Teacher Tuesday: Angela Ballou

Getting to know Middle School Learning Specialist, Angela Ballou.

How long have you been a part of the Greensboro Day School community? I began my teaching career here at GDS right out of college 17 years ago.

What have you enjoyed most about your time at GDS?  The growth I have been able to do in areas of intellect, character, athletics, and as a good citizen of the environment is tremendous.  The people and environment at GDS pushes me to be my best every day.

What is something new that you get to do/teach students that continues to make you enjoy your job?  I love helping students build their confidence as learners.  It is also really awesome to see students who dread reading start to become excited about books.  If they find the right titles that are of high interest to them, they will really get into reading! 

What is one interesting fact about you that we may not know?   As an adolescent, I hated to read.  Now, I read every night because, through working with my students, I have discovered the joy and value of reading a good book.

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.

Teachable Moments: Miley Creates an Opportunity

Parents naturally want their values to be passed along to their children. But sometimes it is difficult to find just the right opportunities to open the topic of values with teens. Unless you’ve been purposefully avoiding the news, radio, and social media, you know about Miley Cyrus and her infamous behavior during the Video Music Awards. It’s okay if this is news to you. We all need a break sometimes. But, don’t stay in the dark too long or you might miss an opportunity to talk with your kids about your values, relationships, sexuality, role models, and your expectations for them as they get older and make choices that will impact the rest of their lives.

Many parents wonder if their teenager really cares what they think. Rest assured, your child probably cares a great deal about what you think! Teens who recognize that their parents set clear limits and expectations on their behavior and maintain open, honest communication with them are less likely to make choices outside the rules and are more likely to talk to their parents about the big issues. Quite often, parents’ and teenagers’ ideas about right and wrong, future aspirations, and world views are in line with each other. If you want to increase the probability that your teen will share your values, engage your kids in conversation. Taking time to share what we think about the real issues encourages family cohesion – of values and goals.

Adolescence is a critical time in a child's development of a personal set of values and expectations. This time of greater independence and social outreach also provides adolescents with the opportunity to absorb influences and perspectives that their parents may not share. Pat Bassett, former NAIS president, spoke with students, faculty, and parents of GDS about how adults teach ethical thinking and moral courage. His presentation focused on many ways that we, as the adults in their lives, are the models for our child’s choices. But what caught my attention was his discussion of why we need to be counter-cultural  — he even mentioned our friend, Miley.

The problem with Miley is not necessarily that she expresses herself in sexually suggestive ways. Her actions are really only a problem if a parent's value systems, and the values they wish to impart to their children, are not in sync with the popular culture and how Miley expresses herself.

One thing about pop culture...it provides us with many teachable moments! Teachable moments are those everyday situations that open the door to conversation...rather than a lecture that follows bad behavior. Teachable moments begin with questions like, “so, what did you think about that?” and almost never begin
with “we need to talk.”

Teachable moments create space for us to learn more about our kids: what they are thinking and how they are thinking about the issues they face. Here’s an example: my psychology class asked what I thought about a news story about a high school girl in Massachusetts who received a 5-game suspension from volleyball and lost her position as captain because she violated her school’s “zero tolerance” alcohol policy. She went to a party to pick up her friend who had become intoxicated and, while she was there the police broke up the party. It was the perfect opportunity to talk about dilemmas and the right vs. right decisions the girl faced AND the ethical dilemma on the part of the school administration. It was also an opportunity for me to learn more about my students.

As I shared my thoughts with them, the conversation moved from that dilemma to some of the choices they make when faced with similar right vs. right situations. What were the values in competition? What do they value? It was fascinating. I learned more about their thought process in discerning the best choice to make. I listened without judgment.

I think that’s the hardest part for me as a parent: listening without judgment. As much as I want my kids to believe and value what I do, it won’t happen unless they are able to come to it themselves. And they probably will if I continue to talk with them about the real world, listen to them as they talk through their dilemmas, and share some of my ethical dilemmas with them. The odds are in my favor.

