ESHA News
 September 2021 Fall is here! Cooler weather for some, shorter days for all. Growing up we called this football weather. Now it's also soccer weather and cross country weather to name a few. The changing of the season ushers in a chance to refresh and refocus. This seems to be a continuing theme for the past year and more. Our wish for you is that this school year run smoothly, peacefully and safely.... Hopefully by this time next year we will be getting ready for Seattle. Everyone...cross your fingers! Please take time to read through the newsletter. We have important updates regarding the Connecting Flight Program and the ESHA regional gatherings. Warm regards, Mary Beth Mary Beth Noel ESHA Executive Director (859) 361-0089 News to Know ESHA Inspiring Heads Leadership Program There is still time to sign up a member or members of your staff for our inaugural ESHA Inspiring Heads Leadership program. ESHA Inspiring Heads Leadership Program Information and Registration http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=xcw579bbb&oeidk=a07eieaeicv35342b0b Upon registration ESHA will invoice your school directly. Thank you. Connecting Flights 2021-2022 Our Connecting Flights are getting ready to take off! We would like to welcome our Flight Leaders for 2021-2022: Sean Cocoran Brainerd Baptist TN Fanning Hearon Palm Beach Day Academy FL Neil Mufson The Primary Day School MD Greg O'Melia The Buckley School NY Joe Powers Woods academy MD Briel Schmitz Spruce Street School WA Abigail Wiebenson Professional Coach Muddy Waters Retired-Past ESHA President We have heard from many of you expressing your enthusiasm for our Connecting Flights program. You understand the value of this ESHA experience and how it relates in your everyday life. Thank you! This year we are going to to try a new approach. While we have had great participation in the past we feel there are some of you who may not have taken full advantage of what this program has to offer. The ability to talk amongst your peers, share ideas, share similar situations, ask for help, offer help, and hold meaningful discussion in a confidential environment...the value is endless. We want to make sure every ESHA member has the opportunity to experience our Connecting Flights Program. Therefore we will be placing each of you in a Connecting Flight. The Flight calls take place at a minimum of once a quarter for 1-2 hours. However if your group and Flight leader feels the need to meet more often that is entirely up to you. Each of the groups will be a combination of new heads and experienced heads. The Flight Leader will schedule meetings, facilitate your conversation, ask for and offer topics for discussion. This is your safe room. You will hear from your Flight Leader in the next few weeks. They will suggest or poll for convenient dates and times to meet. These meetings are usually conducted through Zoom. Please know while we realize not everyone will be able to participate we certainly hope you do, you'll be glad you did! Thank you ESHA Regional Gatherings ESHA is an organization that places high value on personal contacts as well as in-person contact. We all miss that face-to-face connection with our ESHA friends. Once we realized NAIS was going virtual in March 2022 we saw an opportunity. While the Covid conversation is still in play we felt we could safely gather in-person at smaller regional gatherings. A chance to see familiar faces and enjoy each other's company. While not all regions will be covered the following Heads have graciously offered to host a gathering at their school or a nearby venue. New England and vicinity Brendan Largay Belmont Day School Belmont, MA New York and vicinity Greg O'Melia Buckley School New York, NY Washington D.C. and vicinity Joe Powers Woods Academy Bethesda, MD Florida and vicinity Fanning Hearon Palm Beach Day Academy Palm Beach, FL Seattle and vicinity Briel Schmitz Spruce Street School Seattle, WA N. California and vicinity Burns Jones Cathedral School For Boys San Francisco, CA S. California and vicinity Angi Evans and Rose Helm Harbor Day School Corona Del Mar, CA John Thomas Dye School Los Angeles, CA We anticipate these gathering happening in Spring 2022. We will be extending the invitation to all ESHA members to join us as soon as we have confirmed dates and locations. We look forward to seeing you in-person soon! Welcome New ESHA Members Please take a moment to reach out and welcome our newest ESHA friends. We look forward to seeing them soon. Steve Salvo St. Mary's School FL Steve works as the Head of School for St. Mary's Episcopal Day School in Tampa, Florida. St. Mary's is a PK-8 coed day school serving 458 students. Prior to this appointment, he served as Assistant Head of School at Trinity Episcopal School in New Orleans, where he oversaw various aspects of the student experience, including acting as Director of Enrollment Management and leading all recruitment and re-recruitment functions. Steve has presented on various advancement-related topics at national education conferences, including AISAP, SSATB (EMA), NAIS, ERB, NAES, and AISGW. He is a graduate of the NAIS Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads program. He is currently on the Board of Directors of AISAP, serving on the Executive Committee as Treasurer. He serves as an Advancement Consultant with Independent School Management (ISM) and holds a Leader Level Certification through their International Advancement Program (IAP-L). He has also earned AISAP's CAEP certificate and AEMP credential. Steve has worked in independent schools since 2000, following two years as a senior accountant at KPMG, LLP, in Boston, MA. He was a math teacher, dorm parent, and coach at the Indian Mountain School, CT, before moving to Flint Hill School, VA, where he served as a Department Chair and camp director. Steve began his full-time advancement career as the Director of Admission at Browne Academy, VA, in 2007. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Richmond, VA, and a master’s degree in Education Leadership from George Mason University, VA. Seattle 2022-Annual Retreat We will continue to update you in each newsletter regarding the exciting plans for our next retreat. Location: The Fairmont Hotel, Seattle, WA https://www.fairmont.com/seattle/ Date: Saturday, October 22-Tuesday, October 25, 2022 The Seattle Planning Committee This dedicated group has been hard at work planning, rearranging and planning more to insure your time in Seattle is rewarding both personally and professionally. Derek Boonisar The Fenn School. Angi Evans Harbor Day School, CA Briel Schmitz Spruce Street School, WA Paula Smith University Child Development School, WA Mary Beth Noel ESHA Executive Director Executive Committee ESHA is fortunate to have the following leaders comprise our executive committee. Joe Powers President The Woods Academy, MD jpowers@woodsacademy.org Liz Hofreuter Vice President Wheeling Country Day, WV lhofreuter@wcdsedu.com Angi Evans Secretary Harbor Day School, CA AEvans@harborday.org Brendan Largay Treasurer Belmont Day School, MA BLargay@belmontday.org Nicole DuFauchard Advent School, MA ndufauchard@adventschool.org Fanning Hearon Palm Beach Day Academy, FL fhearon@pbday.org Burns Jones Cathedral School for Boys, CA jones@cathedralschool.net Briel Schmitz Spruce Street School, WA briels@sprucestreetschool.org David Skeen Harding Academy, TN skeend@hardingacademy.org Elizabeth Zurlinden Rossman School, MO ezurlinden@rossmanschool.org Past President-2021 Ronnie Codrington-Cazeau University Prep, WA rcazeau@universityprep.org Past President 2019-2020 Elinor Scully The Langley School, VA headsoffice@langleyschool.org Familiar Faces If you have any ESHA photos from past events that you would like to share in our newsletter, please email them to me. The more the merrier! Thank you... Mary Beth Noel Elementary School Heads Association Executive Director Mary Beth Noel info@elementaryschoolheads.org (859) 361-0089. W
