Protect the Holiday Dinner…Just Say ‘No’ to College Talk

Reading my Sunday New York Times is one of my favorite pastimes. I wake up early on a Sunday, go for a run, eat a big brunch, and snuggle up with my dog and my paper. However, as the leaves have now fallen and the holiday approach, I often tread cautiously around my NYTimes, and all of my other favorite news sources, because inevitably, my weekend retreat from work becomes a nightmare:

• “How to win the College Scholarship Game” 
• “Is College Worth It?”
• “Don’t send your kids to the Ivy League”
• “Building a better ranking system”
• “Harvard Schmarvard” 

These titles are just a small sample of headlines that jump out of The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Washington Post, New Republic, The New York Times, The Huffington Post and others.

I have seen a direct correlation between the time of year I begin to dread my morning routine and the level of stress among our students. Applying to college was stressful when I was in high school long before our current students were born. A holiday dinner with extended family wouldn’t have been complete without talk of where I was applying to school and whether I planned to follow in the footsteps of generations before me and go to their alma mater. Thanksgiving was no longer carefree and focused on compliments on my mother’s sweet potato casserole; it was about relatives grilling me about my future. The prevalence of college news in the media has only upped that level of awareness, questioning, and stress.

Parents feel this stress too, often out of a well-intentioned need to feel as though they are doing everything they can to offer the best for their child. I have heard parents say that all of their hopes rest on their child’s admission to college as if this defines them and their success as parents. Increasingly, I have read articles that describe college as parents’ ultimate “return on investment.”

According to a study published in the Journal of College Admission, the top stressors in the college

admission process are parents/peers, essays, and standardized tests. (Vultaggio and Friedfeld, 2013). Per this study, these stressors are the same across gender lines and socioeconomic status. However, there are some researchers who say that the pressure experienced by kids at independent schools is greater. At a recent conference I attended, Madeline Levine spoke about her book The Price of Privilege and how particularly in cultures of affluence, there is increased pressure to achieve. To help address these pressures, Levine and other colleagues from Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, started “Challenge Success” a project designed to research and educate about alternative models of success for our kids that will maximize child well-being. I encourage you to check out the website (challengesuccess.org) and learn more.

Another favorite grounding resource is the website for The Education Conservancy, whose flyer “We Admit…Guidance From Those Who Do” begins with the sentence, “Applying to college does not have to be overwhelming.” (accessed 10/27/14) These statements become mantras that I share with students throughout the fall. Finally, to address stressors around standardized testing, I highly recommend a visit to www.fairtest.org. The National Center for Fair and Open Testing (Fairtest) is an organization that is committed to eliminating the misuse and flawed use of standardized tests and looking at better evaluation measures of students in the college admission process.

And so as we enter the holiday season, and families turn their attention from the roast and the pumpkin pie, to the sweet success of their child, please remember these resources and the following tips to help keep your stress at bay and your joy in Sunday mornings and holiday dinners:

1. There are more stories in the news than the latest college rankings. Engage in a conversation about these.
2. Focus your child’s search on fit – helping them identify who they are and where they can continue to grow, rather than focusing on only the names you know.
3. Help protect your child from badgering relatives, relentless news coverage, and themselves. (You might practice with them, some polite ways to defer unwanted questioning from friends and neighbors.)
4. Don’t frame college as the ultimate goal – College is actually just the beginning of what’s to come.
5. Don’t try to control what is out of your control, but you can control your attitude, your openness, the time you have.
6. Finally, a seasonal favorite from the NACAC Players: Don’t let your anxieties haunt you:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrazZSZIY54

Jennifer Ford

Director of Deans
Greensboro Day School 

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References:
Vultaggio and Friedfeld (2013). “Stressors in College Choice, Application and Decision Making”, National Association of College Admission Counseling Journal of College Admission, Number 221.
http://www.educationconservancy.org/resources.html) 

THEATRE at GREENSBORO DAY SCHOOL: NOT JUST A 3-DAY PRESENTATION

The Upper School production of “The Addams Family” will soon come to the Sloan Theatre stage. November 6-9 will undoubtedly bring us another showcase of our talented and dedicated students.