Bridget Gwinnett,
Upper School counselor

Tech Tips for the Summer

Digital natives, iGeneration, and Millenials are all names used to describe our students. Regardless of age, these children are highly connected through their use of technology. With summer upon us, here are a few things to consider when thinking about your child’s technology use.

• How can you balance your child’s summer technology use and the other summer activities that s/he can participate in?
• How can technology facilitate your child’s summer learning experiences?
• What social media tools are integral to your child’s life and how can his/her actions with these tools impact their futures?

Below are links to 6 articles that provide parents with tips and tricks for managing your child’s summer technology connections.

The first two links are from Common Sense Media, a great resource for families with
children of all ages. This website provides a wealth of videos, articles, reviews and other information about the “world of media and technology.”
• 
  8 Tips for a (Nearly) Tech-free Vacation
  In this article, the author presents simple straightforward strategies for family-friendly integration of technology on vacations.
  
  Digital Fun for Creative Kids
  This article presents an extensive set of technology resources (apps and websites) to continue your student’s learning during the summer months. Activities in categories such as storytelling and coding help children aged 2-17 “stretch those creative muscles in fun ways.”
  

• The next four links provide resources for parents of students who are (or might be)
  connected through communication and media technology (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, iMessage, etc.)
  
  Do You have Any Idea What Your Kids Are Posting Online?
  This blog by an assistant superintendent, who is very connected himself, provides parents with some examples of how connected students young and old are misusing social media. There is also a reference to a blog describing Instagram and examples of household rules for using this tool. Although this blog is specific to Instagram, the information presented can be applied to other social media tools.
  
  Free Parents' Guides to Snapchat and Instagram
  In this article are links to parent guides for Snapchat and Instagram. These guides are short and to the point (6 pages each). At the beginning of each of these guides are concise answers to: 
  Why kids love these apps
  What the risks of each app are
  How to help kids stay safe using the apps
  How to report abuse and block problem users
  How to use privacy settings
  
  The Truth about Social Media and Admissions
  This article provides some guidelines for our older students who are applying or getting ready to apply to college. It is a nice discussion of why colleges would be interested in a student’s digital presence. For our younger students, the article provides some things for them to think about as they begin developing a digital presence.
  
  Ask.fm - Social Q&A website should be avoided by tweens and teens
  This post discusses Ask.fm, which is a question and answer website that lets users create accounts and post anonymous questions or comments. Ask.fm has been linked to cyber bullying incidents and other abuse. Although this article is written for parents at the Village School in California, it provides useful information and guidelines for all parents.

It's Okay to Say, "I Don't Know"

Many of us have a personal connection in some way to the participants of the Boston Marathon. There has been and will continue to be significant news coverage and our children are likely to hear information that is troubling for them and difficult to process. When unthinkable things happen we can sometimes find it difficult to think clearly about how to respond in a way that is helpful for our children. It is possible you may be fielding questions from your children and hosting conversations you are a little unsure how to handle. Keep in mind that children will tell you with their questions how much and what they need to know. It is perfectly acceptable to say, “I don’t know,” in response to a question a child may ask you.

The following Web site might be of help to you as you begin to think about talking with your child:
http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/coping-with-disaster/helping-children-handle-disaster-related-anxiety

Here are some additional tips:

• Before answering, it is a good idea to ask your child what she already knows about the topic in question. 
• Be honest with your answers, but choose your words and explanations according to the child's understanding, and don't overload the child with too much information. 
• Try to give answers that give hope and faith and are reassuring, but again, don't lie or give false hope or unrealistic promises. 
• Be ready to answer the same question repeatedly. As has been found in several studies, even if parents do talk to children about difficult topics, children might later not remember it. So you need to have these discussions often. For a child, repeating a question might also be a form of getting reassurance. 
• You don’t have to have all the answers. Its okay to say, ‘I don’t know,’ but I will let you know as soon as I understand it better. The most important thing is that your children can feel you care about them. 