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Leading Off Dear ESHA Friends, Instead of sending out our normal March newsletter, it seems appropriate instead to offer you support, empathy, prayers, and hope in this extraordinarily difficult time. When many of us met at our reception in Philadelphia less than three weeks ago, our mood was upbeat even though NAIS had just convened a session on the coronavirus. We simply had no idea of what was coming. All of you as school leaders have taken appropriate steps to ensure the safety of your students, families, staff, and communities. As you well know, managing this particular situation was not even or ever contemplated when you took on your jobs as Heads. But you are in your positions, among other reasons, because of your intelligence, common sense, perception, kindness, and fortitude. These traits will bolster and sustain you as you continue to navigate the uncharted waters ahead. I admire all of you for your steady hands and know that you will both endure with patience and wisdom and direct with great care. As a practical matter, most of you have begun or are in the process of structuring the necessary off-campus educational programs for your students. While your local peers are often the best resources, should you need to reach out to me, or if I can connect you with any ESHA colleagues, please do let me know. I realize that because of bad timing on my part, our membership dues billings were sent out yesterday. While this was planned some time ago, my head, like yours, has been spinning, and I neglected to delay the date. I apologize for this, and it should remain low on everyone’s priority list. The many roles of a Head can include those of pastor, psychologist, and prophet. I keep you in my thoughts and prayers as you go about fulfilling these and so many other offices in the coming weeks. Best, Chris From ESHA President Veronica Codrington-Cazeau Dear ESHA Members, I apologise for the lateness of this communication but I have been working to move my school to online learning. As many of you know this is harder for elementary schools than for secondary schools. The first recorded case of COVID-19 was in the state of Washington, not too far from my own school. Washington also had the first death. Independent Schools in this area were called upon to make unprecedented decisions long before their public school counterparts. Parents were concerned for their children's safety and school leaders were concerned not only for their students but also for their faculty and staff, many of whom fell into high risk categories. My school was one of the first independent elementary schools to close in Washington and this decision did not come lightly. My faculty, staff and administrative team took on the work of moving us from an in-person, community school to an online learning school. Our fourth through eighth grade students were already on a one-to-one program, so teachers began recording lessons, setting up zoom and google meet lessons and communicating the changes to parents. Our PS through 3rd grade teachers began creating weekly packets of learning for their students. Every day would begin with a video recorded greeting and then students were assigned daily tasks and weekly projects to complete at home. None of this was easy and the need for collaboration, encouragement and for everyone to lean in was apparent. I am proud of what my school accomplished in a short window and I am happy to support and share our process with all of you. Please email me at rcazeau@evergreenschool.org with questions or just to say hi. Ronnie  Leading Off Dear ESHA Friends, In my role as a Head, I always found that no matter how long the Winter Break was - and it was long this year - readjustment back to the reality of running a school came at warp speed. So now the mid-year haul begins, and as inspiration, I pass along the beautiful holiday greeting from Carla Silver at Leadership & Design. "Despite what you may be hearing about curriculum, programs, admissions, fundraising, test scores or pedagogy, we are always reminded each year that our work is about people. Whether it is the African Proverb: If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to far, go together or the quote, ' the smartest person in the room is always the room', when it comes down to what drives us as educators, it is creating the type of experiences that help us feel more connected, more whole and more willing to make the sacrifices necessary to work and lead in schools. Now more than ever, we need to see difference as excellence. Now more than ever, we need to model love and curiosity in the face of fear and anxiety. Now more than ever, we need to be the ones to reach out to others with the confidence to know that like us, other people also want to connect, learn and grow." Continue to be positive and affirming. Cheers! Chris  From ESHA President Veronica Codrington-Cazeau Dear ESHA Colleagues, Greetings to all Elementary School Heads! Winter has truly arrived and the country is being hit with snow and ice from Seattle to Maine. Here in Seattle we’ve had two storms and schools have either been on delays or shut down. I hope you are all staying safe and warm! I hope to see many of you next month at the NAIS Conference in Philadelphia. On Wednesday night of the National Conference ESHA will be hosting a cocktail party for all ESHA members and guests. For those of you who have been around for a while, this event will replace the school visit and dinner. More information can be found on the ESHA website. I am looking forward to the 2020 ESHA retreat in Seattle next fall. Fall is a great time to be in Seattle. The leaves are changing, the weather is mild and rain is only slightly falling. I love this city! There are museums for art lovers, great restaurants for the foodies among us, water sports for those who love to kayak or sail and spectacular views from area hilltops! Seattle is a city of entrepreneurs big and small. It is famous for coffee and wine and has some of the freshest seafood available! Please come to enjoy and explore my city. Until then, the days are getting longer and spring is just around the corner. I will see you all soon. Ronnie Heads-Up!
There are a number of nice reflections to pass on to you. BUT FIRST, register for the... 2020 ESHA Cocktail Reception at https://www.elementaryschoolheads.org/events.html WHERE: Molly Malloy's Kitchen and Bar at Reading Market Terminal, 1136 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19107 WHEN: Wednesday, February 26, 2020, 7-9 pm PRICE: Thanks to our sponsors, The Education Group and The Hill School, this event is a free open bar! However, a $50 contribution is encouraged, though certainly not required. Now on to some thoughtful thinking... From the Marshall memo: U.S. immigration 1919-2019 – This animated graphic shows the countries from which U.S. immigrants came year by year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlJg2h2NrTM “100 Years of Immigration to the U.S. 1919-2019” Animated Stats, December 20, 2019 © Copyright 2020 Marshall Memo LLC From our Australian Colleagues... 20 December 2019 Mr Chris Abell Executive Director Elementary School Heads Association Dear Chris I write to thank you, Elinor and Mary Beth for the warm hospitality extended to me and my family during our visit to Nashville in October. It was a wonderful experience to have shared in the collegiality with the ESHA members and their partners at the retreat. Attendance at your retreat was a valuable opportunity for me to learn more about your association and I certainly came away with a better understanding of the similarities and differences between ESHA and IPSHA. ESHA’s ‘Flights’ concept was of particular interest to me and one which we may look to replicate in the IPSHA context sometime in the future. For your interest, I have attached a copy of the November 2019 edition of the Federal eLink. The Federal eLink is our association’s twice-yearly publication. Thank you once again, and I look forward to our associations’ continued collaboration. Kind regards, Grant Bock IPSHA Federal President Suggested by Dane’s Educational Blog Dane Peters of ESHA The Atlantic Stop Trying to Raise Successful Kids And Start Raising Kind Ones https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/12/stop-trying-to-raise-successful-kids/600751/ Setting tuitions for the next school year? Take a look at Knuckleball Consulting's take... Mike Vachow Knuckleball Consulting November 2019 As a follow up to our October Retreat session at Vanderbilt, consider watching the November Front Line on Artificial Intelligence. And remember the caution that going forward into the more prevalent world of Artificial Intelligence, these qualities will serve our students best: 1. Judgment and decision-making 2. Fluency of ideas 3. Active learning 4. Learning strategies 5. Originality  Leading Off Dear ESHA Friends, As our incoming President, Ronnie Codrington-Cazeau, notes below, ESHA's October Nashville Retreat was terrific. I'll say no more - other than the evaluations were the highest ever for our gathering - but let the words and video below speak for what our colleagues do. Many thanks to Grammy Award Nominee Jamie Floyd for helping some of our Heads put this song together! "Changing Lives Is Changing Me" We’re life changers, hand shakers Tear driers and fire fighters We pray with them, fall with them We grow up with them... We might be the leaders But the kids are the teachers The kindergarten high-five Shows us through their eyes What learning and growing should be Despite all the frustrations and high expectations I’m thankful each day I still see Changing lives is changing me We’re improvisers, empathizers Last minute lunch box finders.. But the light in their faces holds infinite graces And that’s why we do what we do The kindergarten high-five Shows us through their eyes What learning and growing should be Despite all the frustrations and high expectations I’m thankful each day I still see Changing lives is changing me Changing lives is changing me Jamie Floyd 615.545.2034 http://www.officialjamiefloyd.com Cheers! Chris  From ESHA President Veronica Codrington-Cazeau Dear ESHA Colleagues, Greetings from Seattle on a rare sunny day. As I look out of my office window, I see burnt orange leaves interwoven with dark green fir tree needles. Even though the day is crisp and