When teachers leave at the end of your school year and new faculty members are hired, parents often become concerned. Their primary concern is the loss of known and valued educators and role models. Many parents were familiar and comfortable with the departing teachers. Until new teachers are hired, parents and students experience a real void.
As School Head or Division Head, inform parents that turnover in the faculty is not only expected, but often healthy for the school. Parents should not be unduly concerned. Educate your parents so they will understand what steps your school takes in hiring new teachers and how this process can benefit their children.
Summer Program: The Third Semester—Three Administrative Considerations
In this series on summer program, we have provided examples and insights into Semester 3 (S3) as an inevitable expansion of a school’s program to year-round. In this final article, we look at some administrative considerations for S3 leadership, facilities, and upper school curriculum.
Teachers Sell Lesson Plans for Extra Income
Who owns your teachers’ lesson plans—the teachers who write them, or the school that employs them? The answer might be more complicated than it seems, especially when teachers begin selling their classroom resources online for extra income.
8 Must-Have Student Resources for Writing and Researching
Writing and researching are two of the most important skills students can learn before their college years. Yet, everywhere—from brief op-eds in Psychology Today to full-fledged debates in The Atlantic—discussions on our students’ poor literacy rates and declining academic integrity abound. Some demonize technology for the declining ability of students to compose a paragraph, but why not embrace the new tools available that grant access to some of English’s deeper mysteries? We’ve found eight great resources that—with a little guidance—could greatly enhance your students’ writing and research skills, both at your school and in their future communicative endeavors.
Summer Program: The Third ‘Semester’—Lower and Middle School
In the upper school, planning the summer program as the third semester (S3) provides a way to develop the curriculum more profoundly.1 In the middle and lower schools, it is slowly going to transition to an intentional process that builds on traditional fun and challenge. Those programs of sports, arts, and general and specific interest camps will continue to be a viable model as schools meet the marketplace need for child care during the summer break. However, schools more proactive in their approaches might see this move to S3 as an opportunity to challenge their paradigms. There will be two changes that impact what schools do—intentionality and innovation.
Aftershocks: Dealing With Trauma in the Classroom
For Bostonians, justice was served on April 8th, 2015, when a federal jury declared Dzhokhar Tsarnaev guilty on 30 charges related to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. The sentencing reminds many communities of that spring day two years ago, when three spectators were killed and dozens injured when a homemade pressure bomb exploded in the crowd in what some call the “worst terror attack on American soil since 9/11.”
But for the local town of Waterford, Massachusetts, it's not the bombing itself they remember with dread, but the intense manhunt that ensued for the suspected bombers. For the students in this community, the task wasn’t to treat the trauma of seeing limbs and bodies scattered on an asphalt road. Rather, the trauma lay in a new world perspective—a world that could become dangerous even during the most innocent of events.
Cheating On the Rise, At Home and Abroad
Cheating on tests has reached new heights over the years. Or, at least, it has for parents in Bihar, India, who actually scaled the walls of the local test centers while their children toiled over notoriously difficult standardized board examinations.
But cheating isn’t confined to Bihar. One online conversation led to hundreds of people admitting to creative and (occasionally) effective ways to cheat on exams, as observed by students and teachers. So sit back, grab a cup of joe, and enjoy the stories of oddball cheaters shared by your compatriots.
Summer Program: The Third ‘Semester’—Upper School
In the first article of this series, we outlined the conceptual shift of taking summer program from an extrinsic activity, only marginally important to the school, to an intrinsic activity that is central to the school’s mission. In this article, we outline some key questions from the upper school student’s point of view. The principal objection to the third semester has nothing to do with organization, faculty, money, or facilities. Rather, the principal objection is voiced by the student: I can’t imagine doing in the third semester what I’ve been doing all year. A third “semester” cannot be successful if the other two semesters are not considered—by the students themselves—as being of high value, entertaining, inspirational, and engaging.
Constructive Criticism 101
In Comprehensive Faculty Development—both our book and our workshop—we talk a lot about approaching professional development from a coaching perspective. It's your role as Division Head to keep the ongoing conversations you conduct with faculty focused, honest, and reaffirming of goals and strategies.
These conversations require delivering constructive criticism in a way that brings problems to light while maintaining a positive, productive relationship. It's a tricky balance, but it can be accomplished.
20 Free Online Resources for School Administrators
News aggregate reddit bills itself as the “front page of the Internet,” collecting information and stories for its users to read and respond to. Recently, a member asked the community at large what free services everyone on the Internet should use—and the response was overwhelming.
From the original conversation, we’ve gleaned what we think are the top 20 free resources for private-independent school administrators and educators. From full-length college courses to file converters, our list runs the gamut. Take a look and see what can help you better serve your school community.