Class #28--6th Age Reading Class

Wednesday, December 15, 8:45 A.M. 6th Age Reading Class. Class #28 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. A group of 12 enthusiastic students bursts into Ms. Clark’s classroom on this chilly December morning. Ms. Clark knows this age group well and has activities planned that take advantage of the students’ natural energy and curiosity. For the next 45 minutes, her classroom will brim with vowel sounds, laughter, and learning! Ms. Clark takes her yardstick and points to specific letters on a large alphabet strip above the chalkboard. The students say the letters aloud, and then in the next round, say the sounds made by the letter. The class plays a game called “At the Table” to review vowel sounds. Ms. Clark says a sound, and the students have to act out the sound—after a “u” sound, the boys and girls sit under the table, while after a “o” sound, they (politely!) sit on the table. What fun! The students cut out consonant letters and then see how many “op” words they can make. The students choose letters to make different words, such as “chop,” “hop,” “cop,” “shop,” “stop,” and “flop.” While they are cutting, Ms. Clark reads “funny” sentences, and the class answers “yes” or “no” in unison. She asks, “Do your eyes chew? Can you save money? Does a tiger have stripes? Can a window stretch? Is a ribbon thirsty?” The students take a few minutes to read silently a small booklet called Mop. Ms. Clark reads it aloud, and then the class reads it aloud together in a choral fashion, followed by partner reading. Ms. Clark circulates to each pair of students to see if anyone needs assistance. She sits right on the floor with the children, and there is clearly a strong student-teacher rapport. The class ends with each pupil giving Ms. Clark a firm handshake (with good eye contact, of course!) and providing her an example of a “short o” word, such as “fox,” “mop,” “octopus,” “got”, “lop,” and “pop.” Again, the fundamentals were on full display today, in a very age-appropriate, interactive manner. Congratulations to Ms. Clark and her students for a great class!

An Amazing Decoration

I was walking down the hall today in the Lower School when I saw an amazing decoration hanging from the ceiling of Mrs. Delorbe's room. Mrs. Delorbe made two of these "snowflakes" herself. How did she do it? Please enjoy the picture below!

Class #27--8th Age Math Class

Wednesday, December 8, 12:50 P.M. 8th Age Math Class. Class #27 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” voyage. Fresh off reading 9th Age folders and a delicious lunch in our Lower School cafeteria of chicken pot pie and squash, I am in Mrs. Spadone’s math class. (Did you know Mrs. Spadone graduated from Calvert, in the Class of 1977?) Her eager pupils immediately begin exploring the number line and place value with a “count on” technique. They are mastering the “ones” and “tens” place and what happens to numbers when they are combined. For example, when 3 is added to 28, does the tens place change, the ones place change, or do both change? In this case, both places change and the sum is 31. Mrs. Spadone passes out a bowl of place value blocks to each student. The students place “tens” blocks and “ones” blocks onto a chart after listening to instructions, i.e. when Mrs. Spadone says that a great student received 26 stickers, the boys and girls place two tens rods and six ones blocks onto the correct sections of the paper. Next, Mrs. Spadone unrolls a large “10 x 10” hundreds chart with the numbers 1-100 each occupying an individual block. It serves as a very useful tool in seeing how numbers relate to each other. For example, the chart helps students literally see why and how 55 + 20 = 75. The students, in pairs, then play a game using a smaller, individual version of the hundreds chart. The boys and girls roll dice, and then move a small disk from number to number in accordance with the total shown on the pair of dice. Who will be the first to reach 99? It is interesting to see how some students move (or “count”) one block at a time while others understand how to advance ten spaces, for example, in one fell swoop. The students finish the period by working on a few workbook pages to reinforce the concepts covered in class. At Calvert, we pride ourselves on teaching the fundamentals of education, and today’s lesson was a clear example of the emphasis on two of the key building blocks of mathematics: place value and addition.

Class #26--5th Grade Science Class

Wednesday, December 8, 12:15 P.M. 5th Grade Science Class. Class #26 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” expedition. Room 217 in the Middle School is a whir of activity as the students come in from lunch recess and settle down in science class. Mrs. Merwin, who serves the Middle School so well as both counselor and science teacher, begins class by reminding the class what is needed for their preparation for exams, including the exam review sheet, past tests, and lesson summary sheets. The students work quietly for a few minutes labeling the parts of a cell. Can you name a few? For those rusty science students of yesteryear (myself included), I share the following: cytoplasm, chloroplast, mitochondria, and cell membrane, to name a few. Next, through a story about Dr. Martire’s broken laptop, the students review the scientific method, which incorporates the following steps: Problem, Observation, Hypothesis, Experiment, Conclusion, which creates the acronym POHEC. For the next activity, students are given slips of paper with characteristics or descriptors written on them, such as “harsh environments,” “amoeba,” and “found in pond water.” The young scientists then get out of their seats to put their slips under the correct “Kingdom” posted on the walls, e.g. Bacteria, Archaea, Protist, Virus, and Animal. For the final few minutes of class, Mrs. Merwin and her students review plant parts, types, and functions. I am very impressed with how much material has been covered in this one class. Mrs. Merwin knew just how fast to proceed, and the students eagerly and effectively responded to the design of the lesson. I am confident the students will do well on their upcoming science exam!

Class #25--8th Grade Science Class

Monday, December 6, 10:00 A.M., 8th Grade Science Class. Class #25 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. I have reached the halfway point of my 50 observations! It is really good to be back at Calvert and back in a classroom. Over the past week, my travels have taken me to New York City, San Diego, and San Francisco for a combination of Calvert alumni events and the National Association of Independent School (NAIS) People of Color Conference, at which I presented my dissertation findings. Although the trip was extremely worthwhile and productive, I am pleased to be back on campus. As today’s physical science class begins, Mr. Parker collects the lab assignments that are due and moves right into a discussion of mixtures and compounds. (Rust is literally falling out of my brain as the discussion revs up). Mr. Parker employs a “Brain Pop” video and quiz (which the class takes together orally) as an instructional aide. The biggest difference, the class discovers, is as follows: a mixture is created through a physical change, while a compound is created through a chemical change. Among many facts and nuances, the students learn how to discern between a heterogeneous mixture (cereal and milk, for example) and a homogeneous mixtures (salt water) and how to separate a mixture, including distillation and centrifuge. Mr. Parker’s visual aids are very helpful. After the Brain Pop quiz, Mr. Parker projects some fill-in-the blank slides on the screen, and the class works collaboratively to determine the correct answers and then uses the answers as the basis for their class notes. In small groups, the students work on a word scrabble handout in the final few minutes of class. Honestly, I learned a great deal in science class today, and I am confident the students did as well!