cold, the sunshine brought many Seattleites outdoors to enjoy the picture-perfect day. Congratulations to Chris, Mary Beth, and the Nashville Committee for such a wonderful retreat. I regret having to leave early but heard from many of you how the time in Nashville was reinvigorating and refreshing and came at just the right time. Last week in Nashville seems so far away but I still carry the words of ESHA’s first ever country song in my head. Kindergarten high fives shows us through their eyes What learning and growing should be Despite all the frustrations and high expectations I’m thankful each day I still see Changing lives is changing me. This song reminds me why I do what I do. The job of a Head of School is now being compared to being CEO of a multi-million-dollar corporation. We are no longer just the head teachers. Now we have become head statisticians, head parenting gurus, head legal advisors, head fundraisers, etc. The tenure of a head of school is now between three and five years. Yet when asked many of us would say we love our jobs. ESHA retreats allow us to spend time together in fellowship and fun and remember why we do what we do, as illustrated in the words of the song we crafted together. I am so excited that ESHA will be coming to Seattle next year. Seattle is a fun city with lots to see and do. I have called it my home for the past eight years and I hope you all will see why I have decided to stay. I can’t wait to show you why Seattle is a leader in innovation, culinary delights, and coffee. I am grateful to be your board president this year. Ronnie Heads-Up! 1. Our next get together will be in Philadelphia on the evening February 26, 2020, in conjunction with the NAIS Conference. Mark the date and look for details coming next month 2. Ketch Secor's remarks at our Retreat were inspiring and worth reading. Lead singer of Old Crow Medicine Show, co-founder of The Episcopal School of Nashville, son of an independent school Head... Click here to read the remarks from Ketch Secor, lead singer of Old Crow Medicine Show. ESHA Is Delighted to Welcome A New Member  Jenn Elkin Epiphany School, WA Photos from the Nashville Retreat (don't dare miss the 2020 Seattle event!) Thank You to Our Sponsors
 Leading Off Dear ESHA Friends, As our President Elinor Scully notes below, there are several opportunities within ESHA for professional development. Now that I'm in my fifth year as your Executive Director - and after many years as a Head of School - my perspective on your work is this: not only is running a school a demanding and complicated job, filled with pressing issues and requiring many sophisticated and subtle strategies, but it's also one that can give tremendous satisfaction and actually be exhilarating and amusing and of course, at times, almost absurd! To fully embrace your impressive careers, however, I implore you to take advantage of our organization - your fellow members and peers - by scheduling the time to engage, collaborate, and enjoy the our ESHA Heads. Jump into our Annual Retreats, Connecting Flight calls, and Annual Receptions. You simply MUST allow yourselves to be nurtured and stimulated off campus or on discreet mentoring calls so that you can take yourselves and your schools to even greater heights. It's not a case of doing yourselves a favor; it's just favoring yourselves. Cheers! Chris  From ESHA President Elinor Scully Dear ESHA Colleagues, Welcome back! I sincerely hope that your school year is off to a terrific start. As we begin a new school year, I always look forward to the annual ESHA retreat, this year being held in Nashville on October 19-22. I strongly encourage all of you to make the time to attend the retreat, as it is a unique opportunity to connect with other heads of school who truly understand what it is like to lead an independent elementary and middle schools. During my time at ESHA I have also participated in mentoring flight calls, which have become a wonderful touchstone for me to get support from peers and trusted friends. While our calendars often make it hard for connections outside our schools, ESHA provides a nourishing, vital and enriching way to do just that. I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks in Nashville! Warmly, Elinor Heads-Up! Always a Tough One… Helping Students Use Online Resources without Plagiarizing “For as long as there have been students, there have been lazy methods for getting work done,” says Illinois high-school teacher Amy Cavanaugh in this English Journal article. But according to recent surveys of students, plagiarism has escalated in recent years, largely because of what’s available on the Internet and how easy it is to cut and paste other people’s work. Cavanaugh polled her own ninth graders and almost all of them fessed up to taking answers from classmates or the Internet in the previous month. “I’m just so stressed out,” said one, “and if someone has the answers to a stupid worksheet, I’ll take them.” “It’s just sort of normal,” said another; “I’m not a cheater but I share.” That student’s lack of shame stems from a youth culture that engages in wholesale sharing of music, photos, videos, memes, tweets, posts, and more. The line between harmless interpersonal communication and violation of the traditional norms of intellectual property is fuzzy because authorship of lots of online material is unclear and kids get used to the idea that sharing a tweet credits the source. A 17-year-old German author who was accused of copying large chunks of her best-selling book defended her use of “mix and match” by saying, “There’s no such thing as originality anyway, just authenticity.” Students who are immersed in this culture know that sharing schoolwork and online material is against the rules, but they don’t see it as a serious transgression. Educators do, but Cavanaugh believes their response is ineffective. “If students do not feel ashamed of what they’re doing,” she says, “our current, mostly punitive, strategies for deterring plagiarism are useless, and so are our assessments.” Here’s her example of an approach that doesn’t work – and how to tweak it so it does: Early in her career, Cavanaugh assigned the following essay prompt as her class read To Kill a Mockingbird: “What does the mockingbird symbolize in the novel?” Students who Googled “mockingbird symbolism” found a wealth of information: other kids’ essays on that exact topic, a comprehensive SparkNotes analysis with cited evidence, and impressive critical articles by scholars who had thought through the question and come up with top-notch answers. Teachers can’t expect students to ignore such a treasure trove of material, says Cavanaugh: “When the questions that are proposed ask them to regurgitate the ideas of those that came before them, we can guess what the outcome will be…” One student said to her, “It’s just a matter of working smarter, not harder. If the answer is out there, it’s kinda dumb not to look.” But there’s a big downside: “Students often work harder to avoid getting caught ‘stealing’ ideas than they do thinking meaningfully about the question, or even about the answers they find, and they don’t have opportunities to improve.” Clearly, mockingbird symbolism-type essay questions are a problem and don’t advance the deeper mission of the English curriculum. Cavanaugh decided to take a different approach, making “the devil into my ally”: she asked students to do an Internet search for credible material on that question, analyze and evaluate the reasoning, and defend, qualify, or refute what they found. “This assignment,” she says, “requires the same kind of literary analysis, but minimizes the incentive to plagiarize and better acquaints students with using outside sources effectively.” She tries to orchestrate assignments and discussions that aren’t “busywork.” Over the years, Cavanaugh has also focused on classroom culture, developing relationships with students, and creating a community that is trustful and in which students feel they can take risks and make mistakes. She also minimizes high-stakes homework assignments and has expanded her use of in-class discussions, weekly in-class essays; group inquiry; and questions that require original thinking, for example: Is Atticus justified putting his kids at risk? Should we pity Mayella? Cavanaugh also believes it’s important to go beyond what current ELA standards call for – citing sources to support arguments – and explicitly teach students how to find and examine good evidence and determine when citation is necessary. “Students might read numerous blogs or tweets or documents before coming to a conclusion about an idea,” she says. If students come up with what they believe is an original thought, should the sources be cited? Is that synthesis or plagiarism? And how can teachers get away from being “thought police constantly skeptical of students’ ideas” and move toward being “facilitators of critical thought”? One avenue is to teach students what a good academic discussion looks like. In the first week of school, Cavanaugh has students read “A Rose for Emily” and practice using notecards with conversation stems: - While I agree with [student’s name], I also think… - What I think [student’s name] is suggesting is that… - So, [student’s name], are you saying…? - I disagree with [student’s name] that… - [Student’s name], what do you think about…? This gets students practicing “citing” and “retweeting” each other’s ideas, giving credit where it’s due, and establishing habits that carry over to their written work. “By encouraging them to credit each other in discussion,” says Cavanaugh, “I am helping them to see how ideas evolve, change, and are challenged by a community of learners.” Another cause of plagiarism, she says, is students’ insecurity about their own thinking. Frequent in-class essays with low stakes and quick feedback help build confidence – “the development of a critical vocabulary that feels personal, relevant, and helps eliminate the will to cheat. It introduces students to other communities of thought and invites them to add to, rather than take from, the conversation. If we can keep the secrecy out of what students are doing with homework, if we can get students to communicate their insecurities with the content, experiment with using the Internet as a tool in the light of day, and get them to trust us to guide them in doing so ethically and without punishment, then we can show them that we are more concerned about what they’re learning than whether they get the ‘right’ answer.” “Cultivating Critical Thought in the Gen-Z Culture of Sharing” by Amy Cavanaugh in English Journal, July 2019 (Vol. 108, #6, pp. 32-38), https://bit.ly/2Zch7p0for members; Cavanaugh can be reached at acavanaugh@lw210.org. Humor in Our Work as Educators and Leaders From ESHA member Dane Peters Dane’s Blog https://www.nais.org/magazine/independent-school/spring-2019/leadership-lessons-why-laughing-matters-in-leadership/ And also from Dane... How to Raise a Reader Posted: 20 Sep 2019 08:16 AM PDT This a must-read book for all parents and teachers. The authors are so sensitive about timing, especially for young readers—and their parents—that begin the process a bit later in life. One quote in their book jumped out at me because I remember reading the same reference in the book Freakonomics: "According to studies that measure the likelihood of a child growing up to be a reader, the most important factor is . . . the statistic most highly correlated to literacy is the number of books present in the home." (p. 26) And, here is a link to an editorial opinion about this point that was made in USA TODAY. Give some thought to using How to Raise a Reader as a school-wide read where faculty, parents, and boards read the book together, and then discuss. What better way to build a school community. Here is a short, neat video by the authors on their book and three myths about reading to children. FYI Boardable is software to manage and engage your school's board of directors. It centralizes all board activities including meetings, documents, discussions, and committees in one easy to use portal- available via the web and mobile apps. One of our members recently purchased Boardable and is excited to start the new school year using the tool with their board. Boardable offers free trials and demos of the product if you would be interested in considering it for your school's board. Here's some more information. Boardable Demo: https://boardable.com/schedule-a-demo/ Boardable Free Trial: https://boardable.com/free-trial/ and finally, from Mike Vachow of Knuckleball Consulting... Pater/Mater Familias July 18, 2019 |Mike Vachow Al Adams' piece in the 2010 fall issue of Independent School magazine, Thirty-One Windows: the Evolving Metaphors for Headship, is one that I re-read at least twice a year and have forwarded to dozens of head friends and clients. It's a study on the roles that heads play in leading their schools and how the relative importance of those roles changes over their tenure. Adams discerns 31 "windows" into headship that he groups into 9 overarching roles.
I've been thinking a lot about these passages and wondering how these roles might shift in relative importance when one inserts a third vector: the cultural moment(s) of the head's tenure. I would posit here that whereas the Pater/Mater Familias role has always been one of the most important in headship, it has become even more valuable now as families come to our schools looking for an antidote to the impatient discord and loneliness that characterizes our national times. They are looking for a school community where their child and the entire family feel connected and cared for. The good news is that independent schools are already good at creating community and possess enormous practical advantages over of our educational counterparts: we are place-based and selective; we are small and heavily staffed by comparison to even the best-resourced public schools; our faculty are the central value proposition. So, how can heads take this core strength and make it even stronger? Most important, attention to community needs to exist first in classrooms, all of them. Woe to the school that mounts efforts to connect adults when there is inconsistent attention to the children's social and emotional worlds. Floating before the eyes of any head reading this piece are the faces of the current parents or faculty members who would hoist the irony/bullshit flag on that matter. If necessary, and functioning as Mayor and Architect/Builder, the head must lead the effort to shore up attention to community in the classroom then the faculty room before widening the circle. Responsive Classroom practice provides a powerful framework for elementary and middle school classrooms and an important model for the entire school as it elevates to central importance how we form our circles of community at the beginning of the year and daily prioritizes how we greet each other and conclude each day with reflection. I've seen schools push Responsive Classroom practice into faculty meetings to great effect, and at schools that have entered the work earnestly, teachers discover that the time they dedicate to these constructed community building activities is more than re-captured through the student empowerment they build. Heads are also fortunate to have many formal and informal opportunities to communicate and demonstrate the value of community. What the head has to say at Curriculum Night, in the letter that accompanies progress reports, in the email sent to families on the heels of a national tragedy, in the head's presence in classrooms, the admission office with prospective parents, at the Saturday away game, at the front gate every morning, in the phone call to a grieving teacher. In all of these moments and scores of others like them, heads have the opportunity to model in word and deed how the school cares for its members. It's also a good idea to ask the community. At Forsyth School, we asked the community how they felt (or did not) feel connected and cared for--not with a survey (which by their very nature carry a whiff of corporate cynicism and tedium) but in face to face, individual conversations with one person from a small group of volunteers who asked just two questions: How does the school help you feel connected and cared for? How does it not? We thanked our interlocutors profusely, pulled out the common threads, fed that information back to the entire community, built plans to address a fair bushel of low-hanging fruit--easy fixes in scheduling, communication--and longer plans to dig through the dilemmas. We conducted this series of activities two years in a row and communicated milestones, but I'm convinced that the greatest positive outcome of this effort came in the most common thread: interviewees told us again and again that more than anything else, they were glad to be asked and to have evidence that they were heard. As we think about how we distinguish ourselves as independent schools, it's understandable that the conversation quickly turns to exemplary and innovative programs, bold new facilities, ingenious marketing strategies, but we must also consider one of our longest held assets and our primary marketing tool--a caring, connected, mission-focused community--and how deeply contemporary Americans desire it. https://www.knuckleballconsulting.com/ ESHA Is Delighted to Welcome Its New Members
FINAL REMINDER ESHA's Annual Retreat will be in Nashville, Tennessee, from October 19-22, 2019. Things to know: Venue: The Hermitage Hotel Program: We're in Nashville, so come early, put yourself to work, and learn how to write a song with Grammy nominated singer Jamie Floyd. Then go to the Country Music Hall of Fame for a tour, dinner, and music on Saturday. On Sunday, hear from Ketch Secor, lead singer of the Old Crow Medicine Show. Among other things, he knows how to put a band together and how to put a school together (he's co-founder of The Episcopal School of Nashville). Monday we'll go to Vanderbilt University's Peabody School to hone our skills under the guidance of Patrick Schuermann, director of their Independent School Leadership Program. Tuesday's finale will include visits to a couple of Nashville's varied ESHA schools. Registration is open. Click here. https://www.elementaryschoolheads.org/events.html Thanks to our sponsors!
Yeehaw!!
