Riff for October 21: A New Brand

The school has officially rebranded—a new logo, a new website and even new magnets.  Before the rebranding, we had a full school assembly where I asked, “What is a logo?”  A fourth grader answered, “It is a symbol that represents a company.”  (Who knew our fourth graders went to Fuqua before matriculating at Duke School?)  After congratulating him for a great answer, I asked what thoughts does the new logo stimulate and the students starting firing off answers—modern, clean, professional and sophisticated.   They got it.  As Duke School works to position itself as the school of choice in Durham, we want our name to be synonymous with modernity and sophistication.  Further we want to send the message that our curriculum and pedagogy represent the best of 21^st century education.  I think the logo carries some of that weight. 

We wanted the website to send some of the same messages.  As you know, the website is really divided into two portals—public and private.  We hope you find the private section personalized to your needs.  It should give you the information you want and need.  The public section is designed to help folks new to us to envision the school as we are.  The videos capture our program—its rigor powered by student engagement.  The advantage section touts our graduates’ success as well as the advantage of attending a 3 year-old-8 school.  The whole site speaks to a confident school positioned to help students master an ever-changing world.  It is exciting.

I want to thank the advancement team for their tireless work in getting the new brand ready.  I especially want to thank Danielle who spearheaded the project.

As we move forward remember to put the new sticker on your car, use your magnet and enjoy your cup.  It is an exciting time to be part of the Duke School community as we grow and improve.  As the kids like to remind me:  "We are dragons; we are real."

October 6 Riff: Validation

From October 2—October 4, the accreditation team came, they saw and they were conquered.  Within 72 hours they interviewed groups of teachers, students, parents, board members, administrators, visited classes, and reviewed our finances. They trekked around the campus numerous times and were glad they brought comfortable shoes.  At the end, they made recommendations—we need to hire more diverse faculty members, we need to do a better job with marketing and we should think about changing our signs.  Then they started their commendations:

·      They commended the faculty for their outstanding constructivist teaching,

·      They commended the strong overall academic program,

·      They commended our project based curriculum and urged we keep it,

·      They commended the strength of the communication between school and parents,

·      They commended the school’s strong sense of community, and

·      They commended the skill and dedication of the administrative staff. 

I literally chocked up hearing Marcia Spiller, our accreditation chair (and Chair of the National Association of Independent Schools board) sharing the team’s accolades at a school-wide faculty meeting.  The team concluded that Duke School is excellent at doing the most important thing--preparing our children for their future.  One team member said he so enjoyed visiting our classrooms that the three days felt like a vacation.   It is great to have an outside group validate your program; it is even better to know our children are getting the best education has to offer.  

Reflection for September 30: Vibrant and Exciting

Every five years, a team from SAIS (Southern Association of Independent Schools) visits Duke School to determine if the school is worthy of reaccreditation.  That team comes Sunday and stays through Tuesday. They will visit classes, interview parents, faculty, staff, board members, and students.  In a short time, they will learn a lot about us.  While such a visit causes some anxiety, I am confident the team will see a vibrant, exciting school giving its children the skills they need to succeed in high school and beyond.  I cannot wait to get their report.   

Reflection for September 23: Work to Stay a Step Ahead

Ran into a seventh grade sub today and asked how the day went.  He said it was the easiest and hardest teaching he had ever done.  Easy because the students were well behaved and had the disposition to learn and hard because the students were so engaged and sharp he had to work to stay a step ahead.  I love hearing that about our students—and better yet, it is true.  

Riff for September 21: Bloom's Taxonomy

I walked into Madeline and Kara’s first grade class during snack time.  Madeline was reading a fiction book featuring a box turtle that slowly walked down to a pond and stuck out his neck to drink because box turtles do not swim.  She then asked her first graders what facts they learned about turtles from a fiction book.  One student volunteered that turtles move slowly.  Another observed that box turtles do not swim.  I then asked why an author writing fiction would put in real facts.  One student answered so the reader could learn facts.  Another stated that it makes the story more interesting if it seems true and real.

One of the seminal pieces in education is Bloom’s Taxonomy.  The Taxonomy helps teachers understand that the most basic questions are at the bottom of the Taxonomy; the most sophisticated questions at the top.  See it below:

Note that our first graders were not being asked to just remember or even just understand.  They were being asked to analyze—first what was true and second why an author would try the strategy she did.  Most schools stop at remembering.  It is great to see our first graders meet the challenge of climbing Bloom’s Taxonomy with such grace.  This is how creative thinkers are molded.  

Reflection for September 16: Welcome Lunch

I just had lunch with the new fifth graders and it was gratifying to hear what they said about their first few weeks at Duke School.  

“The teachers teach; they don’t just give a reading assignment and workbook pages to complete.”  

“The other kids are really nice. I have three to four good friends already and I have only been here, for like, three days.”  

“I love the projects that we do at school, because I can work with my classmates and learn more.” 

I should have taped the lunch; Duke School would sell itself.  

September 8 Riff: Meeting Needs

As I visited classes over the last few days, I have focused on bulletin boards. Two in particular caught my eye. I instantly thought back to my student days and compared and contrasted them. I liked how they told of the continuity of program and maturation of students.

The first picture comes from the 1st grade and illustrates the student’s goal for the year. The second picture is created by an 8th grader describing a mythical beast adapted for life in a closet.  Note the similarity of the assignment—illustrate an idea that is important to you.  Notice the care both students put into their work and the efforts they made to communicate. These attributes are shared by the 6 and 14-year-old students. Note the pedagogical similarities. Both assignments gave the students autonomy to create within a framework.  The first graders had different goals for the year, but each picture spoke to that student’s dreams. Likewise, the 8th grade closet critters were different but all shared adaptation to life in the closet. (Don’t you love the fact the critter hydrates on human foot sweat.  A graphic, if somewhat gross, image.) Both assignments called for creativity, and both asked students to apply and synthesize knowledge.

However, the assignments also showed the difference between 1st and 8th graders.  Most prominently, the 8th grader can write—no dictation to the teacher required.  Obviously the 8th grader’s drawing is more sophisticated with more details.  On the other hand, a bit of exuberance in the art was lost.  The older student’s work was more academic; indeed it applied one of the cornerstones of evolution, less than two weeks into the year.  The first grader was doing important and foundational work. 

Duke School is meeting the needs of both these age groups with similar and yet very different assignments.  My fervent wish is that Sophie learns to read better and learns tons about turtles. Also, I hope that all of us continue to live under the illusion that no yet undiscovered animal resides in our closets.