Class #24--Pilot Math Class

Monday, November 29, 10:55 A.M. Pilot Math Class. Class #24 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” voyage. As the cute students enter class, I receive several hugs, which is certainly a great way to come back from Thanksgiving break! Mrs. Chasney explains that the class will begin to explore all sorts of shapes. She has small cubes, cylinders, cones, spheres, and triangles to pass around. The seven students eagerly handle the objects, while making insightful comments about the objects. Mrs. Chasney patiently and skillfully describes the objects and answers questions (and a wide variety of remarks!) from the attentive pupils. The students then line up in front of Mrs. Chasney, who has small household objects in a brown paper bag. One by one, the boys and girls close their eyes, put their hands in the bag, take out an object, and then place it next to the objects the class had seen in the opening discussion. Some of the new objects include a Rubik’s Cube, a toilet paper cylinder, a tube of lip balm, a small plastic Christmas tree, and a marble, which keeps rolling away from the other objects! Mrs. Chasney explains, “These kinds of shapes are everywhere. You should look for them while driving, at home, in the kitchen, so keep an eye out for them.” After a quick number game, the students sit on the floor…and I have the pleasure of reading them a book aloud! The book was perfect for the occasion as it colorfully described a wide variety of shapes and how they interact with each other and with people on a daily basis. In what was a truly fitting end to class, one student noticed that I had small, multicolored squares on my tie. Congratulations to Mrs. Chasney and her bright, enthusiastic students for accomplishing so much today!

Class #23--9th Age French

Monday, November 22, 1:15 P.M. 9th Age French Class. Class #23 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” trek. Class has just begun as I walk into Madame Cooke’s bright, colorful French classroom. Eighteen attentive girls are already engrossed in the first activity, which is the sharing of homework. A number of girls walk to the front of the room and read aloud their homework, which was to cut out or draw a picture of a person and then describe, in French of course, what she is wearing. Madame encourages and praises the girls while correcting their pronunciation, when needed. For the second activity, the students come to the front and share items with French connections, such as cookies, books, and colored pencils. Quickly, the class is on to the next part of the lesson. Madame Cooke has six clothing items written on the board, in English. The girls attempt to translate the words into French; they each have a small white board at their desk and show the board to Madame Cooke after writing each term. For example, “red hat” is translated to “le chapeau rouge.” “White socks” becomes “les chaussettes blanches.” Madame reviews each phrase and makes sure the girls know the correct pronunciation. The students are soon working on a folder paper. Madame reminds the girls that “spelling counts” as they work to describe fully a picture of a woman. The students have to describe the subject’s name, nationality, place of residence, and clothing. The girls are working hard as Madame circulates through the rows answering questions and assisting students. I am impressed with how much the class has accomplished in 30 minutes. Bravo to Madame Cooke and her girls!

Class #22--6th Grade Spanish

Monday, November 22, 10:15 A.M. 6th Grade Spanish Class. Class #22 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” expedition. It has been almost two weeks since I have observed a class! It is amazing how busy the school day and my schedule can be, but, as the saying goes, “Busy is good.” I am going to attempt a rare two observations today, with both being foreign language classes. As I walk into Room 305, I hear the sounds of another language. Indeed, it is Senora Sachar giving opening instructions, I think, to her class. I say “I think” because I do not speak Spanish and do not understand the dialogue! Interestingly, the fact that I do not understand Spanish allows me to focus on the mechanics of the class rather than on the content being taught. I am impressed with how Senora Sachar orchestrates her class, which is conducted almost entirely in Spanish. She makes sure to involve every student on the class, by calling on them and/or having them come up to the SmartBoard and circle and then translate a verb in the story. “More hands up,” she exhorts in Spanish at one point, even though several hands are already in air. Senora wants all of the students to be engaged and actively participating, and they respond to her dynamic style. Frequently, Senora gesticulates to help explain her comments. About halfway through the period, the class listens to a Selena Gomez song (in Spanish), and the students have to write down all of the words they recognize. I am bouncing to the song’s upbeat tempo as I type this! At the end of the song, Senora states, "I don't expect you to recognize all of the words. She has a different accent than what you are used to. It is important that you hear different accents during the course of the year." In the final few minutes of class, the students take a quiz, which consists of 20 matching questions (verbs), and 10 English to Spanish vocabulary translations. For an enthusiastic, productive class, I say "Gracias" to Senora and her students!

The Power of Great Teachers

As my regular readers know, I am making a concerted effort to spend more time in classrooms and with students this year. To that end, in addition to my morning handshaking, monthly folder paper reviews, and 5th grade basketball coaching, I am attempting to observe 50 full-period classes, converse with all Middle School advisories (see November 3rd post about respect and effort), and meet individually with all members of the 8th grade. Although I have only conducted about five of the 8th grade "interviews," a theme is quickly emerging: the power of great teachers. I am asking each student a set of questions, and one of them is as follows: "What has made the Calvert experience special for you?" Thus far, all the 8th graders have immediately mentioned their teachers, all the way back to Pilot Class in some cases. While I am not surprised one bit at their assertion, it is certainly heartwarming to hear from the students what I already knew--that people make Calvert the special place that it is!

Class #21--5th Grade Math

Tuesday, November 9, 10:15 A.M. 5th Grade Math Class. Class #21 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. As I walk into room 314, Mr. Rossi is reviewing the schedule for the next few days of class. He then asks a student to uncover the first objective for the day by using the “eraser” mode on the SmartBoard: to round any decimal up or down to deal with estimates in real situations. Mr. Rossi is an avid user of technology in his math classes. Whenever I walk by his room, he is using the SmartBoard, which the students really enjoy. The class briefly reviews decimal estimation with multiplying and dividing. The key word to remember when estimating, a boy mentions and Mr. Ross affirms, is “about.” An estimate needs to be “about” the exact answer, but one can save time by not finding the exact answer. Estimation is a very important tool in the math toolbox. Another student uncovers the second objective for the day, which is hidden in a different corner : to use metric units of mass and capacity. Here is a question to shake the metric rust off my readers’ brains: when converting from meters to kilometers, do you divide or multiple? The answer is…divide. Although it seems counterintuitive, when you convert from a smaller unit to a bigger unit, you divide, because you end up with fewer of the bigger units, e.g. 2,000 meters = 2 kilometers. Throughout class, Mr. Rossi has the students working in three groups of four. They are tasked with figuring out questions to ask the other groups related to the topics being discussed at the moment. For example, “Tom and four friends each won lottery jackpot of $2.541M in a lottery. About how much was the total jackpot?” After rounding 2.54 to 3, the class decided that $15M was the estimation. The class then had a discussion of whether to round a number like 247 to 200 or to 250 when rounding, as in “About how much is 247 x 2?” Mr. Rossi explained that estimating should, ideally, be done in your head, so either 200 x 2 or 250 x 2 is appropriate, given what each student can do in his/her head. He stressed that the purpose of estimation is to find an approximate, not an exact, answer. Bravo to Mr. Rossi and his students for an enthusiastic, chock-full math class!