 Leading Off Dear ESHA Friends, Hopefully I'll get a response from each of you that this newsletter delivery is going into your mailbox but that the message I'll get back is that "I'm out of the office until at least August 5..." This is a typically brief summer report since it's high time for your R & R. Please get away soon if you're still at school; the dividends of rest taken now will pay off when you dig into the new academic year. We have had a very good registration response for the October Nashville Retreat. Once you're back from vacation, if you haven't yet done so, make sure that you sign up for what will be a terrific conference before we run out of hotel rooms at our discounted rate. The information is at the end of this newsletter and on the Events page. Cheers! Chris  From ESHA President Elinor Scully Dear ESHA Colleagues, Following up on Chris’s note above, it's really just time for a quick hello. To the best of your ability, please enjoy a restful summer break and recharge for the approaching year. If there’s time, why not re-read one of your all-time favorite novels and enjoy the comfort of a good inspiration! Enjoy July and August! Warmly, Elinor Heads Up! ESHA Past President Muddy Waters notes that the following portion of an Ideas & Perspectives article emphasizes the importance and value of our connecting flights, of which he is a group leader and ardent supporter. (Notes in parentheses are mine!) ....However, you cannot always go to your administrators with a Board problem or consult the faculty about a problem administrator, particularly concerning delicate issues that may have repercussions throughout the school if voiced openly. Special interest groups, such as parents who are also alumni and Board members, can also create difficult issues. When you don't have a trusted administrator or Trustee to turn to, or when the problem encompasses more than one constituent group, you may feel like there is no one in the school who can help. Thus, you are effectively isolated within your own school. These are the times when you need to look for support outside the school. Find a School Head Near You (or join an ESHA connecting flight” group!) School Heads need at least one person (if not a group) who understands the trials of leading a private school-preferably the Head of another school. Here are a few ways to develop your peer support system. (Again: join an ESHA “connecting flight” group!) • Meet with a fellow School Head. Ideally, you want to research nearby schools and locate a Head with whom you think you could feel at ease. While at a workshop or conference, take the time to meet other Heads and learn about their schools. When you find someone with whom you're comfortable, exchange phone numbers or email addresses and set a date to get together. Confidentiality is essential. Choose a Head whose school is not directly in competition with yours. Discussion can then be broad and deep without any concern over disclosing secrets. Meet regularly, perhaps quarterly, without an agenda. Try to meet outside the school environment, giving you both a chance to relax. Communicate with other Heads via computer. There are listservs and other online communication portals where Heads and other administrators at private schools pose questions and provide answers. While these venues are typically not private, this is another way to discuss problems with peers and to share your expertise. The advantage of these online settings is that you will receive a variety of replies. Eventually, you will find other Heads who share your concerns and may respond privately by email. Many mutually beneficial partnerships have been established this way. Although your first tendency may be to find someone in a school exactly like yours, don't limit yourself. Concerns about finances, fundraising, technology, and teacher evaluations are common to most schools. The most important factor in this process is finding other Heads with whom you can relax and unburden yourself comfortably. School Heads work hard to uphold a positive school environment. A school cannot,, however,,have a positive atmosphere if the Head feels stressed and alone. Even a strong leader must know when to ask for help for the sake of self-preservation and for the sake of the school. I&P See "The Head Support and Evaluation Committee: An Update," Ideas & Perspectives, 42-8-29. 2 See "Executive Leadership: The Relationships Between Predictability and Support, the School Head's Well-Being, and Faculty Culture," I&P, 42-14-53. 3 See “Balancing Delegation and Operational Accountability," I&P, 35-11-44. 4 See "Finding Out-of-Office' Time for the School Head," I&P, 39-8-32. (All good reasons to sign up for one of ESHA's "connecting flight" groups.) What exactly are "Connecting Flight" Calls? The monthly Flights are an intentional way of giving ESHA members an opportunity to air ideas and consider situations in a safe, knowledgeable and collegial environment. These calls affirm and strengthen leadership as participants gain insight, awareness and validation from exchanging experiences with their colleagues about successes and dilemmas. Meeting at least quarterly, if possible, has the added benefit of developing enduring professional and personal relationships over the course of a school year. During the hour-long phone discussions, flight leaders listen carefully and guide the conversation, enabling ideas to be exchanged in ways that produce insights, affirmations and “takeaways” for the participants. Each flight normally consists of five or six Heads of varying experience. Contact Executive Director Chris Abell if you'd like to take off on a flight!) FYI: Boardable is software to manage and engage your school's board of directors. It centralizes all board activities including meetings, documents, discussions, and committees in one easy to use portal- available via the web and mobile apps. One of our members recently purchased Boardable and is excited to start the new school year using the tool with their board. Boardable offers free trials and demos of the product if you would be interested in considering it for your school's board. Here's some more information. Boardable Demo: https://boardable.com/schedule-a-demo/ Boardable Free Trial: https://boardable.com/free-trial/ ESHA Is Delighted to Welcome Two New Members
PLAN AHEAD!!  ESHA's Annual Retreat will be in Nashville, Tennessee, from
October 19-22, 2019. Things to know: Venue: The Hermitage Hotel Program: We're in Nashville, so come early, put yourself to work, and learn how to write a song with Grammy nominated singer Jamie Floyd. Then go to the Country Music Hall of Fame for a tour, dinner, and music on Saturday. On Sunday, hear from Ketch Secor, lead singer of the Old Crow Medicine Show. Among other things, he knows how to put a band together and how to put a school together (he's co-founder of The Episcopal School of Nashville). Monday we'll go to Vanderbilt University's Peabody School to hone our skills under the guidance of Patrick Schuermann, director of their Independent School Leadership Program. Tuesday's finale will include visits to a couple of Nashville's varied ESHA schools. Registration is open. Click here. https://www.elementaryschoolheads.org/events.html Yeehaw!!  Leading Off Dear ESHA Friends, May is practically over, June is upon us, the “school” part of 2018-19 is nearly completed. Congratulations on finishing up another year of leadership! I know that by definition your jobs are concerned with all aspects of running your schools and that when students depart, “school’s out.” But your work isn’t done by any means. As President Elinor Scully notes below, part of your job is to carve out time for yourselves so that you'll remain fresh and will be ready to hoist the banner again in a few months. Please do so! Before you hit the road, however, look at the Nashville Retreat registration link that follows at the end of the newsletter. Slots are filling up, so now is the time to register for this rip-roaring event. Then hit the road! Cheers to you all. Chris  From ESHA President Elinor Scully Dear ESHA Colleagues, We are deep into the home stretch and the countdown to the end of the school year. My hope is that you have set aside some meaningful time for relaxing and recharging over the coming months. I know a school head who disconnects from all external school communication for an entire month during the summer as a way a really reconnecting with himself and his family. Whatever you do, carve out some time for yourselves! Have a wonderful summer. I look forward to seeing all of you at The Hermitage in Nashville for our annual retreat in the fall. Warmly, Elinor Heads Up! Once again, Kim Marshall's Marshall Memo provides interesting food for thought... Possible Downsides of Five Educational Innovations In this Education Gadflyarticle, Robert Pondiscio plays contrarian to current innovations in U.S. schools, embracing Dylan Wiliam’s saying, “Everything works somewhere. Nothing works everywhere,” with an additional question: What are the side effects?Inspired by the fine-print disclaimers and warnings in pharmaceutical ads, Pondiscio lists problems that have surfaced with these highly-touted initiatives: • Social-emotional learning– Effective programs work to ensure that all students have understanding adults in school they can trust and work with to set goals, manage emotions, and learn to show empathy for others. Downsides can include reduced academic expectations, lower standards for student behavior, and a suspension of moral judgment by educators. Inadequate teacher training and expensive, poorly