Keep the lines of communication open. Do a lot of listening and reassuring. And look for ways to help your children cope. John King, Bridget Gwinnett and I are available if you observe any unusual behavior that may indicate your child may need additional support.

Michelle Bostian, Lower School Counselor

"I am not Creative" 

written and performed by sophomore Katerina Forbis

for her poetry portfolio assignment

Getting Ready for Letting Go

How do we know when our children are ready to take on the responsibilities of “emerging adulthood?” How can we be sure we have given them the tools they will need in order to be successful in their lives? What exactly are those tools anyway?

Emerging adulthood is a term used to describe that hazy period of time between adolescence and the true independence of adulthood with a stable job, committed relationship, and parenthood. I once presented a parent education workshop in which I reported that the timeline of “adolescence” has grown to include children as young as 11 and as old as 25. It was not well-received, as evidenced by the evaluations! This is a 21st century truth, and college is smack-dab in the middle of it!

In his book, Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers, author Michael Riera advises readers to make an essential transition in the parent-adolescent relationship from manager to consultant. Manager parents, according to Riera, focus on their children making the best decisions, but consultant parents help their children develop decision-making skills that will carry them through college and adulthood.

For many young adults, going to college is the first time they will be on their own and responsible for themselves to some degree. This is an emotional time for most families. Teens can experience a myriad of feelings, from fear to elation, as they consider the great adventure ahead: meeting new people and beginning to discover a world that they will one day lead. Parents, too, are proud and excited, yet anxious about the unknowns. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to keep your sanity as you and your teen figure this one out.

Of course it starts with communication — what good parenting advice doesn’t? Riera looks at communication from all angles and talks about the “hidden benefits” of arguing with your teen. If we, as parents, can stay calm and listen to our teens, we can help them develop skills to be calm, confident, and persuasive with their peers. Psychologist Joseph Allen conducted research at the University of Virginia that confirms teens who learned to effectively argue with their parents were 40 percent more likely to avoid drugs and alcohol than their peers who didn’t argue well with their parents.

All parents worry about alcohol and drug use for good reasons: the short-term concerns about safety and the long-term question: will my child become addicted? Most teenagers who use alcohol and drugs do so because they can; these substances are readily available to them, and parents have very little control over their teen’s decisions around use. They do, however, have considerable influence in their teen’s decisions. The conversations you have and the example you set are the most crucial factors that influence your teen. 

This is great news for parents! Riera concludes that behaviors will come and go, but the values we instill in our children will be with them as they “emerge” from adolescence into successful and happy adults.


Bridget Gwinnett, Upper School Counselor

It is Right to Protect and It is Right to Respect

Monitoring what our children are exposed to is a real and difficult struggle all parents face. Being exposed to influences from particular friends, certain music or even dangerous environments, is a threat we carefully navigate every day. Every family wants to keep their children safe, and every family has different boundaries when it comes to deciding what is appropriate and inappropriate exposure to things they perceive to be risky. As a counselor, I frequently field two common questions in relation to our children’s exposure to various forms of electronic media:

• How much and what kind of video games should I allow my child to play? 
• What if I go through all this trouble to limit my child’s exposure, and then he gets to play it at someone else’s house? 

It is worthwhile to be careful and thoughtful in discerning what you allow your children to view. Subsequently, it is absolutely critical that parents are aware of what their children are viewing. With awareness, we are all well-equipped to guide our children to make good choices. In addition, I encourage parents to monitor their child's play behavior to see if they notice trends related to observing "violent games." Too much of anything is not good.

Sometimes children get agitated when they have too much time with screens in general. If they have trouble responding to the limits we set, that may be another sign they are a bit too invested in it. And of course, ADHD plays into it too, complicating things for certain children even more. All games, movies and music have ratings, and I find them very helpful as a guide in what is appropriate for kids. Ratings are useful in "backing me up" as a parent. The ratings alone, however, are not enough to make a good decision. That being said, I have found the values that set the ratings scale are not always reflective of what I think is appropriate for my children. There is no substitute for actually viewing things yourself and using your own judgment.