Class #20--6th Grade Photoshop

Monday, November 8, 10:15 A.M. 6th Grade Photoshop Class. Class #20 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” voyage. It is a crisp Monday morning, and with the time change, it just feels like we are starting school “late.” I must admit it feels good to be on class #20, with class #21 scheduled for tomorrow. I should be half-way done my goal of 50 classes within about a month. It has been such a pleasure—and so informative—for me to spend this “quality time” in classrooms across campus. Today in Ms. Cheston’s room, it is the first class of Photoshop, which is part of the 6th grade fine arts rotation, along with art, music, and art history. The purpose of Photoshop is to learn about some of the key elements of manipulating photographs, such as editing and resizing. Furthermore, the course allows students to explore their artistic side in a digital manner. Ms. Cheston, our Middle School Technology Coordinator and the 2004 winner of the Apgar Award for Excellence in Instruction, reviews some of the ground rules for the class before assigning the students to work in pairs on the computers in Room 201. The students log in and are quickly experimenting with Photoshop tools and shortcuts. For example, F12 will return the students to their original picture. In just this first class, they work on several activities, such as altering the brightness of a somewhat dark picture. The darkness of the classroom itself prevents me from taking any good photos of the students, but believe me when I say that they are learning a great deal and are truly enjoying themselves. I love the message Ms. Cheston tells her students: “I want you to make mistakes. I want you to play. I want you to look at the tools in Photoshop and figure our how they work. Play, make mistakes, and be creative. You will not crash the computer. Teach ME something in Photoshop this year.” I look forward to returning to Photoshop in a few weeks to see how far the students have progressed!

Class #19--6th Grade Art

Thursday, November 3, 10:15 A.M. 6th Grade Art Class. Class #19 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. On a rainy, chilly Thursday morning, I am in Mrs. Kamp’s art class. It is the final class of the quarter for 6th grade art, so the students are hustling to finish their projects. If they cannot finish by 11:00 A.M., they must wrap up their work during study hall later in the day. After reading about medieval gargoyles and grotesques, the students have been sculpting their own creature for the last three classes. Mrs. Kamp spent the first few minutes of class demonstrating how they might create wings and last-minute details, and then the class members eagerly started their independent work. It is evident that the students are producing high-quality pieces while thoroughly enjoying themselves. There is a great deal of variety among the pieces. You can enjoy a few pictures below. Did you know that I am actually an assistant art teacher? That is not really true, but I have turned on the kiln on the weekend on numerous occasions for Mrs. Kamp. Perhaps I should put “Assistant Kiln Operator” on my business card! During class, one of the boys said, “Mrs, Kamp is a very good art teacher.” I agree! I have to sign off—time to meet with an 8th grade boys’ advisory.

Respect + Effort in Middle School

As my readers know, I wanted to make a concerted effort to spend more time in classrooms this year. In addition to observing 50 full-period classes, I am aiming to meet with all of the Middle School advisories over the course of the next few months. Unless the advisor has a particular topic that he/she would like me to cover, I will have the students do some self-evaluation on the effort and respect they have displayed in school thus far in the year. Yesterday, I met with an 8th grade girls’ group, and today I talked with a 6th grade boys’ advisory. The students did some reflecting and writing about questions related to effort and respect, and then we discussed their responses. I am collecting all the worksheets and then will do some analysis of the responses once all my visits are completed. I will be interested to see, for example, how different grade levels judge their own effort and how students of varying ages and genders speak about respecting themselves, others, and Calvert.

Class #18--6th Age Math

Wednesday, October 27, 10:10 A.M. Sixth Age Math Class. Class #18 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” trek. On a rainy, unusually warm Wednesday morning, I am here in Mrs. Miles’s colorful, vibrant classroom. I arrive just as class is starting, slightly out of breath after hustling up from the girls’ gym, where the Pilot Class students taught me how to do the “Chicken Dance”! (Fortunately, no photos were taken!). Mrs. Miles always has a variety of ways to teach and “reach” her students, whether the class is math, reading, or discovery. Mrs. Miles is using an overhead projector to show images of small leaves and pumpkins. She shows the images and then quickly covers them up, in an effort to help students learn what numbers “look like.” In other words, she wants her pupils to be able to see a group of five leaves and immediately recognize that there are five leaves rather than counting the leaves one at time to determine that there are five. I have never seen this teaching technique before, but it makes great sense and the students enjoy the competitive nature of the activity. The students then get unifix cubes (basically like Legos) and return to their spots on the rug. Mrs. Miles reads aloud Five Spooky Ghosts Playing Tricks at School, and the students follow along and build various stacks of cubes, in accordance with the storyline. By the end, the students have a pattern of cubes, as shown in this picture.

Students then look around the room and identify places where numbers are “in order.” The boys and girls find the clock and calendar, among other examples. Quickly, the class is on to its next activity. Mrs. Miles distributes ghost cut-outs, with a number on them (0 through 5). The students have to get themselves in order and stand in front of class. Mrs. Miles then removes a student and the class needs to figure out which number is missing. The students enjoy this game and the kinesthetic movement involved. For the fourth and final activity, the class members work individually at their seats, coloring and writing numbers, with Mrs. Miles actively circulating among the students to check their work and assist and encourage as needed. At one point, a boy says, “Mrs. Miles, I forget how to write a 2.” She replies in a song-like way, “Around the tree and back to you, that is how we make a 2.” The child then wrote his 2, and a classmate exclaimed, “That is really good!” To Mrs. Miles and her hard-working students, I enthusiastically share the same message: “Your class was really good!”

Class #17--5th Grade Math

Monday, October 25, 10:15 A.M. 5th Grade Math Class. Class #17 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” expedition. I arrive just as Mrs. Nessler’s math class is beginning. Mrs. Nessler used to teach a 5th grade girls homeroom; now, in addition to teaching math, she coaches cross country, teaches fine arts, and serves as Middle School Academic Support Coordinator! The students have just finished snack (cornbread, which is always delicious) and recess, and they are ready to go. A math challenge problem is on the board. The number 5 is circled, and the following numbers are written around it: 1, 3, 6, 8, 4. The twelve students are racing to find the right order of operations, using the numbers above, to equate to an answer of 5. It turns out that there are a number of correct answers, but the student who gets to a correct answer first shares this:

[(4+8) -3] – 4 x 1 = 5

Another correct answer is shared, and then the class pulls out their math homework, which is a chapter review in preparation for Wednesday’s test. The students are working on decimals and approaching them a variety of ways: greater than/less than, place value, estimating, and computing. At 10:35, the class moves on to its third activity, one which involves group work and problem solving. This is not your average group activity, however! Once the group (either two or three students) has the answer, the team members have to determine how they will teach the class to solve the problem. Then, each group comes to the board and explains how to approach the question and work through to an answer. An example of one of the word problems is: “A local frozen yogurt shop offers three flavors of frozen yogurt and four toppings. How many one flavor, one topping combinations are possible?” The group in charge of this problem shows the class how making a chart is an effective way to arrive at the correct answer of 12 combinations. Four groups have a chance to present, and the final two groups will present tomorrow. The students really got a great deal accomplished in 45 minutes today! Based on what I observed, I am confident that they are in more–than-good shape for Wednesday’s test.