thought-out programs are also problems. • School choice– The idea is to give families the same kind of choice with schools that they have in other walks of life, allowing them to enroll their kids in schools that are in synch with the family’s values and beliefs. In addition, competition among schools should drive improvements in curriculum and quality of teaching. Downsides include reduced funding for public schools, lower salaries for educators, gentrification, pockets of poverty and poor performance, teacher strikes, an erosion of the civic mission of the “common school,” and lower test scores. Also, parent satisfaction is no guarantee of school quality. • No-excuses charter schools– The hope is that strict, safe, achievement-focused schools will put disadvantaged children on the path to college and life success. Downsides have included conflicts over dress codes, narrowing of the curriculum, “drill-and-kill” instruction, excessive test prep, burdensome homework, difficulties for children who can’t sit still, high suspension rates, and teacher burnout. • Project-based learning– Students’ curiosity and imagination are sparked by hands-on activities linked to real-world interests and issues. But unstructured classrooms may lead to undisciplined, self-indulgent students who can’t handle structured academic environments later on. In addition, effective projects are difficult to plan and execute, and lower test scores may result. • Restorative justice– The theory is that children will learn to solve their problems and avoid conflicts under the watchful eye of caring, well-trained educators who are sensitive to the challenges of youth. Downsides occur when teachers don’t agree with the philosophy and/or aren’t properly trained. Lower suspension rates can look impressive, but if underlying problems aren’t addressed, classroom disruptions and bullying can continue, compromising the quality of instruction, stressing out educators, and causing parental backlash. “If we were more clear-eyed and honest in pitching and adopting policies and proposals – and more candid about side effects,” Pondiscio concludes, “we might be more apt to stick with them, anticipate complications, and adjust more thoughtfully when they surface.” “If Education Advocacy Were More Like Pharmaceutical Ads” by Robert Pondiscio in The Education Gadfly, May 8, 2019 (Vol. 19, #19), https://bit.ly/2VAtIBp Pushing Back on Eight Outmoded Beliefs In this article in Leaderboard: Michigan Association of School Boards, Kim Marshall suggests updates to erroneous beliefs that persist among some educators and stakeholders: • Intelligence and talent are fixed at birth. The “innate ability paradigm” about proficiency at math, art, or dancing pops up all the time – for example, “She’s just not a science person.” The best antidote is Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset, which suggests replacing a fixed mindset with a growth mindset: that although we are born with certain levels of intellectual, athletic, and artistic ability, we can upgrade them through a combination of hard work, strategy, and coaching. Shifting to a growth mindset has a remarkable impact on learning and the ability to deal with challenging situations. • Poverty is destiny. “There’s no question that growing up poor has an impact on children,” says Marshall, “and intergenerational poverty is especially damaging.” What’s tragic is when schools make things worse by teaching in ways that handicap students who enter with disadvantages – for example, calling only on students who raise their hands or giving homework that requires an Internet connection. But some schools are turning this dynamic around and closing gaps; Education Trust’s website showcases a number of these beat-the-odds schools and what they are doing: https://edtrust.org/dispelling_the_myth/. • Great teachers are born, not made. “Yes, a few teachers have extraordinary talent from day one,” says Marshall, “but the vast majority grow and develop over time, supported by colleagues, master teachers, professional development, curriculum materials, school leaders, and a burgeoning knowledge base about what works in classrooms.” Even the legendary Jaime Escalante, whose inner-city California students aced the AP Calculus exam, depended on seven years of hard work with feeder-grade colleagues and the support of a strong principal. • Principals are first and foremost managers. H.S.P.S. (hyperactive superficial principal syndrome) is the fate of all too many school leaders as discipline referrals, cafeteria duty, buses, meetings, and e-mail devour their time. But some principals have figured out how to get into classrooms, orchestrate productive teacher teamwork, and create a culture of purpose, collaboration, and trust. “Superintendents and heads of school play a crucial role,” says Marshall, “ensuring that principals have enough staff, buffering them from unnecessary meetings and demands, and coaching them on the core elements of their jobs.” • Teacher evaluation makes no difference. There’s widespread cynicism about the compliance-driven traditional model, which rarely improves teaching and consumes huge amounts of administrators’ time. The good news is that a growing number of schools have moved to a better approach: short, frequent, unannounced classroom visits, each followed by a face-to-face discussion focusing on one “leverage point,” then a short narrative summary, with the year’s interactions captured in a detailed rubric analysis with teacher input. This approach has at least twelve benefits: administrators know what’s really going on in classrooms; they can intervene early when there are problems; they get daily insights on students’ learning; they develop greater empathy for what teachers are dealing with; they provide ongoing coaching, and are themselves coached by teachers; they motivate colleagues to reflect on their practice and bring their A game every day; they compare lesson execution with curriculum unit plans and assessment of student work; they cross-pollinate effective ideas from classroom to classroom; they walk the talk, demonstrating genuine interest in teaching and learning; they provide accurate and insightful evaluations; they keep and attract quality staff; and they build trust and credibility with teachers, parents, and other stakeholders. • Student feedback can’t be taken seriously. It’s common for college professors to get survey feedback from their students, but can elementary and secondary teachers learn anything from their students? Actually, yes: studies have shown that in anonymous questionnaires, K-12 students paint a more-accurate picture of classroom performance than principals’ evaluations and test scores. “Student perceptions have great potential in providing insights on what’s working (and what isn’t) in classrooms,” says Marshall, “– professional development from frontline customers.” But this will happen only if surveys are implemented thoughtfully and focus on coaching teaching practice versus high-stakes evaluation. • Tests don’t enhance learning. Fierce attacks on standardized testing may be blinding us to the benefits of assessments closer to the classroom, says Marshall. Effective teachers check for understanding and fix learning problems in real time; leverage peer instruction after tests; shift students from fixed to growth mindset about difficulties and failures; and use test data to compare notes with colleagues and improve instruction. • Teachers can’t be held accountable for student learning. This would seem to be the conclusion from the debacle of using test scores to evaluate teachers. “It turns out that scientific-looking value-added formulae are inaccurate and unreliable at the individual teacher level,” says Marshall, “leading to 15 lawsuits from teachers who were done wrong by the data.” And accountability for “student learning objectives” in non-tested subjects has been undermined by widespread gaming. But there are ways to make student learning part of teacher-administrator conversations without these problems: (a) during classroom visits, looking over students’ shoulders and quietly asking them what they’re learning; (b) chatting with teachers afterward about exit tickets and student work; (c) administrators dropping in on teacher team meetings as they plan assessments and discuss student work; (d) looking at student survey data with teachers; and (e) teacher teams presenting before-and-after assessment results at the end of the school year to document their collective value-add to student learning. “Pushing Back on Outmoded Beliefs” by Kim Marshall in Leaderboard: Michigan Association of School Boards, Spring 2019, published simultaneously online by Teaching Channel, https://marshallmemo.com/articles/LB_May2019_KimMarshall.pdf Marshall Memo May21 ESHA Is Delighted to Welcome Another New Member  Judith Foley Arnstein | Charleston Country Day School PLAN AHEAD!!  ESHA's Annual Retreat will be in Nashville, Tennessee, from October 19-22, 2019. Things to know: Venue: The Hermitage Hotel Program: We're in Nashville, so come early, put yourself to work, and learn how to write a song with Grammy nominated singer Jamie Floyd. Then go to the Country Music Hall of Fame for dinner on Saturday. On Sunday, hear from Ketch Secor, lead singer of the Old Crow Medicine Show. Among other things, he knows how to put a band together and how to put a school together (he's co-founder of The Episcopal School of Nashville). Monday we'll go to Vanderbilt University's Peabody School to hone our skills under the guidance of Patrick Schuermann, director of their Independent School Leadership Program. Tuesday's finale will include visits to a couple of Nashville's varied ESHA schools. Registration is open. Click here. https://www.elementaryschoolheads.org/events.html Yeehaw!!    