And therein lies the right vs. right dilemma. It is right to stand by our values and hold fast to that which we believe in. Our common values within our family hold us together and give us purpose. Our common values guide our every decision in parenting. We invest a great deal of time and energy sorting through what we believe in and how that will influence the way our families will conduct their lives. This includes careful discussions with our partner and other loved ones as we defend the position for our family on many subjects.

It is also right to respect that each family works through this process uniquely. And each family’s values are just as important to them as mine is to me. Where one family places a high value in avoiding all possible risk, other families believe in allowing their children to experience some risk as they grow and mature. This can build resilience and problem-solving skills. Too much risk is certainly dangerous. But I have yet to meet a parent who intentionally exposes a child to what they think will result in danger.

It seems easy at first to respect the two rights; we can all have different opinions, I get that. But what do we do when our child is exposed to things we don’t approve of at the neighbor’s house? Again, a right vs. right. It is right to protect and it is right to respect.

So what do I do? Sometimes I politely say no to an invitation. As my kids get older I see this is not always feasible (I am in the phase of picking my battles very carefully). Other times I know that the small amounts of exposure to higher risk environments outside my home could actually be a good thing. A time for my children to learn and practice how to navigate a world beyond the boundaries of my home. So that leaves me thankful for the different values evident in the families of my community. Hmmm…..it IS a good thing we all don’t think alike.

Michelle Bostian, Lower School Counselor

Supporting Diverse Learners

Working with students who have a variety of personalities, strengths, and interests is both a privilege and challenge for teachers. In addition, a student’s learning style is among the many characteristics that make him unique. How do teachers support diverse learners? Having an elastic MINDSET, providing DIRECT INSTRUCTION, creating time for COLLABORATION, and teaching ADVOCACY are ways to construct an effective learning environment for all of our students who each have a unique and developing mind. 

An accepting and caring MINDSET is the most important key to supporting diverse learners.

Each student has something to contribute to the learning environment and school community. Discovering students’ strengths, interests, and personal goals helps us to appreciate and highlight who they are beyond what grade they earn on a test or how fast they read. Once these qualities are discovered they can be integrated into lessons and discussions, thus increasing the value of the lesson for students. Students need and want to know that we are on their side rooting for their success. Once this is achieved, academic support can happen in the most effective ways.

Strategies:

• Incorporate “get to know you” activities or have students write letters describing their strengths and interests.
• Support a student’s interests by attending his drama performance or sporting event.
• Talk to them about what is going on in their lives and show genuine interest in their responses.
• Constantly remind yourself where your students are developmentally and be realistic in your expectations while at the same time strive to help them grow academically and emotionally.

DIRECT INSTRUCTION of effective work habits goes a long way with all types of learners.

Offering instruction in study skills and executive functions allows students to understand the best ways for lifelong learning. Skills including goal setting, engaged reading, active listening, planning and scheduling, and organizing materials are habits that students can apply to a variety of settings and content areas.

Strategies:

• Give time and attention outside of class time by providing extra support on a more personal level.
• Help students set personal, specific, and achievable goals and then implement daily behaviors to move toward those goals.
• Review calendars on a regular basis and make action plans for the day/week/month.
• Allow time to clean out desks, notebooks, and lockers.
• Meet individually or in small groups to increase attention and engagement.
• Pre-teach new content by showing pictures and videos or having students research the topic ahead of time.
• Offer alternative options in your room, such as soft lighting and round table seating.
• Allow for different seating options such as exercise balls or bean bags.
• Coordinate extra support services such as homework help, one-on-one tutoring, or peer mentoring.