Class #16--8th Age Reading

Thursday, October 21, 8:30 A.M. 8th Age Reading Class. Class #16 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. I arrive just as Mr. Shep’s reading class is beginning. (Most of my readers may know this, but Mr. Shep’s real name is Mr. Shepherd, but everyone calls him “Mr. Shep.” In fact, when I started working at Calvert in 2004, I thought Mr. Shep was his real name until someone clarified it for me!). Ten smiling faces warmly greet me. This is prime learning time, and the students are ready to go. Mr. Shep, as a change of pace on Thursdays, begins his reading class by reading aloud a “Tell Me Why” story. Today’s story, accompanied by a colorful PowerPoint slide, is about the invention of candy. While he is reading aloud (looking down at the book and directly facing the class), Mr. Shep employs some otherworldly peripheral vision (which is a special teacher power) to notice that one of his homeroom students has just arrived—in the hall! I honestly do not know how he saw the boy in the hall. Without breaking stride, Mr. Shep gives some instructions to the late arriving boy and then goes right back to reading. It was a small moment but one that demonstrated his veteran teaching expertise. (Did you know that this is Mr. Shep’s twentieth year at Calvert?!). After the candy story concludes, the students read independently for a few minutes. The class is quickly onto its third activity, which is a discussion and reading of Smiling Hill Farm. However, Mr. Shep has disappeared, and “Pioneer Pat” has arrived. A man who bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Shep but wearing a Davy Crockett-style coonskin cap is now teaching class! This actually happens often, with Mr. Shep “disappearing” and a variety of characters taking his place, including “Mr. History,” "Thor," and “King SWEN” (King of South, West, East, North for geography class). Mr. Shep asks some questions of the class to refocus them on the storyline and to contextualize the book . The boys and girls then take turns reading aloud, interspersed with questions and comments from Mr. Shep. He is patient and caring with his group of up-and-coming readers. The class is focusing on two key skills: reading comprehension and oral articulation. It is a pleasure seeing the students accomplishing a great deal this morning in an enjoyable, appropriately relaxed atmosphere! Young alumni that I encounter always ask about Mr. Shep; his outstanding rapport with his students has made a genuine, lasting impact on them.

Pictures from Class #15

As promised, here are some pictures from Mr. Howe's reading class that I observed yesterday, specifically the book making project. Enjoy.

Class #15--9th Age Reading

Wednesday, October 20, 8:30 A.M. 9th Age Reading Class. Class #15 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” marathon. WARNING: Get out your reading glasses, because this blog post is long! It has been a full week since my last observation. Time is really flying this school year. How can it be October 20 already? I am on my fifteenth class observation, so I am at 30% of my goal of 50 classes. The school year is not yet 25% complete, so my pace is good! I am in Mr. Howe’s reading class on this Wacky Wonderful Wednesday, as Mr. Howe describes the day. On Wednesdays, Mr. Howe explains to me, the class does some “out of the box activities.” Some fast facts about Mr. Howe: he is a Calvert graduate (Class of 1977), coaches baseball in the Middle School, and is a recipient of the Apgar Award for innovative teaching. The twelve students arrive and, clearly knowing the routine, open an independent reading book and begin to read silently. This is essentially a warm-up to get the students in the swing of reading class. After two to three minutes of silent reading, Mr. Howe explains that the students will be discussing a crucial “element” of every story—the title. Mr. Howe says to the class, “Studies show that the comprehension of the story begins with the title. The title influences how the reader thinks about a story. The title is a powerful part of the story.” A story about a whale, rabbit, and elephant is projected on the large screen on the wall. The title, however, is not given to the class. After a few students read the story aloud, the class offers suggestions about what the title should be, including: Small Animals and Big Animals, Rabbit’s Problem, The Elephant and the Rabbit, Big Animal’s Rudeness, and The Elephant’s Rudeness. Two stories are posted on red and purple paper on the classroom walls. Mr. Howe has the students get up out of their seats (movement is always a good idea in class), read one of the two stories silently, and then offer suggestions about appropriate titles. Their suggestions are outstanding! It is only 8:47 A.M. and the class is moving on to another activity. As I have said in prior blog posts, the pace is brisk but appropriate. The next part of class deals with another crucial element of a story—illustrations. Mr. Howe states, “Illustrations are powerful. They give information and draw the reader into the story.” The students take a piece of paper, divide it into quadrants, and then move into a creative activity I have not previously seen. Mr. Howe projects an image onto the screen for ten seconds, and removes the image. The students have approximately one minute to draw the image they just saw. There are three rounds, and the pictures are all different…but they turn out to be the different pieces of a jack-o-lantern shown in varying configurations! The students’ recreations are excellent! At 9:00 A.M., Mr. Howe, fresh off a bookmaking workshop he attended just yesterday, passes out sheets of paper and scissors and then walks his pupils through a variety of folds and cuts. The students will make a book out of a single sheet of paper. I am very impressed with their ability to follow Mr. Howe’s directions during this process. The class follows the same procedure again with a yellow piece of paper, only this time the directions are even more advanced as this version will be a pop-up book, made out of a single sheet of paper! Only six minutes remain in class and the students are working diligently to make every second count. Class ends at 9:20, with the students still fully engaged and wanting to do more. I honestly believe the students could have kept going for at least another 45 minutes. I look forward to coming back to see how the final versions of the stories look, with compelling titles and illustrations. Congratulations to Mr. Howe and his students for a wonderful class! I am sorry I do not have any pictures of the students' pop-up books to share today. I was so busy typing I neglected to take any pictures, but check back in the coming days as I plan to post some pictures.

A Great Alumni Event

We had a tremendous young alumni event on Sunday. About 75-80 of our alumni (all of them in high school) came to watch the Ravens game in the Black Box Theater in the Middle School. There was a great deal of camaraderie, Calvert spirit, reconnecting with old friends...and lots of pizza, wings, sodas, and cookies! The only thing missing, unfortunately, was a Ravens victory.

Congratulations and thank you to the development office, Alumni Board, the technology team, and the maintenance department.

What A Day!

One of the reasons I love my job so much is that I get to do so many different things every day. Between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday afternoon, here is a sampling of my schedule: attended the first 2010-2011 meeting of the Calvert Board of Trustees, participated in Pilot Class Pajama and Pancake Day, observed a 9th Age math class (see blog post below), helped supervise our annual lock-down drill, watched the 10th Age Crow-Canary field hockey game, coached 5th grade intramural basketball, and watched the Middle School football team battle St. Paul's. With days like that, I always look forward to coming to work! Below is a sampling of some pictures from today.

Class #14--9th Age Math

Wednesday, October 13, 8:30 A.M. 9th Age Math Class. Class #14 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” It is a crisp Wednesday morning, and there is no place that I would rather be than in a 9th Age math class! Ms. Gentry has clearly already established a good routine with her seven students. As they arrive, they get their homework out, and then five students go to the board to complete one of the homework problems. The students are solving various addition equations and then indicating whether the problem is an example of the associative or commutative properties. The class then discusses the differences among rounding, estimating, and providing exact answers. Ms. Gentry reminds her pupils to look for key phrases in the word problem, e.g. the word “about” suggests that an estimate is required. Knowing that the students will get antsy if they sit in one place for 55 minutes, Ms. Gentry has the students stand, stretch, and then move to a different seat. Next, she projects a “Five-Minute Check” onto the wall to ensure that the students have a solid understanding of the concepts. (Our new Lower School math series (Math Connects) has a rich suite of online resources for faculty and students to use). The class is only 25 minutes old and the class is on its third activity. The pace is brisk but entirely appropriate. This “Five-Minute Check” is a win-win—the students enjoy the technology, and Ms. Gentry gets a good sense of her students’ comprehension. Still employing the projector, the class plays this really cool (honestly, “cool” is the best word here!) called Roboworks. It is an interactive game; if a student gets a correct answer, then a piece is added to the robot’s body, with the goal of constructing a complete robot. The students construct two whole robots with their correct answers! (One “cool” feature—the two robots that are made look entirely different). The period concludes with a preview of the night’s homework. Please enjoy the pictures below, one “old-school” (a student doing a massive addition problem on the board), and one “new-school” (Roboworks). Congrats to Ms. Gentry and her students for a terrific math class! By the way, here are two fast facts about Ms. Gentry: she is a Calvert graduate (a proud member of the Centennial Class of 1997), and she played collegiate lacrosse at Boston University.

