As I walked into the school the first day after break, I was taken aback by the students’ liveliness and enthusiasm. Though they had enjoyed their break, they were incredibly excited to see one another. I could sense their enthusiasm and energy, and it reinforced for me how fortunate I am to work in such a vibrant community. 
 
As our Upper Schoolers were welcoming each other and beginning to prepare for exams, their interests and energies were not limited to themselves or school. I have heard a number of them talking about much more global issues, such as the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the situation in Kenya, and the primary elections. As I walked through the corridors I heard one junior ask another, “What do you think of the New Hampshire primary?” And a senior asked me: “What do you think the implications will be of Bhutto’s assassination?” These questions reinforced for me how important it is for our students to be informed, not just about those things that are local or most germane to their day-to-day lives, but also about the issues that are shaping the world.

Thomas Freidman’s book, The World Is Flat, which I have referred to before, clearly communicates the importance of understanding and being a part of our changing world. As our students discuss these issues, it becomes apparent that the assassination of Bhutto and the political strife and violence in Kenya, Darfur, and other parts of the world, now have much greater implications for us in this country. Where once we might have heard about these things as remote events, today they have the potential to directly impact our sense of well being, our understanding of the world, our economic viability, and everything else we do.

At a Lower School Admissions Information Session recently I was asked by a prospective parent how I’d measure the success of a Shipley student. I suggested that I want our students not just to do well but to do good. It is important for them to be informed, aware, and involved in ways that make the world a better place. I want them to develop their critical thinking, to express that thought in both the spoken and written word, not just for its own sake, but for productive purpose in the world. This, of course, is central to our mission. Our commitment to this process, to the idea of the whole child, is what good education is all about. It is one of the major reasons that more and more of our curriculum is becoming integrated and interdisciplinary. It is what we as educators and parents owe our students and children. We must help them learn not just to think outside of the box but to reshape the box to suit our integrated world. This is what makes education fun!

The process of curricular and professional development asks us to reflect on the very essence of who we are. As we do so, we are inspired by the work of such people as Ken Bain, the author of What the Best College Teachers Do. In his book, he speaks strongly about the appropriate bond of trust between teacher and student: “Professors who established a special trust with their students often displayed a kind of openness in which they might, from time to time, talk about their intellectual journey, its ambitions, triumphs, frustrations, and failures, and encourage students to be similarly reflective and candid… They shared with the students their secrets about learning, how they remembered something, or the analogies they made in their mind as they built their own understanding... That trust and openness produced an interactive atmosphere in which students could ask questions without reproach or embarrassment, and in which a variety of views and ways to understand could be freely discussed.”

Bain’s philosophical objective overlaps and coincides nicely with our own mission. Moreover, it is an effective approach regardless of one’s role in life. With only modest refinement, one could substitute any profession for teacher (or professor) and Bain’s guidelines for appraisal would make us better. I find it particularly appropriate for those of us who share the joys and challenges of being parents. For us to be as good as we can be with each of our children, we must be willing to look at ourselves and the reasons we do what we do and be open to modifying what we do and how we do it.

Over the break I had the pleasure to see several movies. Let me recommend two of them in which reflection plays an important role in the resolution of challenges and in the growth of individuals. Juno, which is, in some people’s eyes, somewhat controversial, is the story of a sixteen-year-old girl who becomes pregnant and chooses to carry the baby and give it up for adoption. Although the topic is contentious and difficult for some and the movie may romanticize the experience, the movie offers the opportunity to think beyond the specific topic to the range of issues that surface as our children make potentially life-altering decisions. Ellen Page does a wonderful job depicting the lead character.

The Great Debaters, the latest Denzel Washington movie, is based on a true story about the success of a college debating team from an historically black college in the post-depression era before integration and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. It gave me pause to think about the issue of race in this country and how we have dealt with it over the years. Both of these movies are enjoyable and strive to ask questions that force us to reflect. As we reflect, we may be better able to develop the strategies to deal with the challenges we face in life.

As we learn from Bain and see in the movies to which I have referred, reflection, analysis, and understanding are essential if we are to resolve the challenges that we face and become the best parents we can. Along the way, we must remember that our students and children are individuals who need to be treated, appreciated, and understood as such. We must also realize as we contemplate our challenges, that we too, as adults, can make our mistakes and learn from them. If our children know we will acknowledge those mistakes, we will be more effective. In the end, not unlike what Bain suggests for teachers, we should realize that good parenting can be learned. I look forward to the process with the hope that we can all do it together!

With warmest regards,

Steven S. Piltch
Head of School