Leading Off Dear ESHA Friends, As our President, Elinor Scully, notes in her message below, we had an excellent turnout and lots of fun a few weeks ago at our reception in Long beach in conjunction with the NAIS Conference. Next up are a continuation of our ongoing "connecting flight" calls (contact me if you'd like to join a group), which received strong reviews in our recent survey of participants. And looking ahead, our planning committee is putting together a very stimulating program for our October Retreat in Nashville as explained at the end of the newsletter. In the meantime, I hope that April brings you good weather and adds a "spring" to your step as you "head" into the final portion of your 2018-2019 school year marathon. Best, Chris  From ESHA President Elinor Scully Dear ESHA Colleagues, Late February and early March offered ESHA members a wonderful opportunity to gather in Long Beach, California during the NAIS conference. We are so grateful to the Hess Family Foundation and McCallie School for sponsoring this cocktail reception. We tested the new cocktail party format this year at NAIS and are thrilled so many ESHA members could come for lovely hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and conversation. The vibrancy of our collegial connections was evident in the room that night, so thanks to all who made an effort to attend. I wish everyone a restful and restorative spring break! Warmly, Elinor Heads Up! We probably knew all of this, but a quick reminder never hurts... From the Marshall Memo 778 Why Don’t More Educators Know the Research on Teaching Reading? “Research has documented what works to get kids to read, yet those evidence-based reading practices appear to be missing from most classrooms,” say Jared Myracle (Jackson-Madison County Schools, TN), Brian Kingsley (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools, NC), and Robin McClellan (Sullivan County Public Schools, TN) in this article in Education Week. “It’s perfectly possible to become a principal or even a district curriculum leader without first learning the key research.” The authors confess that they harbored significant misconceptions on literacy curriculum well into their careers. They suggest a “No Shame Zone” in which teachers and leaders get up to speed on the latest research without embarrassment. Some key findings to include: - In the early grades, systematic daily phonics instruction is essential, coupled with plenty of time with authentic texts. - History and science background knowledge is essential to reading comprehension. - Grouping students by reading level is not supported by the research. - Many teachers spend too much time on unproductive “skills and strategies” instruction. - All students need to work with grade-level texts for at least part of the school day for more-equitable outcomes. Fortunately, say Myracle, Kingsley, and McClellan, there are high-quality literacy programs on the market today. However, they caution, the “gap between good and mediocre curricula is vast.” Schools and districts must choose carefully, based on a solid understanding of what really works in classrooms. “We Have a National Reading Crisis” by Jared Myracle, Brian Kingsley, and Robin McClellan in Education Week, March 13, 2019 (Vol. 38, #25, p. 24), https://bit.ly/2ETY7iP And here are some other suggestions from an article in the Marshall Memo 778... Books That Build Empathy in Children “A well-written story can not only transport the reader into new worlds but also affect how elementary-level readers see and participate in the social world around them,” say Stephanie Kozak and Holly Recchia (Concordia University/Montreal) in this article in The Reading Teacher. “Part of what makes human interactions rich is the ability to feel the joy that others feel, to share in sorrow when someone is in need, and to experience a sense of righteous anger when someone is treated unjustly. Equally crucial is the capacity to understand and empathize with others who have very different experiences.” They suggest these storybooks as powerful ways to build empathy in elementary-school children: - Miss Nelson Is Missing!by Harry Allard - A Year of Borrowed Menby Michelle Barker - Those Shoesby Maribeth Boelts - The Day the Crayons Quitby Drew Daywalt - Last Stop on Market Streetby Matt de la Peña - Du Iz Tak?by Carson Ellis - Red: A Crayon’s Storyby Michael Hall - Owenby Keven Henkes - Flora and the Flamingoby Molly Idle - Lost and Foundby Oliver Jeffers - The Bad Seedby Jory John - I Want My Hat Backby Jon Klassen - The Stamp Collectorby Jennifer Lanthier - Henry’s Freedom Boxby Ellen Levine - Virginia Wolfby Kya Maclear - The Junkyard Wondersby Patricia Polacco - After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again) by Dan Santat - The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!by Jon Scieszka - Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Taleby Mo Willems (Middle-grade novels and young-adult fiction next week) “Reading and the Development of Social Understanding: Implications for the Literacy Classroom” by Stephanie Kozak and Holly Recchia in The Reading Teacher, March/April 2019 (Vol. 72, #5, p. 569-577), https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/trtr.1760 PLAN AHEAD!! ESHA's Annual Retreat will be in Nashville, Tennessee, from October 19-22, 2019. Things to know: Venue: The Hermitage Hotel Program: We're in Nashville, so come early, put yourself to work, and learn how to write a song with Grammy nominated singer Jamie Floyd. Then go to the Country Music Hall of Fame for dinner on Saturday. On Sunday, hear from Ketch Secor, lead singer of the Old Crow Medicine Show. Among other things, he knows how to put a band together and how to put a school together (he's co-founder of The Episcopal School of Nashville). Monday we'll go to Vanderbilt University's Peabody School to hone our skills under the guidance of Patrick Schuermann, director of their Independent School Leadership Program. Tuesday's finale will include visits to a couple of Nashville's varied ESHA schools. Registration will open in late April. Yeehaw!!   Leading Off Dear ESHA Friends, I hope that your winter breaks were enjoyable and gave you a sizable boost for the months ahead. As you know, ESHA's next event is on February 27th in Long Beach, California, when NAIS meets. Our cocktail party information can be found at the following link as well as in the included information section below, so please do register soon. We do need a solid number count for the gathering for planning purposes. https://www.elementaryschoolheads.org/events.html I'm including in the Heads Up section links to or articles about childhood, cell phones, and "headmaster hoarding," even though I realize that there's not much time in your lives for reflective reading! But give them a shot when you have time. Best, Chris From ESHA President Elinor Scully  Dear ESHA Colleagues, Happy New Year, ESHA members! I hope that everyone had a much deserved restful winter holiday and that 2019 is off to a good start in your respective schools. Fellow ESHA board member Joe Powers (The Woods Academy, MD) and I are hosting a lunch to recruit new potential ESHA members next week here at The Langley School. Joe and I are looking forward to describing the many benefits we've realized as ESHA members. For those of you heading to Long Beach next month, I hope you will join us at our ESHA happy hour on Wednesday evening, February 27. We are trying out a new format and will welcome your attendance and feedback. In the meantime, best wishes for a great second half of the year! Warmly, Elinor Heads Up! This article came out in November and provides an interesting perspective on cell phones and accompanying suggestions. https://www.waituntil8th.org/blog/2018/11/12/middle-school-misfortunes-then-and-now-one-teachers-take The following three links are just parts of an extensive "Special Report on Childhood "in the January 5th edition of The Economist. https://www.economist.com/special-report/2019/01/05/why-childrens-lives-have-changed-radically-in-just-a-few-decades https://www.economist.com/special-report/2019/01/05/the-early-years-are-getting-increasing-attention https://www.economist.com/special-report/2019/01/05/how-children-interact-with-digital-media And finally, Carla Silver of Leadership and Design once again pushes us where we might want to go! The Miracle of Tidying Up School Carla Silver, Head L+Doer Leadership+Design I haven't read The Life-Changing Habit of Tidying Up - although I do own it. From what I have read about it, I'm pretty sure I would be a big fan. I'm also certain that it offers many more humane, kind and empathetic methods for what I do everyday - heartlessly and haphazardly get rid of crap. Or should I say, "stuff?" Whatever. It's in the eye of the beholder. At the rate I fill extra large hefty lawn bags full of art projects, broken toys, plastic souvenirs from family vacations as well as school and professional sporting events, unfinished friendship bracelets, cardboard cities, and school work, I feel like I should hold an honorary trash collector's license, much less feel capable at "tidying up." The day winter vacation ends and the kids go back to school: that is when I am at my most relentless. One final hypothesis about this book (that I have not read) is that it isn't really about keeping a clean desk or a tidy house, it's about being