"Superman" is a Must-See

I enthusiastically recommend that all my readers take the time to see Waiting for Superman, an educational documentary directed by Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth). The film follows five families in their quest for quality education for their children. Dissatisfied with the zoned public schools in their district, they turn to “lottery” public and charter schools, which do not have ample spaces for all interested students. The movie has received national attention and is now showing in Baltimore at the Landmark Theater in Harbor East.

I had the opportunity to see a screening of the movie two weeks ago and found it to be moving and inspirational. After digesting the documentary, I had three overarching thoughts: 1) sincere appreciation for the education I received at Calvert; 2) the need for Calvert to provide the best possible education for the students of today, and 3) the call for all Americans to take an interest in broader educational issues.

Nationally, public schools will always be responsible for educating the vast majority of children. Approximately 90% of students in the United States attend public schools, with roughly 9% attending parochial schools and 1% in independent schools. The long-term success of our country is directly tied to the quality of the education that children are receiving in all schools across the nation.

Since 2006, Calvert has joined seven local independent schools and eleven public schools in the Middle Grades Partnership (MGP), a program designed to offer “academically promising Baltimore middle school students the opportunity to excel in the city's most challenging high schools by providing them with comprehensive summer and after-school learning opportunities,” according to www.middlegradespartnership.org . In the summer, approximately 75 students from our partner school, Francis Scott Key Elementary-Middle, take classes at Calvert that are taught by faculty members from both Calvert and Francis Scott Key. Generously funded by the Baltimore Community Foundation, MGP significantly improves the chances that Baltimore public school students will attend selective high schools and then college. Participation in MGP also provides professional development for Calvert teachers across multiple grade levels and subjects and provides several Calvert alumni the opportunity to serve as program interns.

In closing, I again urge you to see Waiting for Superman. If you click the following link, you can access more information about the movie: www.waitingforsuperman.com

8th Age Folder Papers

“Folder papers” are a hallmark Calvert tradition. We believe strongly that student-generated work is crucial to educational development. At the end of each month from 7th Age through 10th Age, students send home a representative sample of their work. (In the Middle School, folder papers are called “portfolios”, and they go home quarterly). The work is compiled during the month and reviewed and checked by the homeroom teacher. Then, each student meets individually for a few minutes with an administrator—the Head of the Lower School or Assistant Head Master for example—to review his or her work. I review about three or four homerooms of folders each month as well. Today, I sat down with the boys of 8-1 (Mr. Shep’s class) to look at their first 8th Age folder papers. What a treat for me to be able to speak individually with each of the boys about their work and their progress! Below, you will see some pictures of their papers and folder covers.

Class #13--10th Age Grammar

Friday, October 8, 1:45 P.M. 10th Age Grammar Class. Class #13 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. It is Friday afternoon, the sun is shining, and it is grammar time in 10-B! Ms. Silberstein’s attentive girls are eager for grammar! As I walk in, the class is just beginning, and I yet I can already sense the enthusiasm from the girls. Ms. Silberstein—who also coaches Middle School squash in the winter—displays a PowerPoint presentation explaining declarative and interrogative sentences. The PowerPoint is not static; rather, it incorporates software which allows for interactivity. Ms. Silberstein clicks on a button that is projected on the board, and then a sentence scrolls across the screen. The girls take turns reading the sentences and then stating whether it was declarative or interrogative. Next, girls go up to the board and punctuate sentences that are displayed. The girls who are not at the board copy the sentences down on paper and make punctuation and capitalization corrections at their desk. In this fashion, all the students are working and engaged—not just the one student at the board. Everyone is working hard! In a relatively short amount of time, the information was presented in multiple formats, and from my observations, I can tell that the girls “get it.” The period was an excellent review of some grammar essentials.

Class #12--5th Grade Math

Tuesday, October 5, 10:15 A.M. 5th Grade Math Class. Class #12 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” trek. The bell rings and Mrs. Liotta’s twelve 5th grade math students quickly get to work on the tasks at hand. Did you know that Mrs. Liotta graduated from Calvert, in 1979? Yes, she is an alum of the school and also a former member of the Board of Trustees. Mrs. Liotta has instructions written on the board: 1) check your homework (equations and mental math) with your table; 2) work on the problem of the day. The problem of the day deals with a pattern of numbers. There are two columns of numbers, and the students need to discern the relationship between the integers at hand. Mrs. Liotta does not just go over the answer to the problem; rather, she explains how to approach the problem, to figure out what is being asked, and then to attack the question. The class then moves to a chapter one review, starting with exponents, standard form, and variables. The students are quite participatory, raising hands, asking questions, and providing on-target answers. Next, the class reviews order of operations by playing a game. The student have learned about “PEMDAS” dictating the order of operations—Parentheses, Exponents, Multiply/Divide, Add/Subtract. The object of the game is to use the numbers and operations given to get as close to possible to 48. For example, the numbers are 4,5,6 and the operations are + and x. The winning equation in this case is (6+4) x 5 = 50. The students work in groups of three at their tables, sliding around cut-out cards of numbers and operations. Good work, class!

Class #11--10th Age Math

Friday, October 1, 11:30 A.M. 10th Age Math Class. Class #11 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. The calendar has flipped to October, and the incredible monsoon-like rains of the past two days have finally left the area. I am on the terrace level of the Lower School, in Mr. Brian Mascuch’s classroom. Mr. Mascuch taught a variety of grade levels at Calvert (primarily 5th grade) from 1999-2007 and then left to pursue a unique, enriching opportunity to teach at Shanghai International School for a few years. He is now back at Calvert, teaching the 10-1 boys’ homeroom and coaching several Middle School sports, including football. As the thirteen students settle into their seats, a problem awaits them on the board: Guess the 6 digit number. All the numbers are the same and their sum is 24. After a brief discussion, the class agrees that the correct answer is 444,444. The students spend some time reviewing rounding concepts and adding three-digit numbers. Mr. Mascuch actively moves around the room, checking homework, calling on students, and making sure his pupils are on task and engaged. He then passes out two “Zip” game cards to each student. The cards are numbered 1 through 32 and have clues on them. The game incorporates listening, reading, and math; I decide to participate, and by the end, my brain is tired! The game starts with Mr. Mascuch, saying “I have 27. What is this number minus 9?” I have the 18 card, so I say, “I have 18. Who has this number divided by 2?” The game then volleys around the room, with the clues getting progressively harder. The students meet the challenge extremely well. I am impressed with their accuracy and speed. We move through two rounds and then Mr. Mascuch takes a moment to review the associative property of addition. Next, we transition to another game called “Right Price Race” which involves teamwork, rounding, and speed in discerning numbers from an advertisement chock full of numbers and words. The class is so enthusiastic for the game! Unfortunately, we run out of time; the period ends with a pledge from Mr. Mascuch to continue the game next time they meet. Kudos to Mr. Mascuch and his bright, energetic students!

