week - Eight Middle School Classroom Observations

The strength of any school can and should be found in the classroom. This is why one of my all-time favorite job responsibilities is to observe each classroom instructor formally. In the fall of 2013, our faculty set forth on examining what should go into a lesson at Sumner Academy. It was specific to our mission, students, and gifted instructors. What came from that meeting was a lesson design with five components; introduction, presentation, checking for understanding, independent practice and closure. Also, eight teaching characteristics which should be present for every lesson. They include; classroom management, compassion, effective communication, enthusiastic/encouraging, expertise, flexibility, high expectations, organized.

So, during an observation I look for the five components of the lesson design as well as the eight teaching characteristics and keep a running narrative on what is occurring in class as well as thoughts on significant points on the lesson and possible changes for improvement.

From my week of observing and learning, I now know the following: (1) the origins of the discovery of DNA and how to find the DNA of a strawberry and a human; (2) the controversial role of Brutus in Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar;” (3) factoring trinomials forward and backward using the smiley face method; (4) the proper usage of quotation marks; (5) various Spanish ocean related vocabulary; (6) using complements such as predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives; (7) writing traditional and modern haiku poetry; and (8) the culture and history of civil disobedience and activism.

Whew, I’m glad I just observed and did not have to complete the homework assignments!

Here are a couple of commonalities I saw in our instructors during the week. The first was how passionate they each are about the discipline they teach. Without this passion, it would just be reading the textbook, answering the questions, then completing the homework. Our instructors go far beyond the classroom and bring technology to our students to enhance their learning. I saw video clips, articles from magazines, web based research, fun cooperative learning activities, hands-on learning and much more. Another commonality came when I met with each instructor individually. To a person, they were eager to hear what I had to say and observed…even when I made a few suggestions. They each are willing to change and adapt to make even more difference in the learning process for our students.

One instructor told her class I would be observing the following week. They were concerned with some of her "techniques" and "props" she used during instruction. Each subsequent lesson, the students would tell her, "uh, that might not be a good idea when Mr. J. comes in to observe." They even collected many things from the room and placed them in a "Tools of the Trade: DO NOT USE DURING OBSERVATION." You just got to love middle schoolers!

While my role of headmaster has many duties and responsibilities which keep me from the classrooms, this truly is my favorite time of the school year. 

Humble in Victory, Gracious in Defeat

I was a loser in college.  Yup, check the records, in each sport I participated in, I was a big loser.  On second thought, they probably have burned the records by now.

When I was fourteen, I tried out for and made the Arvco International junior soccer team.  This was a select group of teenagers from around Kalamazoo, Michigan who excelled in soccer and traveled around the state on the weekends.  I still remember that first jersey, red and white vertical stripes with the number 14 on the back.  I also remember playing fullback and while trying to clear a ball, having it slip off the side of my foot for an own goal.  They kept me around until I graduated from high school, and I was fortunate enough to play in college for the Olivet College Comets.

Our first season was solid, winning as many games as we lost or tied.  We played in a league that featured two highly ranked Division III teams, Calvin and Hope Colleges.  It kind of fell apart half way through my sophomore year with a bad losing streak to end the season.  The non-winning streak continued the next season and then the next.  We managed to tie a few games but victory was something we did not experience.  In fact, check the record book, I believe they went three more seasons without a win.

This experience and a few more taught me valuable life lessons about why we do the things we do.  It gave me a base of humbleness and one of introspection.  It’s easy as a parent to insulate our children from losing, but having them know that you are supporting them in success as well as failure is even more important.  Our children need a sense of stability and structure that only we as parents can provide.  Rather than ask how many goals you scored, or what your batting average is, we need to ask them if they gave it their all.

I know that while playing soccer or other sports on teams that were not successful can create stress and even a sense of failure, but we as parents need to place the focus elsewhere.  Our children need to know it is OK to fail and that we have failed in our lives.  True growth comes from learning from your past mistakes.  Did I mention I also played tennis in college.  My record of 2-23 REALLY made me very humble.  I did more apologizing to my opponent than celebrating.

I’m not sure if Olivet College is still in the Division III NCAA soccer record book anymore and I’m not really going to research that, but the experience is one that helped make me who I am today.

* Last year the Olivet College Comets were nationally ranked!

At the Core of Being Grateful

All across America, we will be sitting down to a big Thanksgiving meal and sharing what we are most grateful for in our lives.  Near the top of the list for me is being grateful to lead an independent school.  Having the opportunity to lead outstanding educators in knowing precisely what is needed to teach our children well.  Being independent allows us to teach to each child’s needs.  We have been preparing students for high schools in this manner for a very long time and doing it exceptionally well.

Our friends in the public schools have lost the opportunity to teach what they feel is important due to the Common Core Curriculum.  When we lose control over who we are, what we do, and how we do it, we are lost.  Adrift.  Wandering. 

I have collected three quotes about the Common Core from experts in education who are far smarter than me.  This is what they had to say;

“The curriculum is to schooling as blueprints are to builders, as maps are to travelers, as patterns are to clothing manufacturers, as models are to designers, complicated by the fact that what needs to be understood is dynamic, therefore impossible to model with a static curriculum.”  Marion Brady

“Some states adopted them without seeing a finished draft. The standards, unfortunately, were never field-tested. No one knew in advance whether they would improve achievement or depress it, whether they would widen or narrow the achievement gap among children of different races. It is hard to imagine a major corporation releasing a new product nationwide without first testing it among consumers to see if it is successful. But that is what happened with the Common Core standards.” Diane Ravitch

“However, for me there are two far bigger problems with the Standards themselves – errors that arguably caused the bulk of the current backlash. The writers of the Standards (especially in Math) did a terrible job of 1) justifying the Standards as appropriate to college and workplace readiness, and 2) explaining in detail what the Standards imply for educational practice. The documents simply fail at communicating the kinds of changes the Standards demand locally.” Grant Wiggins

While the debate rages on, I will sit down to our Thanksgiving meal grateful for Sumner Academy and knowing we are doing what is best for our children.

