Upper School Newsletter - June 1, 2022

I have two annual one-on-one meetings with each member of the Upper School faculty. The first meeting takes place in August or September with a focus on their goals for the year and metrics for success. The second meeting takes place in April or May with a focus on reflecting upon the past year so that we can create goals for the next school year.

I have finished about 70% of those meetings with teachers, and a recurrent theme has emerged. Though the students were back in the classroom this year, many teachers observed that students were often not really in the classroom. You might be saying, “Don, I am reading this in the morning before my coffee, and I am not ready for mind puzzles. Can you explain what you mean?” What I am trying to convey with that turn of phrase is that, though students returned to the classroom, the teachers observed that students often demonstrated poor classroom habits that won’t optimize their learning. 

We observed a large increase in distracted students who were regularly task-switching on their device. We also observed a substantial decrease in the number of students taking notes and participating in class discussions. This is to be expected after so many months of learning through a screen predominantly. I have surveyed my colleagues at schools across the country, and they all echo these observations. 

During our post-planning Upper School Division meetings, we are going to brainstorm ways to rebuild the optimal student habits in the classroom that we know maximized retention, understanding and application. We want to start next year with an honest conversation with the students about these classroom habits, how we recognize they are difficult after a long time learning through a screen, but also how crucial they are to maximizing a student’s ability.