Class #10--5th Grade English

Monday, September 27, 1:45 P.M. 5th Grade English Class. Class #10 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” tour. After Mr. Little’s class, I stroll down the hall to Mrs. Lawrence’s 5th grade English class. We added several afternoon English blocks to the 5th grade schedule this year—to supplement the daily, morning class--so that we can spend additional time on this crucial, core element of the Calvert curriculum. Mrs. Lawrence, who teaches one of our 5th grade girls’ homeroom classes as well as 6th grade English, does not waste any time in getting started. She conducts a formative spelling assessment to see how well her girls know the words at the start of the week. Mrs. Lawrence says the fifteen words aloud, and then the girls write the word on their individual white boards. They hold their boards in the air (showing only the teacher) and then Mrs. Lawrence can see how many girls got each of the words correct. Here is a sample of the words: obedient, patient, pedestrian, burly, compatible, obstacle, retire, accustom, assign, budge, and concept. As it turns out, the girls know most of the words very well, so the test on Friday will only be on the seven words that most of the girls got wrong. This makes perfect sense—why should the girls spend time studying fifteen words for Friday’s test when they know eight of them already? Studying seven words will save them time—and allow them to focus on the most difficult words! Next, the girls give a short oral presentation on various letters of the alphabet. The girls have to “sell” their letter by making a small poster and then giving a short but persuasive speech. One by one, the girls make their way to the front of the class and make their pitch. I feel like buying lots of letters! What a productive, fun class—spelling and public speaking—what could be better?! By the way, did you know that Mrs. Lawrence played basketball in college? She is still a very good player! With this class completed, I am now 20% of the way to my goal of seeing 50 classes.

Class #9--6th Grade Math

Monday, September 27, 1:00 P.M. 6th Grade Math Class. Class #9 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” expedition. It is a rainy, somewhat dreary Monday, but there is lots of excitement in Mr. Little’s math class. After spending the first ten minutes of class finishing a test, the students hear from Mr. Little about the project for the next chapter—Metric Mania! Mr. Little, who won the 2009-2010 Apgar Award for innovative teaching, teaches multiple grade levels of Middle School math and also coaches cross country, basketball, and track and field. The objective for the project is to learn to measure using the metric system and then be able to complete conversions, e.g. from meters to centimeters. Rather than have his students simply sit in their seats and hear a lecture, Mr. Little sends them off in teams to gather data in a variety of places and in a variety of ways. For example, they measured the length of the Middle School Gym and the height of the classroom door, calculated the volume of a tissue box and a soda can, and found the mass of a paper clip, a pencil…and Planet Earth! (Not kidding!). The groups then hustled back to the classroom and, in true collaborative spirit, shared their data. For homework tonight, the students will convert the measurements as specified on the Metric Mania project sheet. Given the hands-approach in class today, I am confident that Mr. Little’s students will finish the chapter with an excellent grasp of the metric system.

Class #8--7th Grade History

Wednesday, September 22, 11:40 A.M. 7th Grade American History Class. Class #8 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” voyage. I am in Mr. Bennett’s room on the third floor of the Middle School. Mr. Bennett has moved up to the Middle School after three years serving as a 10th Age homeroom teacher. He now has the opportunity to teach some of his former Lower School pupils in his Middle School classes, which are 7th grade history and math. In addition, he is the head coach for football, boys’ basketball, and boys’ lacrosse. In short, he is a multi-talented—and busy—faculty member. In class today, the students discussed some of the fundamentals, so to speak, of American history: the founding of Massachusetts Bay Colony, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, as well as pivotal figures such as Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson. I really liked the way Mr. Bennett had the students approach the material in a variety of ways—four, by my count: individual reading the evening before class; teacher-guided class discussion; group work; and by using hand-held “senteo” devices as a part of a formative assessment at the end of class to gauge both individual and group comprehension. The senteos are a great way to infuse technology into instruction in a meaningful, impactful manner. It was evident, based on quiz grades at the end of the period, that the students had, indeed, learned a great deal today. Bravo to Mr. Bennett and his class!

Class #7--7th Grade Life Science

Friday, September 17, 1:45 P.M., 7th Grade Science Class. Class #7 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. I hustled down from the third floor to Mrs. Finnegan’s science lab on the first floor of the Middle School. If I can do it in four minutes, then I know the students can! You might think that Mrs. Finnegan has an unenviable class time—the last academic period, on a Friday, on a Black and Gold Day, and, actually, right before a Black and Gold activity in the gym. That assumption would be wrong. After the class settled down, Mrs. Finnegan started with a “Yeah, science!” exclamation, drawing applause and cheers from the students. Throughout the class, there were similar positive bursts of cheering and clapping. I have never seen such enthusiasm for a “Fun Fact” before! In the first part of class, the students learned about food safety, the danger of bulging cans, botulism, and applying the scientific method. Next, Mrs. Finnegan displayed a PowerPoint slide show focusing on (pun intended) the microscope. The power of the microscope was highlighted through the display of what various organisms look like through the microscope: dust mite, strawberry, snail teeth, butterfly wings, wasp, and bacteria. “I want you to look at the world through new eyes,” Mrs. Finnegan enthusiastically exhorted. The class then reviewed microscope basics, including safety, how to carry it, focusing, table placement, and identifying parts of the scope. Again, I am impressed by the amount of material covered in one period. Kudos to Mrs. Finnegan and her students. Yeah, science!

Class #6--6th Grade Math

Friday, September 17, 1:00 P.M., 6th Grade Math Class. Class #6 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” quest. Mr. Doss, teacher and coach extraordinaire, is holding court in Room 301, up in the top corner of the Middle School. Although it is a Friday afternoon on a festive Black and Gold Spirit Day (yes, I am wearing a blinking gold necklace over my Calvert t-shirt), the students are attentive and engaged. Class starts with a review of the homework (evaluating expressions) and then moves to a lesson on order of operations. Working on the Smartboard, Mr. Doss goes through a few examples, offering high fives for correct answers. He stresses PEMDAS (in fact, he has the class chant it in unison!)—Parentheses, Exponents, Multiply/Divide, Add/Subtract. Next up is a team competition. The students rearrange their desks to be with their team members and then work together in teams to solve order of operations problems. Mr. Doss checks the answers and gives tally marks to the teams with correct answers. The “Dream Team” won the competition by amassing 13 correct answers, with the other two teams close behind with 12 and 11 correct. After the controlled frenzy of the competition, the students work individually on some workbook problems to finish the period. It was certainly a packed, productive class!

