Thoughts from the Head of School
Where Everybody Knows Your Name
“We know that with St. Matthew's applicants we are not only getting students who are academically gifted and prepared, but also students with strong character traits who will be leaders in our School and glue for our community.”
“Please direct more of your [St. Matthew’s] students to apply!”
“Your [St. Matthew’s] eighth graders tend to have a bigger perspective, are not as self-centered, and have developed compassion and altruism.”
These are statements I often hear from heads of school and enrollment directors when I ask what more can I do to help secure coveted spots for our students applying to 9th grade. This is music to my ears and evidence that, here at St. Matthew’s, we are truly educating students to serve, lead, and flourish.
For some parents, the questions they may be asking are, Why a through 8th Grade School? Why would we go somewhere that requires us to apply to another school in a few years? The American Educational Research Journal on Social and Institutional Analysis published an article in September 2016, based on a research study that compared middle school students (ages 11 to 14) at K-8 schools, 6-8 schools, and 6-12 schools. It was a comprehensive study that involved 90,000 students in 500 schools over a three-year period. The conclusions were significant: middle school students in ‘through 8th-grade’ schools attain higher levels of academic achievement and score higher in reading, language arts, and mathematics; have higher levels of self-esteem; report positive attitudes towards school; feel safer and have a greater sense of belonging; have fewer discipline problems and are exposed to less bullying; experience smaller class and school sizes; and, have more core instructional time, "allowing for greater exploration and integration, rather than a constricting focus on content and adherence to rigid scheduling." Middle school students in a ‘through 8th grade’ environment are treated as the big fish in a small(er) pond.
In addition to enhanced academic outcomes, non-academic outcomes are equally acute. Parents participate in all aspects of the school, ranging from extra-curricular support to setting behavioral expectations. In exchange, their children receive optimal social and emotional outcomes because they know their children's friends and families well. Inevitably, that connection and control are relinquished or minimized by the time students reach high school. At St. Matthew's there is still a "neighborhood feel" and we speak earnestly about our parish school as an extension of the family. There is an intrinsic value in the march through school where continuity and stability exist.
All of our teachers inherit the intentional consequence of bearing witness to the range of intellectual and social development of young children. We can authentically teach to the whole person -- to the child who is leaving childhood behind as well as to the young adult who they will become. For the middle school student, they are immersed in an environment that allows for the tremendous change during these early teenage years. It is a time for exploring new interests and adjusting to amazing physical, cognitive, and relational transformations, all in a setting that is comfortable, stable, and secure. When you combine the advantage of a PS-8 education with the Episcopal charism of inclusivity, community, and academic rigor, you graduate confident, responsible, and joyful students who are truly ready to change the world. Our students deserve to be in a setting where they are the primary focus of our energy and attention. And our students are expected to be - and excited to be - leaders within the school community. They are student government leaders, school ambassadors, captains, and tutors. They are servant leaders and outreach partners. They are buddies, role models to peers, and caretakers for the youngest learners. Our buddy programs represent the best of this kind of relationship, a situation and leadership opportunity that is virtually impossible to replicate when they are the little fish in the bigger pond.
For some parents, the questions they may be asking are, Why a through 8th Grade School? Why would we go somewhere that requires us to apply to another school in a few years? The American Educational Research Journal on Social and Institutional Analysis published an article in September 2016, based on a research study that compared middle school students (ages 11 to 14) at K-8 schools, 6-8 schools, and 6-12 schools. It was a comprehensive study that involved 90,000 students in 500 schools over a three-year period. The conclusions were significant: middle school students in ‘through 8th-grade’ schools attain higher levels of academic achievement and score higher in reading, language arts, and mathematics; have higher levels of self-esteem; report positive attitudes towards school; feel safer and have a greater sense of belonging; have fewer discipline problems and are exposed to less bullying; experience smaller class and school sizes; and, have more core instructional time, "allowing for greater exploration and integration, rather than a constricting focus on content and adherence to rigid scheduling." Middle school students in a ‘through 8th grade’ environment are treated as the big fish in a small(er) pond.
In addition to enhanced academic outcomes, non-academic outcomes are equally acute. Parents participate in all aspects of the school, ranging from extra-curricular support to setting behavioral expectations. In exchange, their children receive optimal social and emotional outcomes because they know their children's friends and families well. Inevitably, that connection and control are relinquished or minimized by the time students reach high school. At St. Matthew's there is still a "neighborhood feel" and we speak earnestly about our parish school as an extension of the family. There is an intrinsic value in the march through school where continuity and stability exist.
All of our teachers inherit the intentional consequence of bearing witness to the range of intellectual and social development of young children. We can authentically teach to the whole person -- to the child who is leaving childhood behind as well as to the young adult who they will become. For the middle school student, they are immersed in an environment that allows for the tremendous change during these early teenage years. It is a time for exploring new interests and adjusting to amazing physical, cognitive, and relational transformations, all in a setting that is comfortable, stable, and secure. When you combine the advantage of a PS-8 education with the Episcopal charism of inclusivity, community, and academic rigor, you graduate confident, responsible, and joyful students who are truly ready to change the world. Our students deserve to be in a setting where they are the primary focus of our energy and attention. And our students are expected to be - and excited to be - leaders within the school community. They are student government leaders, school ambassadors, captains, and tutors. They are servant leaders and outreach partners. They are buddies, role models to peers, and caretakers for the youngest learners. Our buddy programs represent the best of this kind of relationship, a situation and leadership opportunity that is virtually impossible to replicate when they are the little fish in the bigger pond. Why our eighth graders are so attractive to high schools, both locally and nationally, is obvious, but not often articulated. Our eleven-year continuum has enormous benefits, but it’s important to note that in these configurations (PS-8 or K-8), even students who transfer into the school - and begin their journeys at any entry point - can enjoy these benefits. As the second verse from the theme song of Cheers says, "sometimes you want to be, where everybody knows your name."
