The Value of Parents

September 9, 2016

Welcome Back To School!

I really enjoyed the opportunity to host Back-To-School Night this week! Our express goal was to connect parents and teachers.  I hope that was accomplished -- if it was not, please let me know ways in which you think I could do a better job to accomplish that goal.

While I have tremendous pride in our teaching staff and know that my staff are the best advocates in educating your children, I often find myself admiring the power of parents on Back-To-School Night.  Your/Our influence on our children is undeniable.

If you haven't noticed, please take a moment and look at the bulletin boards that are in our upstairs hallway.  Each staff member in our building took some time to write about their formative experiences as children in elementary school and posted a childhood picture. I have found myself stopping to read these stories and I have noticed that many of us cite our parents as teachers.

My own parents have been in my thoughts lately as a result of this staff project. At this point in my life, I admire their "retirement energy" and enjoy watching them be grandparents to four grandchildren.  My parents spend a great deal of time leading efforts to help military veterans and their families in the Denver Metro Area.   They also travel a bunch -- they have recently spent time in Scandinavia and Northern Europe. I am finding myself reflecting on my years when I walk by my kindergarten picture. I find myself easily remembering my childhood and the lessons Mom and Dad instilled along the way...  it doesn't seem that long ago, even though four decades have passed since I was in Mrs. Barton's kindergarten class.

But, what did I learn from Mom and Dad in preparation for my role as a school leader?

• I learned the ethic of hard work and dedication.  My father worked long hours in his career.  Nonetheless, he would often wake me up early in the morning to help me with homework or take me to basketball practice when I was a teenager.  My mother, a teacher in her early career, made sure my brother and I were always reading. I recall being enrolled in three summer reading programs as a 4th grader. Their dedication to my success sent a clear message-- "learning is important, you will work hard in your learning, and you will find success in your learning by working hard."  I hope my students will learn this message by the end of 5th grade and see me model it in my work.  I hope they know that I'm joyfully tired at the end of my work day and that they alone make my efforts worth it.  I hope that my staff knows that it's a personal privilege to work hard and serve the students and families of this community together.
• I learned that showing compassion and care for all stands above our own goals and success. If we’re not willing to put others first, then any glory we achieve individually is meaningless.  As a high school student, I was nationally recognized for my community service.  That honor was not about me -- it was a direct result of my parents expectations for me and their values. As a school leader, I know that anything we achieve as a school community is because we have high expectations for one another, support one another, and we seek out common values that hold us together.
• Be accountable. Both of my parents made mistakes.  However, they also made sure to learn from them or admitted the mistake and fixed it.  I remember dad getting a speeding ticket when I was a kid.  Do you think he deceived the traffic officer with a made-up story? No way.  The words from his mouth were truthful and direct. Dad knew that choices always determined outcomes and in this case, his choice led to a traffic ticket. Mom and Dad always expected that we finished what we started and tasked my brother and I with daily and weekly routines.  As a principal and as a father, I make mistakes -- my wife and my staff know this too well!  I hope I learn from mistakes and make a better school and a better family through such experiences.  

If you’re a new parent, don’t underestimate the power you have to mold your little ones. Your influence in their school lives has potency. It may be so potent that your son or daughter ends up being a principal one day.

Social Emotional Learning: Benefiting School Culture and Raising Academic Achievement

Dear Nederland Community,

In the Boulder Valley School District, one of our goals is to ensure that each student meets or exceeds appropriate expectations relative to intellectual growth, physical development, and social emotional well-being.  Teaching to the whole child is a priority at Nederland Elementary -- over much of my 20-year career in public education, I have noticed a disproportionate emphasis on academics and rote learning to the point of neglecting student attitudes and relationships.  But recent information indicates that academics and empathy are not mutually exclusive choices.  In fact, recent research suggests that modeling and teaching  social and emotional skills can actually improve academic achievement. 

Bridget Cooper, director of the Centre for Pedagogy at the University of Sunderland, UK, conducted a detailed study on empathy in teacher-student relationships.  She found that caring interactions were positively related to students' personal, social, moral, and academic development.  Another researcher who has studied the relationship between empathy and academic achievement is Stanford Professor Emerita, Nel Noddings.  Noddings has taught at Stanford for nearly 40 years and the preponderance of her work has been focused on how the goal of education is to "create competent, caring citizens." In Noddings' words: "Common sense tells us that care and trust would reduce failure rates... Kids do better in a culture of caring."  Richard Weissbourd, co-director of the Making Caring Common Project at the Harvard School of Education, notes that the absence of caring and empathy can get in the way of achievement in a school community.  In his book, The Parents That We Mean To Be, Weissbourd outlines several strategies for raising moral, happy children.  One parenting strategy Weissbourd cites is helping children develop self-control and manage their feelings effectively -- we aim to support parents in this endeavor at Nederland Elementary.

We have recently received a grant in partnership with Teens Inc. (Thank you Teens Inc.). This grant is funded through the Colorado Department of Human Services Office of Behavioral Health.  As part of this grant, we have hired a coordinator, Ann Sherman. One component of Ann's duties is to plan and guide 30-minute weekly guidance sessions related to the Brainwise framework.  The Brainwise framework teaches children ten "wise ways" to help identify feelings and cope with them effectively.  Please be looking for regular communication from Ann through our weekly school messenger.

Best Regards,
Jeff

Standardized Testing

Hello Nederland Elementary Community,

This week, families of 3rd through 8th grade students will be receiving a letter and survey from BVSD on the mandated state testing that will take place in April. The letter describes your parental rights to opt out of state testing.

Last year, I did not discourage families from exercising your right to "opt out" because of the format of the assessment and the extensive amount of time it required. With last year’s format, it was challenging to identify the positive impacts of the testing. This year, our legislature listened to parents and made significant changes in the testing format and the length of the test.

There is only one testing window this year, which will occur in April. Last year's test required two windows in March and April/May. The total time required for students has been reduced from over 15 hours to approximately 8 hours over a three week period. Third, fourth and fifth graders will take four sessions of math assessments and three sessions of English language arts. Fifth graders will take an additional science assessment over the course of three, 80-minute sessions. Our school has not been identified to take the social studies state assessment. However, our fourth graders will be piloting one additional English language arts assessment. All testing will be completed online, in your child's regular classroom using Chromebooks or in our library computer lab.

Standardized tests allow parents and educators to gain a wide perspective of a student’s achievement and progress compared to thousands of students the same age and grade level across the state and nation. We do not make any decisions based solely on individual results, but the overall school trends help us make very important decisions about curriculum and instruction. I strongly encourage your child to take this assessment so we can use the results to help guide our instruction and to make Nederland Elementary even better. Please contact me if you have any questions about testing or any other topic.

I am thankful for your support at Nederland and appreciate having you as a partner in education.

Regards,
Jeff