This past Monday, many of our school trustees attended “Board Visiting Day.” This was an opportunity for them to tour the entire campus, to visit classes in action, and to witness first-hand the outstanding education that is provided each day here at BCD. They were able to directly speak with me and to engage with members of the administrative team about current matters and future initiatives in the areas of academic leadership, admissions, finance, and fundraising. I am grateful for their time, stewardship, and hard work in support of BCD this year as we chart the course for BCD’s future and long term health and sustainability.
I received the following notes from a few trustees, sharing their reflections after visiting classrooms. While individual teachers were noted, these observations speak to the quality and caliber of our entire faculty. I have included them below.
“I had a great time bouncing around campus and visiting classrooms I rarely — if ever — get to visit. My most notable visit took place in the science labs. First, I stopped by 8th grade science with Sue Benner; she was at the top of my list because I’ve seen her in action as AD and as a coach but not as a classroom teacher. After going over a lab write-up that the students wrote, she began explaining the next lab, and the kids immediately knew that they needed to take notes, and from her words, they wrote down important information. Next, I dropped by Tim Gore’s 5th grade science class, and I was impressed with how coordinated the activities were with Sue’s class. His kids, too, were taking notes today. However, rather than expecting the children to write down important information from his lecture, Tim wrote all the important diagrams and reminded the kids of exactly what they needed to write down. It was cross-divisional scaffolding in action!”
“Thank you for hosting such an enjoyable morning yesterday. I’m always left a bit in awe of the way BCD is able to provide such a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere around the rigors of learning and education. Spending the morning touring the classrooms, and seeing our kids and teachers engage in the process of learning, is a real treat and something I recommend highly to each and every parent at BCD.”
“Once again, I came away in awe of the talent and skill of the teachers. Every one of whom I observed demonstrated not only impressive professional ability, but also a truly patient and caring attitude toward the students. I managed to observe classes in all three parts of the school – upper, middle and lower – but I made a point of visiting Julie Milani’s first grade class and chatted briefly with her and, later, the second-grade assistant teacher (Elizabeth Spear). Those class visits, combined with what I already knew about Sarah Cooke and Mrs. Romano, showed me how the School has created a deliberate and well organized progression in the curriculum.”
“I was very impressed with the teachers today…I imagine you have heard their accolades before so I will leave it at that, the staff – teachers and administrators alike make the school special and impressive. Today however, I was struck most by the upper school students. Their vibrancy and collaboration in class impressed me. I was taken by their aptitude for learning, appreciation of the subject matter and care for one another.”
“I felt very proud to be there today. I continue to be in awe at the quality of our teaching staff at BCD. Witnessing them practice their respective crafts today made me realize anew how fortunate our kids were to have attended BCD. It served them well, I assure you.”
And, finally,
“Thanks again for the opportunity to spend the morning touring the campus and observing classes. I had the opportunity to see the 7th grade History class, taught by Sarah Pitcher Hoffman and Jeff Uhas – it is so satisfying to see that they are using this election cycle to engage the students in a thoughtful exploration of our democratic process. I also appreciate that the 7th graders will be in a leadership role in the community, registering 4th through 9th graders to vote, educating them about the process, and ultimately overseeing November’s on-campus election!
In the conversations which took place with you, and with the Administrative staff, I noted three words or themes which came up repeatedly. These words were: Intentionality, Responsivity, and Integration. What follows are some stream of consciousness thoughts, which is probably the best I can do at the moment:
To me, these three words seem to capture the BCD’s IDEAL ongoing effort to bring thoughtful attention to all aspects of the school’s functioning, from staff/ faculty excellence, to the relevance of current curriculum, to the educated choices related best practices in teaching the curriculum at each grade-level. Here’s my reflection about what each of these words mean to me:
I think of “INTENTIONALITY” as the means of bringing to bear one’s highest and clearest consciousness (utilizing all available information) to the task at hand – in this case, creating and stewarding an exceptional educational institution and community. “RESPONSIVITY” represents an openness to adjust, change, evolve and grow as new and reliable information presents itself, whether that be in the form of content that needs to be incorporated into curriculum, individual student learning needs/ styles which need to be accommodated, or processes that might be instituted to strengthen the overall program. And finally “INTEGRATION” means attention to the whole, not simply as a sum or collection of its parts (great kids, great individual faculty members, strong leaders, etc) – but rather as an identity that is more than a mission statement – an identity which can honestly be found in all aspects of the school – it is the ideal notion that, from any given vantage point (student, faculty, parent, admin, etc), the whole looks, feels, lives and breathes from the same place: Berkshire Country Day School as an integrated whole.”