At Greensboro Day School we have committed significant resources to provide a remarkable theatre program for the campus and the Greensboro community. The 600-seat Sloan Theatre is a tremendous facility far surpassing those at area public or independent schools. We believe our students benefit tremendously from participation in our productions. Thirty percent (30%) of our 1st-4th graders participate in our after-school theatre program. In Middle School 33%, and in Upper School 23% engage in our theatre program. Why would your child want to participate in theatre at any other school?

Theatre provides practice in memorization, the ability to think on your feet, problem-solving, performing under pressure, speaking in front of an audience, operating under a strict deadline, and many other areas. For potential employers or college admission committees looking for the perfect applicant, citing experience in these skills may be just the way you will stand out from the hordes of other promising applicants.

JUST THE FACTS

• In one study, students involved in drama performance coursework or experience outscored non-arts students on the SAT by an average of 65 points in the verbal component and 34 points in the math component.(1)
• Drama activities improve reading comprehension, and both verbal and non-verbal communication skills?
• Drama helps to improve school attendance and reduce high school dropout rates.(2)
• A Harris Poll revealed that 93% of the public believes that arts, including theatre, are vital to a well-rounded education. (3)
• Drama can improve skills and academic performance in children and youth with learning disabilities.

DRAMA IMPROVES ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Numerous studies have demonstrated a correlation between drama involvement and academic achievement. In addition to having higher standardized test scores than their peers who do not experience the arts, student who participate in drama often experience improved reading comprehension, maintain better attendance records, and stay generally more engaged in school than their non-arts counterparts. Schools with arts-integrated programs, even in low-income areas, report high academic achievement.

DRAMA STUDENTS OUTPERFORM NON-ARTS PEERS ON SAT TESTS

The College Entrance Examination Board reported student scores from the Student Description Questionnaire indicating student involvement in various activities, including the arts. As compared to their peers with no arts coursework or involvement:

• Students involved in drama performance scored an average of 65.5 points higher on the verbal component and 35.5 points higher in the math component of the SAT
• Students who took courses in drama study or appreciation scored, on average, 55 points higher on verbal and 26 points higher on math than their non-arts classmates.
• Students involved in drama performance outscored the national average SAT score by 35 points on the verbal portion and 24 points on the math section. 

READING COMPREHENSION
From learning to read to the in-depth study of Shakespearean literature, drama can play a significant role in the continual development of students’ reading comprehension skills. Studies indicate that not only do the performance of a story and a number of other drama activities in the classroom contribute to a student’s understanding of the work performed, but these experiences also help them to develop a better understanding of other works and of language and expression in general. The results below were gleaned from studies where educators and students alike noticed a difference when drama played a part in their classrooms.

• A series of studies on the arts and education revealed a consistent causal link between performing texts in the classroom and the improvement of a variety of verbal skills, including especially significant increases in story recall and understanding of written material.
• Performance of Shakespeare texts helps to improve students’ understanding of other complex texts including science and math material.
• Drama can improve reading skills and comprehension better than other activities, including discussion.

BUILDING SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH DRAMA
In addition to building social and communication skills overall, involvement in drama courses and performance has been shown to improve students’ self-esteem as well as their confidence in their academic abilities.

• High school students who are highly involved in drama demonstrate an elevated self-concept over those who are not involved.
• Playwriting original works and dramatic presentation of existing works can help to build the self-esteem and communication skills of high school students.
• The act of performing can help students and youth recognize their potential for success and improve their confidence.

Why do students put three, four, months or more into the production. Why do they do it? Why do schools commit resources to these events?

We believe theatre aids our students in a multitude of ways:

1. Improvisation. The great thing about the stage is that when it’s live and you’re up in front of that audience anything can, and does, happen. Dropped lines, missed entrances, or malfunctioning props require you to improvise while maintaining your cool. Theatre teaches students how to focus, think quickly and make do while giving the impression that you’ve got it all under control. Later in life is will serve our students well when clients, airlines, coworkers, or technology wreak unexpected havoc at the worst possible moment. 
2. Time Management. Academic work, travel soccer, activities in faith communities all continue when a student is engaged in a play production. The long hours of rehearsal force a student to manage their time at an early age. 
3. Dealing with Very Different Human Beings. The theatrical community is a mash-up of interesting characters. It always has been. Theatre taught our students how to appreciate, understand and effectively communicate with a widely diverse group of human beings. 
4. Doing Whatever Needs to Be Done. You have to learn to do it all. Light design, sound engineering, acting, directing, producing, marketing, PR, set design, set construction, ticket sales, budgeting, customer service, ushering, make-up, and costuming are all things in a production. 
5. Hard work. Long hours, burnt fingers and a few brushes with tragedy are needed to get each and every show done. After the show the set is torn down, thrown out, and we get ready for the next production. C’est la vie. Later in life our students will have periods of time with unbelievable workloads in which there are sleepless nights, seemingly endless days and tireless work on projects that will be presented and then will be over. The report will be archived and onto the next project. C’est la vie. They learned how to do this as a theatre student. 
6. Presentation Skills. Okay, it’s a no brainer but later in life our students will have to endure long training sessions or corporate presentations by boring, unprepared, incompetent or just plain awful presenters. Individuals who can stand up confidently in front of a group of people and capably, effectively communicate their message while even being motivating and a little entertaining are among the rarest individuals in the world. Being a theatre student helps our students be one of them. 

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Information adapted from the aate.com (American Alliance for Theatre and Education) web site.

(1) Data for these reports were gathered by the Student Descriptive Questionnaire, a self-reported component of the SAT that gathers information about students' academic preparation, and reported by the College Entrance Examination Board. A table of average scores for arts involved students can be found at:http://www.menc.org/information/advocate/sat.html

(2) N. Barry, J. Taylor, and Kwalls, "The Role of the Fine and Performing Arts in High School Dropout Prevention,” Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Achievement and Social Development, ed. Richard Deasy (Washington, DC: Arts Education Partnership, 2002) 74-75.

(3) Sandra S. Ruppert and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement (Washington, DC: National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and the Arts Education Partnership, 2006).

Adapted from an article by Marguerite Happe. 

Before Heading Back-to-School… Don’t Forget About Summer!

With summer days shifting into the start of school, we all know we have some adjustments to make. Over the summer we loosen the reigns a bit with our children. We enjoy being more flexible about bedtimes and to-do lists. In my family we stretch the day as long as we can with late evening dinners and lazy mornings. Even my rules about not eating in the living room seem to go by the wayside as we all pile up together on the couch with ice cream or popcorn (or both), and watch a Redbox movie until 11:30pm. 

We all know it’s best to ease into the realities of the necessary school routine:

• Go to bed a little earlier
• Get up a little earlier
• Gather your supplies
• Remind yourselves about sharing the bathroom 
• Talk about the new routine
• Practice a run through of your morning routine

There are many articles out there about how to get ready for the transition back into the realities of the school schedule. This article is a little different. It is about what summer teaches us and the valuable lessons you learned over the past ten weeks. Some of what makes summer feel so good are the positive habits we start practicing. They are habits we should all do our best to hang onto throughout the school season.

The creative play your children engaged in after they were thoroughly bored and then built an amazing blanket fort is a result of unstructured time and pure innovation. Leave it up. It’s a great place to escape, play and giggle! As you get organized and sign-up for recreational sports leagues, after-school camps, musical lessons and karate, be sure to schedule time for the unstructured moments that open the doors to creativity.

Remember to relax. Before I sat down to write this short blog, I took a nap. Yes, you read that right, a nap! When do we allow ourselves to do that except on vacation? Relaxing is restorative. Sometimes, we adults forget about the importance of relaxing. Who says you can’t relax AND settle in to the school schedule? My son took much of his online Latin class this summer in a hammock he strung up across the carport. We aren’t putting away the hammock. Relaxing is essential.

During the summer we all spend more time outdoors. My kids and I kayaked on Lake Brandt, walked in the woods and sat around a campfire. During the school year it seems so hard to make time for these things. The “Great Outdoors” doesn’t go away; we just pay less attention to it. We all need more time outdoors, and not just walking to and from the car, but time to laugh and play as a family.

Last, over the summer I tend to read more. I do read all the time, but during the school year it seems all of my reading is related to work. Over the summer I lose myself in great pieces of fiction. It’s like traveling somewhere far away while resting on a comfortable old lawn chair in the back yard. Encourage your children to keep reading for pleasure. Even if it’s just 10 minutes a day, find a good novel and read with them. It’s good for all of you!