Class #5--Earth Science

Thursday, September 16, 1:00 P.M., 6th Grade Earth Science Class. Class #5 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” quest. Mr. Ewen, who also coaches soccer and basketball and advises the Student Government, teaches all of the 6th grade earth science classes. Class began with a few warm-up questions: what is the difference between a pond and a lake? Would you consider the swimming area at Oregon Ridge State Park to be a pond or lake? Why? The key distinguishing factor, Mr. Ewen explained, is that if sun can hit the bottom, it is considered a pond, and if not, then it is a lake. The key activity for the next two classes will involve determining how much water a leaf on a tree gives off in 24 hours. The class reviewed the lab procedures, which include affixing a small plastic bag around multiple leaves (still on the branches), and then performing a series of measurements the next day, after the leaves have been removed from the trees. After developing their hypothesis statements, the students went outside to the trees across the stream (behind the Gazebo) to bag their leaves. I will have to circle back to the class to learn about their final calculations!

Successful September Events

September means lots of back-to-school events, and I am pleased to report that we had three such excellent events this week: Lower School Parents' Night (9/7), 8th Grade Kickoff for students and parents (9/10), and New Parents' Barbecue (9/11). At the 8th grade event, the students played laser tag on the Krongard Field and then received their special Class of 2011 fleeces. We are counting on the 8th graders to provide excellent leadership throughout the school year. Earlier this evening, about 65 enthusiastic new Calvert parents gathered at my residence on campus to make new acquaintances, meet members of the administrative team, and enjoy a delicious barbecue. We were blessed with such a beautiful night of weather! We will have our final September parents' night this coming Thursday (9/16) when 6th, 7th, and 8th grade parents will gather to hear from Middle School Head Kelly Herrity and meet their child's teachers.

Class #4--Ninth Age Science

Tuesday, September 7, 11:00 A.M., 9th Age Science Class. Class #4 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” odyssey. After a three-day weekend, we at Calvert picked up right where we left off—with lots of teaching and learning! I am in science class with Mrs. Preston’s 9th Age girls’ homeroom. Mrs. Wlodarczyk, our multi-talented Lower School science teacher, reviewed some of the class procedures with the girls and then began the class’s first official science lesson of the year. With textbooks, sharpened pencils (is there anything better than a freshly sharpened pencil?) and a clean, yet-to-be-written-in lined notebook, the girls were eager to start. After learning about the definitions of “hypothesis” and “experiment,” the girls were introduced to the scientific method by reading about the chameleons of Madagascar. The students were attentive, eager to read aloud, and generally excited about science. Now that they are in 9th Age, they have science homework to complete before the next class. The first homework involves providing definitions for key scientific vocabulary, such as "variable." In addition to teaching science to 7th Age through 10th Age, Mrs. Wlodarczyk is our Planetarium Coordinator and also coaches 5th grade intramural basketball with me.

Ice Cream!

We started a tradition a few years ago of 5th and 8th graders having ice cream sundaes during the first week of school. We pair the youngest and oldest Middle School students together in a Big/Little Brother/Sister relationship, which will continue throughout the school year. The first activity is enjoying ice cream together! Mr. Little and I served as ice cream scoopers this afternoon—simply a great, fun way to wrap up the first week of school. Enjoy a few pictures below!

A Healthy Eighth Grade

Friday afternoon. 2:00 P.M. Middle School Room 201. 8th grade Health class. Class #3 of “50 Classes or Bust!” After a vigorous French class, I have headed downstairs to Mr. Broy’s Health class. Mr. Broy teaches physical education and health and coaches interscholastic football and lacrosse. This was his first session with the 8th graders. Mr. Broy made a compelling case for the importance of health class by sharing a story about a former student of his who saved his father’s life by performing CPR. The class discussed a variety of important topics, including: recognizing life-threatening emergencies, the universal choking sign, the Good Samaritan Law, and preventing disease transmission. The students also practiced putting on and taking off latex gloves. By the end of the year, the 8th graders will be certified in both adult and child CPR. As a School, we are placing more emphasis on overall student wellness this year, and a high-quality health program is an integral part of that initiative.

Dancing Faculty and French Class

The pace is brisk this week even though we are only in the first week of school. This morning, we held our first divisional assemblies, which were excellent opportunities for community building. In the Lower School, Dr. Trusty asked some trivia questions, introduced new faculty members, and emphasized the importance of friendship. The Middle School assembly was lively, to say the least! To present dress code “do’s and don’ts,” seven Middle School teachers and administrators danced onto stage in various forms of dress code adherence. Students then had to point out what clothing items—and accessories!—were prohibited. Students who provided correct answers received a pass for a dress-down day. Many thanks to the brave faculty members! Yes, we took pictures as well as video of the assembly.

I am now observing class #2 in my “50 Classes or Bust!” quest. I am in Middle School Room 304 with Madame Bofill-Polsky’s 7th grade French class. The lesson is being conducted almost entirely in French. I am impressed with the pace of the class and the skill level of the students. Given how rusty my French is, I am having a hard time keeping up with the class and understanding the dialogue. My biggest educational regret is not learning a second language to fluency. I really hope these students continue their French studies until they become fluent and fully conversant. Madame, who is a native French speaker, has designed a very Middle School appropriate lesson, with a variety of activities built in. The students moved around the room after responding to commands, conjugated verbs by sliding magnets with pre-printed words on them into the right spaces on the board, worked collaboratively in groups, and recited conjugations as a class. To Madame and her students, I say “Bravo!”

Assembly and "50 Classes or Bust!"

We had our opening of school assembly this morning at 9:15. We decided that 9:15 this morning would be much cooler (and shadier) than the originally scheduled time of 11:00 yesterday. It was wonderful to see 579 students and 105 employees all together at once! Ms Herrity and I shared some remarks, and Dr. Trusty read a humorous poem he had written. In addition, the President of the Student Body welcomed everyone and, by stating, "This year is what we make of it," encouraged us to work together to have a great school year. Mr. Hardesty played music, including a lively re-mix of "Silhouette Child" while the students were recessing.

I just finished observing Mrs. Babb's Sixth Grade history class. I am on a quest to observe at least 50 full-period classes this year, and I am starting today, on Day 2 of the school year. I am energized by what lies ahead on my "50 Classes or Bust!" quest! I plan to blog about some, if not most, of my visits throughout the academic year.

Mrs. Babb discussed maps with her students, focusing on the evolution of maps, different kinds and shapes of maps, and perspectives. Most traditional maps American students see have the Western point of view, with North America being in the top left quadrant of the map. The class examined and discussed seven maps including Nystrom's World Map, Peter's World Map, a map from an Australian point of view, a Calvert map, and a Chinese map from several hundred years ago, among others. Under Mrs. Babb's skillful, enthusiastic tutelage, the students realized that cartographers have, for hundreds of years, created maps to put their country in a favorable light and/or position on the globe. "Every country wants to be on top of the world," commented one perceptive student. I am sure Mrs. Babb's students will look at maps much more critically in the future.

Tomorrow, I plan to observe 7th grade French and 8th grade health. Stay tuned!

First Day Excitement!