able to make clear choices about what to keep and what to throw away - in life. Whether we are talking about personal and work habits, relationships, possessions, or ideas and perspectives, we all carry around a lot more than what really serves us, brings us joy, feels relevant, and really matters in the here and now. Schools are no exception. In fact, I would actually consider schools - as an industry - to be hoarders - of curriculum, pedagogy, calendar, and mindsets about student learning. Faulkner, Steinbeck, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald - can't get rid of those guys. That Latin text book from 1989 - it has a few good translations. Keep. AP courses - how will our students ever get into *name brand college* without them? Three months of summer - our teachers and students need time to rest and recover and our families need time to take overseas vacations. Lectures and exams - our students will need to know how to do these when they go to college because that is what colleges do - especially *name brand college*. I could go on, but I think I've made my point. At what point do we keep hoarding all of these elements of education or make the choice to tidy up and make clear and intentional decisions about what is really important, relevant, joyful, and meaningful? School leaders can get cluttered too - with the stories they tell themselves and their own personal narratives about how they need to serve their school communities, make decisions, and their strengths and weaknesses. "Nobody takes me seriously." - Better hold onto that idea. "I need to be decisive." - A little old school, but that's what leaders do. "I solve the problems - for my school and all of my direct reports." - I can be the hero. What are the stories that leaders can tell themselves that actually serve them and help them to be more capable in mobilizing change and empower others to do work that matters? What stories inhibit success and are no longer useful? Hoarders. This month, in our year of Mad-Lib style newsletter articles, we asked our writers to complete the following prompt that we like to call the Miracle Question: A miracle has occurred and ________ problem has been magically solved overnight. We're observing ___________ as a result, and it's blowing our minds. For me, the miracle would be that we have applied the KonMari method described in The Life-Changing Habit of Tidying Up (or at least the version I have in my head) to school and to school leadership. We have systematically explored what we possess and what we store in our syllabi, our personal narratives, our curriculum and our pedagogy, and we ask ourselves,"Is this serving me and my students now?" "When was the last time I really used this?" "Where am I not making space for solutions, practices, and learning experiences that could be more elegant and relevant?" "Is this bringing me and my community joy?" The real miracle would be that we have tidied up school. There would be space for growth. My mind would be blown. In the natural word, there are eco-cycles that organic systems go through - starting with gestation and moving through birth, maturity and finally creative destruction. Liberating Structures - a set of practices that are helpful when teams are trying to make progress through challenges uses a tool called "Ecocycle Planning" to help organizations and teams apply this natural phenomenon in their own work, helping them to identify where certain practices, products, activities and services are in their various ecological stages. Creative destruction is part of any healthy eco-cycle. To make space for new growth and allow new seeds to germinate, other plants must die or be repurposed and turned to mulch. Ecosystems depend on these cycles. It's nature's way of Tidying Up. When nature hoards, we end up with forest fires. When schools hoard, we end up with fires of a different kind. Take a look below at the miracles our amazing writers - all L+D Fellows - have identified. Thanks Michael Ecker, Rhonda Hewer and Hannah Nelson. You are all miracle workers! Speaking of the L+D Fellowship, it's almost time to open up the applications for this year. We start taking applications February 1 and the deadline is March 15. Also coming up, Equity and Inclusion Action Lab in Seattle with NWAIS (you don't have to be a NWAIS member to attend). Wonder Women! is filling, so register soon if you want to join us - this year we are back in Oakland, CA at Head-Royce School. Lastly, we opened up registration for a new adventure last week - L+D TruthSeeking Pods. If you are interested, email me or Ryan and we can send you a registration link. We only have a couple of spaces left! Apparently there are a lot of school leaders seeking truth because those spots were snatched up lickity split. May 2019 bring you many wonderful adventures, hopefully some with L+D! Warmly, Carla Silver ESHA Is Delighted to Welcome Another New Member  Carney O'Brien, Washington Montessori, CT ESHA’s 2019 Annual “Dinner” It’s not a dinner this year, but a cocktail reception! NAIS will have its conference in Long Beach, California, so take the ten-minute stroll from the Convention Center and… Join us at Parker’s Lighthouse from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27, 2019. There’s no cost to ESHA members or guests, and we highly encourage you to bring a friend who’s a head but hasn’t joined ESHA yet, or a board member, or members of your senior leadership team. Just sign them in when you register so we can have accurate numbers. This year’s event is sponsored by McCallie School.  Leading Off Dear ESHA Friends, We concluded our biggest event of the year - our Annual Retreat - a few weeks ago. Mary Beth Noel, our very part-time venue evaluator par excellence, helped us find a terrific location for the gathering, and we are very grateful to her for her fine work. The following evaluation is gratifying and a call to all who weren't able to join us! "What a fantastic first ESHA conference! As a new head, I felt welcomed and immediately part of a larger collegial group that will undoubtedly provide the support needed as I traverse many new head challenges in the months to come. My husband and I enjoyed meeting many ESHA members, and I am currently reflecting on the many ideas I hope to implement which came from the seminars and discussions this past weekend. I appreciate the thoughtful planning that went into such a productive conference." "As a new head, I would love to take part in the phone call groups. Would you please add me to a flight roster?" We received many other positive evaluations, some of which are included with the photos below. So if you didn't make it to Florida in October, plan to join us in NASHVILLE next October 19-22. And let me know if you'd like to join a phone call group! Best, Chris From ESHA President Elinor Scully Dear ESHA Colleagues, The 2018 ESHA Conference, "Lead with a Story," held in Palm Beach in mid-October by all accounts was an enormous success. Pete Upham of TABS gave a terrific presentation on the core elements of developing meaningful strategy for schools in our marketplace. Charlie Jones of Brand Intersection Group joined us for a second time and offered a multi layered approach to thinking about our individual paths to successful leadership. In addition, Tim Good and his team from Good Design reminded us of the power of unique storytelling each of our schools. Some us who arrived early had the opportunity to hear about the benefits of executive coaching from Katherine Stuart and the Education Group. These speakers motivated and inspired us to think deeply about our work as school leaders. And, as always, being with colleagues and friends throughout the weekend was nourishing both professionally and personally. I know I came home enormously grateful for the time ESHA affords me to recharge and reconnect with esteemed colleagues (and in a beautiful location to boot!). I'm wishing everyone a restful and restorative Thanksgiving. Warmly, Elinor Heads Up! ESHA Flights: Ongoing Conversations with other ESHA Heads ESHA member Abigail Wiebenson, former Head of Lowell School in Washington, DC, and currently a leadership coach, runs one of our connecting flights and summarizes what the calls entail: The monthly Flights are an intentional way of giving ESHA members an opportunity to air ideas and consider situations in a safe, knowledgeable and collegial environment. These calls affirm and strengthen leadership as participants gain insight, awareness and validation from exchanging experiences with their colleagues about successes and dilemmas. Meeting monthly, if possible, has the added benefit of developing enduring professional and personal relationships over the course of a school year. During the hour phone discussions, flight leaders listen carefully and guide the conversation, enabling ideas to be exchanged in ways that produce insights, affirmations and “takeaways” for the participants. ESHA Is Delighted to Welcome Its New Members
ESHA in Florida: The Breakers Retreat Attendee comments: "The best professional development I do".... "Connecting with peers".... "The ESHA way is best!".... "Love the collegiality and warmth of the ESHA group".... "Time well spent." .... "An amazing experience that allowed me to connect with peers".... "Fabulous people and conversations".... "A top of the line experience".... "Such good people and takeaways" .... "My favorite conference."  An ongoing question  Figuring things out
 Matthew Gould with Sharon and Scott Laird  Carolyn Crandall and arvind grover |
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