I look forward to seeing all of you back at school in just a few short weeks. While of course I advise you to start adjusting bedtimes and morning routines and gather all your school supplies; please remember the things you learned this summer that you may not want to change. I’m going to do my best to hang on to unstructured time, relaxation, outdoor anything, and reading for fun.
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Michelle Bostian, MSW, LCSW
Head of Counseling
Greensboro Day School

Kids These Days...

Admit it: If you’re over 25 years old, you’ve uttered the phrase “kids these days” and begun worrying about what our future generation holds. The Greatest Generation said it about the Baby Boomers, the Baby Boomers said it about Generation X, and now my Generation X is starting to say it about teenagers. But should we be so concerned?

Prior to working in the financial industry, I was a military instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy teaching an ethics and character development seminar to the seniors as they prepared to enter the Navy and Marine Corps. The goal was to prepare them for the myriad leadership, ethical, and other challenges they would face as young, inexperienced officers. It was a final test after four years of leadership development to see if the soon-to-be graduates were ready to face such daunting challenges. After each seminar that I taught (over 100) I came away with the feeling that yes, this next generation is ready to face its share of challenges.

Recently I’ve been working with my alma mater, Greensboro Day School, as they develop the same type of ethical development program for their middle school and high school students. I am honored to be included in their discussions and hope that my experience in this field can be of benefit to their students.

In May, I met with 10 GDS Upper School students and led them through an ethical dilemma case study. First, they read an ethical dilemma on Truth vs. Loyalty, and if one is more important than the other. Students identified and shared their initial reactions and the various dilemmas they noticed in the case study. Students immediately made connections to the dilemma with the GDS Honor Code and identified the values that were in conflict. They identified possible consequences and differentiated between the many perspectives to consider in the dilemma. Repercussions of both telling the truth and being loyal to a friend were considered. Students readily agreed that the dilemma of Truth vs. Loyalty is probably one of the most common dilemmas adolescents face.

The goal of the discussion was not to “get to the solution.” The goal was to identify all of the possible options in dealing with an ethical dilemma and weighing the pros and cons of each decision. The students’ ability to consider more than their own needs, to place a high value on their own morals, and factor in the schools’ Honor Code were immediately noticeable. I quickly realized one thing: these kids get it. They’re smart, they want to abide by honor codes and principles, and they want to do the right thing even when it may be extremely difficult to do so. Teenagers may not always make the best decisions, but with a solid foundation, they will certainly try to make the right decisions.I came away from an afternoon with a group of high school students feeling energized and excited about this progress. 

The case study and discussion far exceeded our expectations for what we hoped the students would learn. They seemed excited to tell their friends and family about it, and they can’t wait for other students to have the same experience. Furthermore, they instilled a sense of trust in me that our future generations are just as capable and intelligent as the ones before them. It allowed me to delay uttering the phrase “kids these days” just a little bit longer. If you are still concerned about today’s teenagers, spend some time with them. Volunteer, coach, teach. Whatever you choose, I think you will come away impressed as well.

About the Author: Chris Hilliard '01 has been in the financial services industry since 2012. As a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a U.S. Naval Officer, Chris knows a thing or two about discipline, determination, and goal setting. He is a Registered Representative and Investment Advisor Representative with and securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. View this blog at: http://www.hmc-partners.com/kids-days/

If I Knew Then What I Know Now

Looking back at my time spent in the Upper School, it can all seem like a blur. Awkward dances, APUSH readings, sports practices, scrambled tests, late nights...if I met my freshman self today, there would definitely be a few minutes of staring; trying to decipher the effects four years of high school had on me.

Now, these changes didn’t happen so easily, but the word regret never crossed my mind. I am okay with who I am — in fact I’m a little proud. And each bump along the road helped shape that person I am today.

But there are a few things I wished I had realized sooner that would have made life that much easier. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it does carry some weight nonetheless.