COLLABORATION among teachers, parents, and the students themselves creates a team approach

Individually, we see how students perform in our particular setting. It is important to collaborate with colleagues who also work with our students whether it be in a different subject area or in an after school activity. Making time to meet as a team allows teachers to discuss the whole child, as the best ways to address the needs of our students are developed. Parents should also feel a part of the team, as they can help us see each child as someone beyond a student in our classroom. Each child has a history, a personality, and hopes for himself that parents can help us to understand. We, in return, are able to share our expertise of learning and developmental characteristics with parents who crave this type of insight into their children. Finally, students must be part of the team. When we consult them, talk with them, and allow them to be a part of the decision making; we create buy-in from them when it comes to their learning. This collaboration creates a mutual trust with everyone working together in the best interest of the student.

Strategies:

• Collaboration with teachers: set aside time for team meetings, share strategies that work for a student with colleagues, observe students in other classes to discover what might not be noticeable while teaching the student yourself, and keep a log of student concerns and successes to share with appropriate teachers.
• Collaboration with parents: LISTEN and offer support (with Kleenex and chocolate if needed,) participate in parent conferences, always maintain confidentiality and be respectful to the privacy of families, and educate parents via workshops, book clubs, and website resources.
• Collaboration with students: Set aside time for individual conferences to set semester goals or to review a writing assignment, provide choices when coming up with a plan for students to achieve their goals, and LISTEN to their ideas and needs.

Teaching ADVOCACY allows students to be the leader of their educational experience.

When students are given opportunities to discover their strengths and accept their challenges as learners, they can then set realistic goals and implement the best strategies for reaching those goals. Students are also in a better position to advocate appropriately for themselves, thus becoming their own best supporters.

Strategies:

• Provide students with opportunities for constant reflection of their learning whether it be completing test corrections with a written explanation component or leading their own parent-teacher conference.
• Give a multiple-intelligence survey and help students focus on their own strengths while becoming resources for each other.
• Steer students away from ineffective strategies and offer options that are better suited for their learning styles.
• Coach students on how to advocate respectfully for themselves by helping them to compose a letter or email.
• Accompany the student to chat with another teacher when issues arise.
• Assist students in preparation for a parent conference with a template which the students fill in with their own notes.

Our students are the center of what we do and what we want to accomplish. We do not simply teach a subject, we teach children. We teach them how to learn and also to value the process of learning whether it be the process of writing a book report, completing a project, or preparing for a test. Our students are incredibly unique and yearn for us to know and value their strengths as learners and their qualities as people. When we appreciate our students’ diversity as learners and promise to stretch their capabilities and minds, we ultimately prepare them for independence from us.

Greensboro Day School Learning Resource Department

In a Student's Words...

I learn so much from the students I teach; they are incredibly intelligent, talented and creative. One of my students had an assignment to write an "artistic statement" about her life as a dancer. I'd like to share this piece written by Kate Montgomery, an 8th grader, and offer a glimpse of just one of the special things that I witness each day a in my role as a Middle School teacher at Greensboro Day School. – Pamela Thaxton, MS Learning Resource Specialist 



Artistic Statement
By: Kate Montgomery ’17

Blue, this is the color ballet would be, not pink not black, blue. Why is it blue you might ask? It is blue because it is light and airy yet strong and vibrant. Blue is one of those colors with seemingly endless shades that can literally be interpreted into any form, story, or emotion. This all depends on two points, the eyes of the observer and the feelings of the performer, and we can only hope that our feelings are dusted over the audience. The ability to take physical movements and turn them into a story or emotion takes someone with a wild imagination. To be able to share this sensation with an audience is what makes it an art. Ballet to me is that one place where you can say everything by simply raising an arm and touching it to your forehead, just as the corp girls in the first movement of Serenade so beautifully do. All of this because of a connection that you have between your body, your mind, and the observer; you first begin this connection when you are a child with a dream that will soon become an ambition.

