By: Sandra Burgess At the end of the school year, I always find myself rejoicing about making it through another year! I allow myself to rejoice for a day or two, and inevitably, I then begin reflecting on the year that is newly in the rearview mirror. I am blessed (and maybe almost cursed?) to work…
E. Nevenglosky I attended a seminar for classical schools earlier in the year. As I was listening to the keynote speaker, I was struck by his comment that nothing destroys a school culture faster than gossip. As we went through the rest of the school year, I paid special attention to this with my teachers….
by Monica Leigh Nelson I used to work with a student who would start to cry whenever I said the word ‘Math.’ I also once had a student who could do things with number bonds that blew my mind. He taught me tricks and strategies I’ve never seen in a math curriculum. He was excited…
E. Nevenglosky Those of us who work in the realm of servant-leadership often have to pull from our reserves of grace, patience, and compassion on a daily basis. We know that just because we extend these things does not mean we will receive the same in return. But yet, each day, we still choose to fight the…
By Monica Leigh Nelson Math is scary. I think many people, both adults and children, would agree with that statement. When they hear it’s math time, many children suddenly have to go to the bathroom, get a drink, sharpen a pencil, or see the nurse. Adults laugh it off and say, “I was never good…
By: Sandra Burgess What will students remember about their years walking the halls of your school? I asked myself that question a few years ago after visiting a school with a very distinct and beautiful culture. To be fair, the school where I teach does have some amazing cultural distinctions. We have a house system, a buddy system,…
By Monica Leigh Nelson I’ve always known that I was going to be a teacher. The first time I vocalized it was in Kindergarten, when my teacher had us all sitting on the rug and asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. The boy beside me said he was going to…
I have never been big on new year resolutions. It always seemed odd to me to make a drastic change in any area just because the calendar year flipped. To me, change should happen at any time, and frequently, especially when there is a need. One of the many areas I consult on is standardized…
Last post, we looked into why teachers need buy-in and training for the classical model. The next component is parent buy-in. I recently had a conversation with an administrator who said during his first presentation to families as a new administrator to his school, he touched on all the major aspects of classical: truth, beauty,…
E. Nev. I recently had a conversation with an administrator who considered themselves to be classical school. After further discussion, it appeared that the school was more of a hybrid. I think this is pretty common as some classical methods and strategies, especially in elementary school, appear to have traditional components. Regardless, it made me…