First and foremost: grades are important, yes, but they do not define who you are. The classes you take don’t; the numbers on your transcript don’t; your SAT and ACT scores don’t. The college you end up at doesn’t. Education is a never ending pursuit; it is essential to finding both a passion and a purpose in life. But it cannot be summed up by letters at the end of each semester. Get outside of the classroom. Volunteer. Travel. See things none of your friends have seen and work on a truly comprehensive education.

With this being said, take advantage of the academic opportunities you have. Greensboro Day School is a unique environment where each and every teacher wants to see you succeed. Enjoy this academic environment. Thrive in it. Classroom education should not become your founding characteristic, but it is a fundamental building block for your future. Speaking of the future….

Start the college search early! Visit as many colleges as you can. Each college offers a distinct environment with its own mix of academics, social endeavors and sports teams. Don’t be afraid to talk to current students. Google is a very important resource when it comes to the college search, but current students can give you a realistic, first-hand account of student life at the university.

You are what you eat, but you may also be who you hang out with. This is by no means encouraging reclusive behavior or selective social circles. Get out there and make some friends! But when it comes to whom you spend your weekends with, use a little caution. Find people with common interests and who are accepting of your nuances and idiosyncrasies rather than those looking for people to roll up to a party with.

One of the hardest things I had to learn was how to say 'no.' I promise it’s okay to stop playing tennis - even though you have done it since you were little; even though your parents want you to continue playing; even though you think it will look good to colleges. Maybe that person you see in the mirror everyday may not be a part of your future? And that’s okay! It’s okay to want to try something new for a change. In turn, you may discover someone else in the mirror you like a little more.

And finally, find yourself. High school is a time to get involved in as many extracurriculars as you can. Discover what you like, what you don’t like, and what gets you excited. It’s dangerous to make decisions impacting your future without a true sense of self. In that case, the external force pushing you the hardest may win. So take a personality test. Learn to embrace your quirks. Surround yourself with an environment that nurtures your interests and individuality.

High school is an exciting, wondrous place. Students undoubtedly come out more mature and ready for the next step in life. Take advantage of these tips and make the high school experience what you want it to be!

Kevin Carty '14

Design Thinking: A New Way to Look at Solving Problems

Sarah Soule, a professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, tells a story about a group of students:

“Six years ago, a team of students at Stanford University used a problem-solving method called design thinking to develop a simple, portable device — a sort of sleeping bag for newborns — that so far has helped 22,000 low-birth-weight babies around the world stay warm. The Embrace Baby Warmer, which includes a phase-change material that maintains its temperature for six hours after heating, is an amazing innovation. Had it not been for a crucial shift in the way the students were thinking, the warmer might never have existed.” 

Design Thinking is a unique way of solving problems because it is human-centered. Students must empathize with the people for which they are solving the problem. It is a shift in thinking about others’ needs and wants, rather than their own.

One might hear about students participating in a Design Thinking Club at Greensboro Day and think they are students in the Upper School or Middle School. However, we have a group of 4th and 5th graders who dove into this methodology of problem-solving as part of an after-school club.

In Summer of 2012, 4th grade teacher Megan Judy attended ://FUSE 2013, an intensive 2-day workshop in Atlanta. This past summer, LS director Gillian Goodman participated in an online Design Thinking course through Stanford University. Together, Judy and Goodman launched the Lower School Design Thinking Club, in which students had to apply to take part.

The first meeting in the fall was dedicated to students understanding how they personally go about solving problems, classifying themselves as “North,” “South,” “East” and “West,” based on outlined characteristics. Students were very reflective about what strengths they brought to a group and what challenges the other “directions” might have with them.

Next, students identified problems they saw around the school which were meaningful to them. Then came

the empathy piece – students developed a list of peers, faculty and staff who would be appropriate to interview for their particular problem. Interviewing these various members of our GDS community allowed them to see multiple perspectives and needs. They stepped out of their own shoes in order to better solve the problem.

After discussing people’s needs with their group members, they finally came to the part that they had been waiting to do since their first meeting – prototype a solution! Using cardboard, pipe cleaners, Styrofoam, paper plates and other odd objects, students built a prototype to illustrate the solution to their problem. At the end of April, students presented their problems and solutions to a group of observers:

• How might we improve the speed at which cafeteria food is served?
  Ticketmaster 3000 - a machine that issues you a ticket. You get all the "other" items such as drink, sides, or dessert and go to your seat. When your number is called you go up to the serving station to pick up your hot lunch.
• How might we improve the 4th grade laptops (in terms of charging power and speed of processing)?
  One group designed a computer that was actually your desk and operated on solar panels.
  