Struggle Before Success
At an All-School Chapel - when I had been at St. Matthew’s for only a couple of months - grade 6-8 students who earned Honor Roll distinction for the second semester of the 2017-2018 school year were recognized. As the master of ceremony, I needed to practice the pronunciations of the many names of students who achieved this honor. I struggled with a few. This was good practice for remembering new names and for preparing for the moment when I will again have the privilege of acknowledging 8th-grade graduates at Closing Exercises in the years to come.
Honor Roll at St. Matthew's is not simply about getting good grades. We recognize strong effort and character. Each semester students are evaluated on a series of classroom and community standards such as the effort in an organization, timeliness in completing assignments, persistence, diligence, cooperation and collaboration, and upholding character norms. Students who earn Head of School Honor Roll and Falcon Honor Roll have demonstrated strong and consistent evidence in all these areas.
This is meant to motivate and challenge students to strive for excellent performance, and while it might not be reasonable to make it at the end of every semester, it reinforces the concept that our reach should exceed our grasp. Additionally, it embodies the concept that our teachers provide the gift of high expectations to their students and recognize the unique potential of every student and provide them with the means to flourish.
I have shared with parents that in the course of impactful learning, struggle often precedes success. It is a reminder to us as educators that in order to be successful, one need not bypass failing. Failing rarely has the last word; in fact, it is often a prelude to a leap in growth and development. This is precisely why we celebrate Honor Roll at Chapel - to highlight the characteristics of resilience, of grit, and of growing strong after adversity. More importantly, this represents the promise of potential and the understanding that it could not have been achieved without the careful nurture, support and modeling from teachers and classmates. So, in addition to celebrating individuals, this Chapel program is about celebrating the process of learning and the struggles we face when encountering novel challenges. In the end, our students at St. Matthew's will approach learning with confidence, balance, a healthy attitude, and a little bit of struggle - the necessary ingredients for success.
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"We don’t want to prepare the path for our child, we want to prepare our child for their path.”
-Thomas P. Johnson
Prepare the Child for the Path
St. Matthew's Parish School hosted a parent-educator event and invited Lori Getz, the founder of "Cyber Education Consultants," to speak broadly about digital citizenship. We plan to invite her back to speak with our students as well. Ms. Getz is a mother, an educator, and an internet safety expert who for the past decade has spoken to students, teachers, and parents about internet safety, security, and ethics. Her mission is to help bridge the gap between a young generation of digital natives and their parents and teachers.
I remember shortly after the birth of my third daughter in 2002 that I picked up a copy of James Steyer's book, The Other Parent, which examines how society has allowed media to engulf our children's lives and how to counter its inordinate influence on kids. This was before Steyer had founded "Common Sense Media," and well before we ever heard about gaming, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube.
St. Matthew's Parish School hosted a parent-educator event and invited Lori Getz, the founder of "Cyber Education Consultants," to speak broadly about digital citizenship. We plan to invite her back to speak with our students as well. Ms. Getz is a mother, an educator, and an internet safety expert who for the past decade has spoken to students, teachers, and parents about internet safety, security, and ethics. Her mission is to help bridge the gap between a young generation of digital natives and their parents and teachers.
I remember shortly after the birth of my third daughter in 2002 that I picked up a copy of James Steyer's book, The Other Parent, which examines how society has allowed media to engulf our children's lives and how to counter its inordinate influence on kids. This was before Steyer had founded "Common Sense Media," and well before we ever heard about gaming, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube.
Both Steyer and Getz recommend building a foundation for and framing conversations around digital fluency, digital safety, and digital citizenship. And, it starts with our core beliefs and values; our understanding of privacy and control; our commitment to self-esteem and well-being; and our ability and conviction to say, "No," to our children-all things that we are bold enough to do in our homes and at St. Matthew's. We are working to better understand social interactions through technology in the larger context of child and adolescent development so that we can educate and empower students to grow into healthy happy adults. The near ubiquitous existence of mobile devices and internet accessibility presents opportunities, challenges, and risks. The nurturing of age-old character traits such as empathy, kindness, responsibility, respect, accountability, and judgment will arm our students with the skills and experiences needed to navigate, grow, and succeed in this complex world. This harkens back to the point-of-view I shared at a recent Parents' Council meeting, that our job is to "prepare the child
for the path, not try to prepare the path for the child."I am glad that we provide opportunities for parents and the School to partner together to raise healthy and thriving children. General speaker events and grade level Parent Ed Meetings are invaluable moments for teachers and parents to come together and set community norms and expectations. Our willingness to sacrifice an evening or two to engage in open and candid dialogue helps us to navigate the murky waters of parenthood and ensures the likely advantage our students will gain in order to serve, lead and flourish. I expect that we will continue to make this a priority as a parent community and endeavor to make every effort to raise our own participation so that we can capture nuggets of wisdom in these fleeting moments. A parent of one of our graduates remarked about engagement, "It is, after all, our secret sauce and what sets St. Matthew's apart."