BrewsterConnections(PDF) - Brewster Academy

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Reflecting on the Relevancy of Early Philosophy How is it possible that the writings of a 16 th century French philosopher and essayist can grab your attention in such a way as to cause you to reflect on education today from the frame of reference of the 1500s? What could possibly have been written about educating a child in 1580 that was so prescient as to be considered in a seminar for heads of schools in 2012? What makes these writings as applicable today as when they were written almost 500 years ago? The answer to these, and other questions, were each taken into careful consideration at the recent Heads of Schools Fellowship Program at the Klingenstein Center, Teachers College Columbia University, in which I had the good fortune of participating (see page 14 for a Q&A on my experience). So often is the case where, as heads of schools, we are called upon to act and make decisions without much time for reflection. To be in a situation where it’s all about reflection and thinking differently about contemporary issues in independent school education was a readjustment process of some degree, and refreshing. To have the luxury of time to consider different facets of education that are confronted by heads of schools on a daily basis, and to do that with 19 other heads from around the world, was invaluable. First, it was gratifying to be able to draw upon my personal experience to put into context what was being read and to consider how these were related to our individual settings. As Heads, when we were students the first time around, our level of experience was limited by the stage of our careers that we were in at the time. Approaching these same issues with a broader frame of reference allowed for a much deeper level of consideration of the topics before us. Besides what was taken away from the experience regarding the general topics with which we were presented and perspectives that were offered, the importance of taking time to reflect and consider issues was an equally important element that I have come away with from participating. I was reminded of what retired Lieutenant General Hal Moore said about the importance of taking time for reflection. While heads of schools are not in the throes of battle (although at times it feels that way) as Lt. Gen. Moore was, the principle of taking time out for reflection in the heat of things is solid advice. Too often we only look at what it is we need to do and do not spend enough time on why we are doing what we are doing, and whether there might be a different process to bring into play other than the way our experience is telling us how it should be accomplished. Spending a full two weeks on contemporary independent school topics, along with larger issues facing secondary education, was confirming with regard to how each of our schools was addressing these topics, yet it also was mind expanding in that it allowed us to talk about things without concern of being judged or evaluated to consider new ways of thinking and approaches to our challenges. But back to my original question about what can be learned from a 16 th century philosopher and essayist that has relevance to the 21 st century. Certainly there are any number of conclusions that can be taken from the writings of Michel de Montaigne (certainly framed by our own experiences, as we are the product of our experience), but one of the more salient points from his writings on the education of children speaks to a viewpoint through the lens of the 16 th century that is as commonly held today as it was then. “I know nothing about education except this: that the greatest and the most important difficulty known to human learning seems to lie in that area which treats how to bring up children and how to educate them.” To underscore his point, he turns to the use of metaphor and how raising and educating a child is just like farming. You can spend time plowing and preparing the ground before planting seeds, but it’s in the cultivation and nurturing of the young plant that can determine its outcome. The challenge becomes supplying the proper amount of fertilizer and water to the plant to help it thrive toward producing the desired end product. Yet, even with the proper amount of nurturing, events along the way, like weather and amount of sunlight, can alter the shape of the plant and what kind and how much fruit it will bear. Because of this indeterminate outcome, he suggests that we should guide children along the way to be their best and help them find their chosen path and to not place too much emphasis on how they will turn out based on how they act along the way; that flowers bloom at different times and rates and to rush a blossom is to potentially spoil the flower. As a late bloomer myself, I can easily identify with Montaigne’s admonition about not locking a child into a path based 2 BrewsterConnections – Spring 2012