Almost every little girl goes to ballet class and can't help but dream of being a Ballerina. Then the technique begins and suddenly that giddy feeling goes away. For me, my love for this art only grew stronger. As soon as the time came to begin working on our technique I was all in, and became more and more excited to go to dance. At Greensboro Ballet this meant moving up to Mr.D's class (John Dennis), and for many it seemed to be the scariest thing in the world, including me. However, his classes made me want to see what else was out there in the ballet world, so for Christmas that year my parents took my brother and I to New York City. While I was there my mom took me to see New York City Ballet's Nutcracker, where I got to meet one of the dancers who danced in the snow corp. I remember taking a picture with her and thinking how much I wanted to be her. I could barely sit in my seat as I watched the dancers fly across the snow covered stage in there long tulle skirts and pink shiny point shoes. My young seven year old self couldn't help but think how one day I would be there with my own pair of pink shiny point shoes. From then on, I worked as hard as physically possible. The summer of 2011, when I was attending Greensboro Ballet's summer intensive, I knew it was all going to pay off one day. The idea of waking up in the morning and knowing that my job would be to do what I loved suddenly became the only thing I could ever picture myself doing, and that's when I knew that this is what I was meant to do.

Dance, drenched in a pallet with beautiful shades of blue, a pallet that each person sees differently, the artist is to take their paint brush and create their desired shade. In other words, it is like a blank sheet of paper with guidelines and basic rules, but what you decide to do with it is up to you because every dance is like a new story or emotion just waiting to be unleashed. Sometimes the story is given to you and it is your job to bring it to life, other times you have to search for the story and let your imagination run wild. For when I dance I get that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you come home after a long trip and you finally sink into your own bed; that feeling of pure joy that overflows your veins and is released through your limbs. It empowers me to slip on those practically magical point shoes and show the audience what I can do and how happy I am to show them. It is that itch that you always feel the need to scratch, that one thing you dream about at night hoping it will only bring the moment where you can feel free and alive that much closer. I'm in a deep relationship with dance and we are in it for the long run.

Olga Lepeshinaskya, one of my favorite ballet dancers, was a principal with the Bolshoi Ballet in the 1940's. However, she recently died of old age. I first came to know about this once extraordinary dancer when I was nine years old waiting for class to begin. I looked up and saw a black and white picture of a seemingly happy dancer posing in attitude. Under the picture in black ink was typed a name that was obviously Russian with a particularly daunting last name. I sounded out the name that gave me such joy to pronounce. When my ballet teacher John Dennis walked up behind me while I was telling some of the other dancers about Olga, Mr. D told me a little bit about her. From then on, I was fascinated with the smiling petite Russian girl who could captivate an audience by throwing herself into the air and twirling across the stage with her massive pique turns. While looking at videos of Olga, I stumbled upon a full length recording of Balanchine's classic Swan Lake, this being my favorite ballet being performed by one of my favorite companies, I couldn't resist. I clicked play and was quickly put into a trance by the gorgeous choreography of the White Swan Pas de Deux into Odettes solo, a role I have always dreamed of portraying. For you are given the chance to show much diversity by playing two roles, Odette and Odile, who performs my favorite Pas De Deux, the Black Swan Pas De Deux, a Pas where Odile transforms into a sassy black swan who tricks prince Zigfried into thinking that she is his one love, Odette. What made watching this magnificent ballet even more spectacular, were the beautiful dancers of ABT, a company that I have come to love after watching endless videos of Misty Copeland, Gillian Murphy and so many more amazing dancers I can hardly resist the urge to someday be up there with them. There is just something about their dancers that just pops on stage with everything from superb technique to flawless stage presence. This company is a place I would like to someday make my destination after a long journey. One tool I have used to better my training is to get inspiration from ballets, dancers, and companies. When you know where you want to land it makes taking off that much easier.

"Always have a secret". These were words spoken by my ballet teacher, Mary Helen Mayfield. One day in class she told us to always have a little secret while we were dancing; something that the audience doesn't know, allowing you to perform and for the audience to not take their eyes off of you. Mrs. Mayfield's secret was always that she had a ruby in her tutu, my secret is that I have a little bird behind my ear that whispers all the steps to me. When my little birdie tells me what the steps are, it is then my job to show off the steps in beautiful shades of blue. This is a job that takes a large amount of imagination, passion, and a little birdie that tells you all the steps. That is why I dance.