Our mission is to discover and cultivate each child’s unique abilities.

Snow Day? A retro blog about decision making.

Anatomy of a Snow Day

Recently, Amy and I were able to drive to my hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan to visit with my mother and two brothers.  It was a great drive and as we were approaching the Michigan state line, we began to see traces of snow on the ground!  That was a great reminder to me to let you know of my thought process in determining what constitutes a snow day and what does not.

The decision making process is different for our school in comparison to other surrounding independent schools and public schools.  Things I do have to consider include our faculty and staff driving in, our parents and their drive in, our bus routes and safe pick up and delivery, and the safety in and around the campus.  One thing I do not have to consider is having student drivers on the road!  Our school calendar and the required number of days in attendance does not play a role in closing school, safety always comes first.  There is a process regarding make up days should we go over the amount of extra days.  This is highly unlikely however.

If we do not close and the roads are questionable, our students are not counted tardy for that day.  I want your child(ren) at school, but I want them safely brought to school, so take your time!

When our area anticipates wintery weather, I rise at 5:00 AM or earlier and check the local news and the radar and forecast on the National Weather Service website.  Since our decision is independent of all other schools, I like to make sure all bases are covered before I make a final decision.  The first call I make is to Hannah so we can update our website and send out notices via email and text.  Next, I call four local television stations Channels 2, 4, 5, and 17.  In my experience in Memphis, I know that television stations are not the most reliable in regards to timely posting…so check our website first!

At this point it is around 6:15 or 6:30 and I have another decision to make – stay home and sit by the fire, or go in to work and complete some much needed paperwork that has built up over the last several weeks.  Sometimes, I choose to drive in just because I’m from Michigan and need to prove it to myself I can still drive in snow and ice.  So, if you see me in a ditch somewhere, just shake your head as you pass.  Stubborn Michigander.

I hope this gives you some insight into how I make the decision to close or stay open.  As you read, the fastest way to find out is to check our website at www.sumneracademy.org.

Take Care Now

So, we were ready to have a big week of fun and excitement for my wife’s fifty-fourth birthday.  The week included dinner out, tickets to see Josh Turner at the Ryman, and then head The Grove in Oxford, Mississippi Saturday for some tailgating with her family and rooting the Volunteers on.  One perforated appendix had other ideas.

In the early morning hours of her birthday, she complained of severe abdominal pain.  Our daughter, Madelyn, had surprised her Sunday by coming home for the celebration.  Instead, she ended up taking her mother to the doctor’s office.  An ultrasound was ordered for later that afternoon.  The initial reading of the ultrasound was inconclusive.  We were told if the pain became unbearable, head to the emergency room.  The next morning it was, we were in the Skyline Medical Center’s ER at 6:00 AM.  We had six, yes, six, nurses/techs/doctors there taking care of Amy.  Another ultrasound and a CT was ordered and it was still inconclusive, but many possibilities were thrown out.  We were admitted and in a room by 11:00 AM.  The two main nurses we had, Jackie during the day and Michael at night, showed exceptional care.  They both went above and beyond the call of duty in their caring and attention to detail.  Especially since it took the surgeon nine hours to consult with us.

That’s when it hit me.

I was seeing in this hospital setting the same thing our parents share with me regularly about Sumner Academy.  The teachers go well above and beyond the call of duty in their caring and attention to detail.  I have termed this practice, “prescriptive education.”  Since the founding of the school, the vision and mission has not wavered, “Our mission is to discover and cultivate each child’s unique abilities.”

Postscript:

Amy has healed completely thanks to the attention and care she received at Skyline Medical Center.  Our students continue to reap the benefits of a Sumner Academy education including the attention and care they receive fro each and every faculty member here.

Safe at Home

Since my beloved Detroit Tigers are no longer playing baseball, I will uncharacteristically refrain from making a sports analogy with my blog title.

Where do you feel the safest?  When we were growing up, most likely, it was home with your parents.  It was a safe, nurturing, and loving environment and you just had the feeling that all was well when you were there.

We hear the same words to describe Sumner Academy from our parents.  They consistently report how their children feel safe, nurtured, and loved in our learning environment.  Most of these feelings come from the classroom.  Our students trust their teachers and perform for them academically in a way I have not experienced in my thirty-plus years in education.  Meeting this basic need allows our children to grow academically, socially, and physically without having to worry about being safe.

Being safe in schools has become more and more a topic of concern.  Moving here in the summer of 2013, one of the first local school articles I read was about the Sumner County Schools hiring resource police officers in every school.  They trumpeted this as a good thing.  I have been told this line item is close to a one million dollar cost per year.  What a disappointing commentary on today’s society.

When parents drop off their children at Sumner Academy, they have the knowledge, trust, and confidence that they will be safe.  Last year, the entire faculty and staff was involved in writing the school’s first Crisis Action Guide.  In the unlikely event of a crisis on campus, the guide gives a step-by-step process to follow.  Much time and energy (and cost) went into the publication of this guide which can be found in every room on campus.

We appreciate the way our parents care for our school and hope that they are able to convey that feeling to others who may be interested in becoming part of the Sumner Academy Family.