on what may be known at a particular stage of development. For me, it wasn’t until I reached college that my path became a lot clearer and I started to get my act together (a story for another time). His overall goal for a child’s education is not for them to necessarily be an erudite individual, but one who can successfully navigate life based on a broad set of experiences; as he states, the end goal of education should be an individual with a well-formed versus a well-filled mind. Considering Montaigne’s perspective and orientation to education to what is offered at Brewster with our new emphasis on project-based learning and emotional literacy, I can see even more the threads between what he was saying in 1580 and how apropos his thoughts are for today. His writings offer another way of examining how important it is to not simply know something, but how impactful it is to be able to understand its usefulness and application. While not easy reading, I would encourage anyone to explore Montaigne’s writings. His validation of the timelessness of education in so many respects is worthy of our consideration. As Montaigne reminds us: “Knowing something does not mean knowing it by heart; that simply means putting it in the larder of our memory. That which we rightly ‘know’ can be deployed without looking back at the model, without turning our eyes back towards the book. What a wretched ability it is which is purely and simply bookish! Book-learning should serve as an ornament not as a foundation.” And when you consider his thoughts in the context of what you will find in the pages that follow, his writings are quite visionary when you consider where Brewster Academy is today after 125 years and where we are headed – building upon the tried and true and rethinking the core elements of what education is about. Dr. Michael E. Cooper, Head of School Intentional Growth: Thoughtfully Educating the Whole Student Brewster has a long history of responding to the needs of its students with progressive programs that reflect best practices in education. Core tenets define how Brewster has chosen to educate students and how the Academy has chosen to define what it means to be a professional in the field of education – tenets that have endured time and exist today. Brewster’s Core Tenets: • Schools exist for teaching and learning. All activities of the school must be referenced to this assumption in clear, unambiguous and demonstrable ways. • Schools prepare students to lead successful, fulfilling, responsible lives. Values and character are as important as academic skills and should be articulated and taught in an integrated curriculum. • A school’s curriculum is organized around the assumption that all students can and must learn. • Teaching is a profession. True professions have a body of professional knowledge and standards of practice. • Teachers should demand that learning occur. Learners should demand high expectations and a curriculum with teaching practices that meet their needs. • A true learning community ensures that everyone at Brewster shares responsibility for the growth and development of one another in the community. A commitment to teamwork makes this possible. • Schools should be judged by the extent to which they reach their teaching and learning goals and by the standards of the profession. They should be able to demonstrate how program fosters the student achievement of goals. • Technology is an invaluable tool for learning. Use of technology in the program should be planned to meet outcomes and evaluated accordingly. For a description of the practices and programs noted on the cover, please go to the document Education at Brewster Academy: Preparing Students for the 21 st Century (2010), which is available at www.brewsteracademy.org/headlines www.brewsteracademy.org 3
Page 2 and 3: In a class participation project, p
Page 6 and 7: Emotions Matter The Relevancy and A
Page 8 and 9: Projects Shaping Senior Year By Mar
Page 10 and 11: Project-Based Learning Evolves have
Page 12 and 13: Project-Based Learning Evolves From
Page 14 and 15: Dr. Cooper, a Klingenstein Fellow I
Page 16 and 17: My Greatest Brewster Moment In cele
Page 18 and 19: Living the Dream, Brendan Quirk ’
Page 20 and 21: Staying Connected Whether you are a
Page 22 and 23: Newsmakers Artists’ Work Selected
Page 24 and 25: Trey Whitfield ’89 Memorial Celeb
Page 26 and 27: Brewster On The Road Europe October
Page 28 and 29: By Kristy Kerin This year Brewster
Page 30 and 31: HOOPLA by Matt Hoopes The Quarter-C
Page 32 and 33: HOOPLA Lynne Palmer, Bobcat Since 1
Page 34 and 35: HOOPLA I often wondered if the conc
Page 36 and 37: HOOPLA Kate Turner, Bobcat Since 19
Page 38 and 39: HOOPLA Kim Ross, Bobcat Since 1987
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Page 42 and 43: Class Notes and fossil hunting in N
Page 44 and 45: Class Notes Mark Wong ‘92, Lauren
Page 46 and 47: Class Notes (l to r): Lambert de Ga
Page 48 and 49: History History History History Wri
Page 50 and 51: multipurpose athletic and recreatio
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