After a summer hiatus, my blog is back! I look forward to keeping my readers updated on the events and happenings on campus. Today (Tuesday, 8/31), we had the Pilot Class and Sixth Age Popsicle Parties to welcome our youngest students and get them (and their parents) acclimated to the school routine. On Wednesday, the 2010-2011 school year commences! To say that I am excited is an understatement. There will be ample energy and enthusiasm in both the Lower School and the Middle School, despite the heat. I look forward to shaking hands, popping in to all the classrooms, and wishing teachers and students the very best of luck for an outstanding school year. We will open school with 579 students--383 in the Lower School and 196 in the Middle School. For the third consecutive year, we will start school with an all-time high enrollment. Here we go!

Lower School Awards Assembly

This week--our final week--is filled with special events and ceremonies. Today, I had the great pleasure of recognizing many students and faculty members at the Lower School Awards Assembly. Headlining the Assembly was our farewell to Jim Coady, who is retiring after 42 years of outstanding service. We presented Mr. Coady with the "Key to Calvert School" so he knows that he can return as often as he likes. Also, we recognized seven faculty and staff members for ten years of service and one--music teacher Brent Hardesty--for 25 years of service. Also, we honored students for athletic and academic achievements, as well as those who attained perfect attendance this year. Three 10th Age students earned all 1s (for achievement) from 7th Age through 10th Age and an amazing twenty-one 10th Agers had all As (for effort) over the same time span. Bravo!

The Penultimate Week

We are beginning our penultimate week of the 2009-2010 school year, and it is actually the final five-day week. It is a busy week, indeed, with the following activities on the docket: Pilot and Sixth Age new student/parent orientation; "Moving Up" Day for the Lower School (students visit the classrooms and teachers they will have in 2010-2011); Track and Field Day; the final Board of Trustees meeting of the academic year; and the Pilot Class Father's Day Coffee. We are trying something new at Track and Field Day. Before the students begin their activities and races, the faculty and staff will compete, in teams, against each other in a variety of games. It should be lots of fun, but I hope that the adults aren't too sore to supervise the students afterwards! Look out for my team--Team 5--to run away with first place! Given last year's rain out, students, teachers, and parents are all looking forward to Wednesday's Track and Field Day festivities.

It is Official: I am a "Doctor"!

Yesterday, I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, completing a very rigorous, stimulating, and challenging three-year program. I am now the proud owner of a doctor of education degree in educational and organizational leadership. The program in which I was enrolled was a mid-career, cohort model in which educational leaders from across the country came together on weekends and in the summer to study and to discuss issues of both theory and practice. My dissertation, which focused on the experiences of parents of color at Calvert, is entitled Moving from Diversity to Community: Listening to Parents of Color at Calvert School. I am pleased to have "caught up" on the degree front to our Lower School Head, Dr. Ed Trusty!

Snapshots from a Busy Week

It is mid- May, which means the calendar is full and exciting. Last week, there were a plethora of events on campus, including the Seventh Age Play, a Ninth Age Crow-Canary kickball game, multiple Middle School athletic contests, and Alumni Weekend and the Calvert Day Fair! Off campus, we celebrated the 25th, 50th, and 75th (yes, 75th!) Calvert Reunions. Both Calvert Day and the reunions were very spirited and well-attended. Calvert students, parents, and alumni are passionate, indeed. Below, I have included pictures from a puppet show in which Tenth Agers entertained a Pilot Class audience, as well as a picture of the ten Eighth Grade members of the girls' lacrosse team. The girls received flowers from the coaches after the final home game of the season, a hard-fought 13-10 victory over Cathedral. Congratulations, girls!

Flu, Blizzards, and...a Power Outage!

To say that it has been an interesting school year would be an understatement! We have actually had an outstanding school year, with several "curveballs" thrown at us from outside the campus: the flu in October, the blizzards in February, and...a power outage last Thursday! Yes, at approximately 12:30 P.M. on May 6, the power went out on campus. Fortunately, the weather was very favorable: a bright, sunny day which gave us ample light in many classrooms and allowed us to play outside comfortably. The teachers and students took the power outage in stride. Everyone was extremely flexible and cooperative! We started an optional early dismissal at 1:15 PM, and approximately half of the students had been picked up by 2:45 P.M. We started getting nervous about Friday's classes, however, because BGE kept moving back the estimated repair time. It turns out a special BGE team was needed to repair a damaged underground cable (off campus). Our friends at BGE came through and we had power again at 2:45 A.M. on Friday morning, giving us ample time to be ready for the start of school on Friday. I greatly appreciate BGE's diligence and the teamwork of the faculty, staff, students, and parents. The outage was a rare event, indeed: Mr. Coady, who has been teaching at Calvert since 1968, told me he cannot remember a similar outage during his 42 year career!

Shaving Cream at Calvert--You Bet!

Last week, I had the true pleasure of spending a period with Mrs. Delorbe's Pilot Class reading group. The boys and girls did an excellent job practicing their upper and lower case Ks! A fun and productive method for children to learn to write letters is to write them in shaving cream. Not only did I observe the class, but I joined them in the shaving cream activity! See below for my handiwork. Mrs. Delorbe gave my letters her seal of approval, but truth be told, it took me two times to get my upper case K correct. At Calvert, we value corrected work, whether you are in Pilot Class or the Head Master's office!

Gettysburg with "General" Jim Coady

Friday was a special day: Jim Coady’s final trip to Gettysburg as a member of the Calvert faculty. Three teachers, four parent chaperones, two busloads of 10th Agers, and I got to spend a wonderful day in Gettysburg with “General” Coady. The students rose to the occasion: one of the guides told us that we were the best group she has had in over 25 years. Lest we be too melancholy, Mr. Coady has tentatively agreed to attend future trips to Gettysburg with us, which is great news. After organizing 42 trips, he can simply hop on the bus at 8:30, or stay at home if it is raining! After the students recited the Gettysburg Address in unison a few paces from where President Lincoln gave his remarkable speech 147 years ago, Mr. Coady joined the students for a group picture, which you can see below. Thank you, Mr. Coady, for 42 wonderful years!

AIMS Heads' Conference

I just returned from the Association of Independent Schools (AIMS) Annual Heads' Conference. A two-day meeting in Annapolis, this gathering affords heads of school across the state the opportunity to discuss issues of mutual interest, to celebrate successes, and to hear from outside experts. I always look forward to seeing my AIMS colleagues, whether they are from schools in Baltimore, near DC, or on the Eastern Shore. The AIMS Heads are an exceptionally collegial group; I often call a fellow Head to ask for his or her advice, and they do the same, when needed. This year's speakers were excellent: noted author Winifred Gallagher explained the many benefits of "focus" and reflection for both children and adults, and Joanne Ciulla, Professor in Leadership and Ethics at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond, led a lively seminar on the relationship--and tensions--between effective and ethical leadership. Dr. Ciulla, who discussed the many different kinds of power (expert, legitimate, reward and punishment, network, and referent) challenged the Heads to contemplate the following question: "Do I know who I am, and do I remember what I know?"

A Great Picture

The picture below epitomizes the expression, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

Spring is Finally Here

In the span of the last week, we have had some bizarre weather, both hot and cold. It seems like spring is finally here on campus, with clear, blue skies and almost perfect temperatures. I was walking along the path by Molly's Garden today and took the two pictures below with my BlackBerry. Imagine how pretty the Garden is in person...stop by and see for yourself!