The International COMMUNITY School

Last Friday night the student council hosted a Back to School Barbecue attended by more than 80 students. They played music, danced, basketball, volleyball, ate some excellent grass fed beef, and most importantly spent some quality time with each other. While grilling hamburgers with the assistance of Michael Ryan, IB English teacher, I admired how well our staff and students interacted in genuine and fun ways. Everyone was engaged as groups morphed, and moved freely the individual members finding meaning wherever they ended up. The teaching staff that freely attended also moved from play to conversation to imbibing, all the time supervising the students. It was another positive sign of the direction that ICS is taking in recognizing the value of Community.

Wednesday night’s Back to School Night reinforced this message as hundreds of parents followed their children’s foot step from class to class. Key values that were evident were the need for parents to be aware and participating in their student’s education. Embedded in our single over arching goal is the idea that we are a community of reflective learners that uses feedback for improvement. As I observed the interaction between the staff and parents the common goal of improving student learning was clear. What was not as clear, but just as important was the strengthening of the community through this venue. I want to thank everyone in the community that took the opportunity to strengthen our bonds.

Call me, Pigheaded!

If it takes David eight minutes to wash one car and it takes Genet 6 minutes to wash one car, how long does it take David and Genet working together to wash seven cars? Please submit your answers to Ms, Allison Brown's Algebra II class.

Over the first two weeks of class, I have been able to do what I consider the best part of my job, visit classrooms! It is not they I do not like my office, in fact my office staff make it a pleasant place to be. However, I love to learn and watch others learn. Therefore, the best place to be is in the classroom. There I can observe students and teachers all in the process of building skill, habits and knowledge. It is a great way to understand our students better and observe the quality effort being put into their education.

Ms. Brown stumped with me with that last question and I was reminded about the value of struggle and failure in learning. Both are opportunities for real learning and should be encouraged rather than avoided. We value more that with which we struggle and failure is a path to learning that provides feedback toward success. Let's encourage our students and children to reflect on the value of struggle and failure.

In Mr. Hathaway's IB Biology class, I also saw the students and teacher struggle with the dissection of fetal pigs. It was fascinating to see our students express and overcome their squeamishness and succeed at identifying significant biological systems common to mammals. At the same time Mr. Hathaway made it very clear that he was not interested in dissecting the brain. However, when the time came he explicitly overcame his preference put the students' curiosity first and assisted in the brain dissection. It lead to several levels of success and possibly a new yearbook cover for 2011.

Kas be Kas ...

School is about to start in Ethiopia and I'm reminded of the Amharic idiom that translates to "step by step the egg gets legs". I'm divided in this appeal to patience because the visual experience of Ethiopia would indicate that patience is not so reliable a virtue. However, the sage wisdom of many cultures must have some value ... right? After-all, what choice do I really have? I'm mindful of the "action imperative" and I have a plan to form competent and valuable goals. It will take time and I'm just the egg to wait and get legs.

And a little Tej doesn't hurt either!

Please, Mind the Gap

In the London Tube this is the most oft heard phrase. It warns the novice to take caution entering and exiting the train. This is great advice. There is no more difficult place than that which lies in between two destinations, the transition. Whether this is between cultures, jobs, schools, beliefs, or train and platform. The instability that awaits at the gaps of change can and will trip you up. You will feel it in your gut and it can be paralyzing lest you know it is there. In transition there is a moment of uncertainty, a place of instability. I am there!

To strengthen my resolve and to understand the nature of transition, it is important to recognize that the other side is there. The beckoning of stability is just a gap away, and all I need do is continue to cross … so Please, mind the gap and you won’t get caught in between.

The Red Sox in Seattle

In the first leg of my farewell to civilization tour, DT and I met Steve, "Suede" Flagg in Seattle for seafood, drinks and baseball. The city was fantastic and the food and drink excellent. The Sox were less than stellar, but the atmosphere more than made up for it!

Brain Plasticity

I'm researching the applications of brain plasticity in secondary education. Based on the latest neurological findings. It is becoming obvious that we can affect neuropathways that could improve learning across a range of learning.