  
  Another group created a super-charging multi-station dock. It would store a lot of unnecessary memory to help the computers run faster, and their charging system would charge your laptop in 3 minutes.
• How might we improve locker size?
  This group created a locker that had a compartment in the bottom that had a latch that would open up and you could store small items such as books, electronics, etc. The large space would then just hold your backpack and books.

The Design Thinking Club was a rewarding experience for both the students and the teachers involved. Look

for more Design Thinking ideas and spaces to pop-up around campus in the near future.

7 Myths About College

As Dave Barry wisely said, “I believe that we parents must encourage our children to become educated, so they can get into a good college that we cannot afford.”

All kidding aside, with rising college tuitions and large numbers of twenty-somethings graduating with increasing amounts of student loan debt, it is more important than ever that students (and their parents) enter college with all of the information they need to make wise decisions about their majors and future careers. Here are some myths and facts about starting college, plus tips on how to ensure that that students graduate with the best possible career and personal options.

Myth #1: I already know what I want to study in college so I don’t need to do any further exploration.
Fact # 1:

• 80 percent of college students change their majors at least once during college. 
• Some students will change their majors 3-5 times. 
• These changes cause frustration, lost time, money and resources.

Myth #2: I have no clue what I want to study in college, I’ll wait until I get there to figure it out. I don’t have to decide until my 3rd year of school.
Fact #2:

• College Freshmen with AP and Joint Enrollment credit may need to declare a major as early as their first semester.
• For many majors it is necessary for a student to take certain classes beginning with the first semester in order to graduate in four years.

Myth #3: I’ll just aim for the best college I can get into.
Fact #3:

• One-third of all students switch institutions at least once before earning a degree.
• The most common time for a transfer is the student’s second year. Often cited reasons for transfer are financial, homesickness, change in majors, and poor grades.
• Finding a good college “fit” prior to matriculation is crucial.

Myth #4: My cousin/best friend/boyfriend loved X University, so it must be right for me.
Fact #4: Experts say to find the best college fit, YOU need to look at colleges that:

1. Offer a program of study to match your interests and needs;
2. Provide a style of instruction to match the way you like to learn;
3. Provide a level of academic rigor to match your aptitude and preparation;
4. Offer a community that feels like home to you; and
5. Value you for what you do well. (US News and World Report)

These factors require YOU to understand what’s best for YOU.

Myth #5: It’s too early to think about life after college.
Fact #5:

• Almost half of college graduates move back home after graduation due to college debt and failure to find a job. 
• Almost two out of every three recent college graduates are not working in a job close to their field of study. 
• Forty percent of college graduates say they are working in jobs that don't even require college degrees. 

Myth #6: It’s all up to my SAT/ACT scores, GPA, essays, recommendations, and athletic/leadership/artistic talents to be admitted.
Fact #6:

• Over 800 colleges no longer mandate SAT/ACT scores for admissions purposes.
• Admissions officers consistently cite self awareness, authenticity and passion as qualities they most want to see in their applicants.

Myth #7: I know how to study in high school and get good grades. It will be the same in college.
Fact #7:

• Rule of thumb: put 2-3 study hours in for every hour that you are in class each week.
• College tests make up a large percentage of your final grade. You will have 2-3 tests over a large amount of course material. 

In my positions at the University of Georgia and University of Virginia, I saw many students who came to college “knowing” what they wanted to do. Sometimes these goals were not based on the students’ abilities, interests or values, but rather on parental or societal expectations. When these students hit a wall in coursework or didn’t like the subject matter, they would be crushed and unsure of the future. Some change during college is inevitable. However, when students enter college with a clear idea of their abilities and interests, they can navigate the ups and downs of the college experience.

To this end, these students can take a simple test that objectively evaluates their natural abilities and strengths, like the Highlands Ability Battery. These types of tests can help students gain self-understanding for college selection and interview processes. They also identify students’ best learning channels, which will enable them to adapt the ways they study and allow for increased achievement. Most importantly, this information can help students make smarter curriculum and major choices, which in turn can lead to better future career choices.

Providing students with the self-knowledge to understand their abilities and to use this information during their college and post college experience can have lifetime benefits, for students and as well as their parents. Who knows, they may not even need to move back home after graduation.
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About the Author: A 1988 graduate of GDS, Kim Fisher Turner is currently a school counselor in Athens, Ga. She has spent over 15 years working in education. She is also a licensed professional counselor who sees students and adults for career and transitional issues. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and then received a Master's in Education from the University of Virginia.

Snow Days Do NOT Mean “No Learning” Days

This is the first in a series of four blogs highlighting digital learning in the Greensboro Day School community.
When a snow day was called at GDS 10 years ago, it meant that teaching and learning was put on hold until students returned to school. Now, we are a connected community where teachers can share lessons and the learning continues. In contrast to some school districts in other states, GDS teachers are not required to have e-learning days when we have snow days. However, our teachers took it upon themselves to use technology to make sure their students did not lose momentum in the learning process.

Some teachers in our Lower School emailed parents with suggestions to help keep learning going at home.  This encouragement included not only the study of multiplication facts and working on book reports, but also watching the Olympics to keep track of medals. While our Suzuki students continued to practice,  but they were also able to use software to record themselves and send the recordings to the teacher who would listen to the piece and give feedback to the student. What is most impressive here is that our teachers were not only able to continue the “usual” learning, but they were also able augment school work with popular media and technology tools.

In our 5th-12th grades, students have Haiku accounts in addition to their GDS email accounts. Students understand that they are expected to check Haiku even when the school is closed for snow. However, the past two snow days encouraged our teachers to be even more creative with their use of Haiku.

Middle School teachers not only posted assignments, but they also provided students with resources to prepare them for the upcoming week at school. Teachers posted videos from Khan Academy, screencasts of lessons with the teacher’s narration, and links to practice, games, and websites relating to grammar, math, and social studies to explore.  Some teachers even posted links to tests which our students were to take at home (GDS honor code applies even at home). One Middle School parent told me that she was impressed with the resources that were provided to her child and felt that this was necessary to keep our students on track with their work.

Our Upper School did not miss a beat over the snow days. Students submitted assignments, papers and projects for teachers to review. This forethought allowed learning to continue as planned once classes resumed. Teachers and students in this division are quite facile with technology of all types (laptops, smartphones, etc.) and they use these tools to continue their connection with school even when they are not physically in a classroom.

These examples, which certainly do not exhaust all the wonderful teaching and learning that went on last week, are representative of the initiative that our teachers take to be sure to provide our students with the best education possible.

10 Lessons the Arts Teach

Will right-brain thinkers rule the world? Educators believe so. A strong arts education helps children to develop important right-brain skills such as flexible thinking, stronger analytical skills and creative problem solving.  Elliott Eisner, a Professor of Education at Stanford University has identified 10 lessons which are clarified through the study of the Arts in school:

1. The arts teach children to make good judgments about qualitative relationships. Unlike much of the curriculum in which correct answers and rules prevail, in the arts, it is judgment rather than rules that prevail.
2. The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer.
3. The arts celebrate multiple perspectives. One of their large lessons is that there are many ways to see and interpret the world.
4. The arts teach children that in complex forms of problem solving purposes are seldom fixed, but change with circumstance and opportunity. Learning in the arts requires the ability and a willingness to surrender to the unanticipated possibilities of the work as it unfolds.
5. The arts make vivid the fact that neither words in their literal form nor numbers exhaust what we can know. The limits of our language do not define the limits of our cognition.
6. The arts teach students that small differences can have large effects. The arts traffic in subtleties.
7. The arts teach students to think through and within a material. All art forms employ some means through which images become real.
8. The arts help children learn to say what cannot be said. When children are invited to disclose what a work of art helps them feel, they must reach into their poetic capacities to find the words that will do the job.
9. The arts enable us to have experience we can have from no other source and through such experience to discover the range and variety of what we are capable of feeling.
10. The arts' position in the school curriculum symbolizes to the young what adults believe is important.