“The more we talk about balance, the more readily we want to embrace it in our own classrooms.”4 CANNON MAGAZINE
The Long RunA <strong>Cannon</strong> teacher sees the benefits of balance up close – in the classroom and in her life.By: Meg Seitz, Upper <strong>School</strong> teacherFinding balance in our lives sounds like a great idea. But, let’sface it, it’s hard to do. I know this from personal experience.I learned the hard way why balance is essential to good healthand success in whatever we choose to do.Rewind to several months ago: I’m at the midpoint of trainingfor my first half-marathon. I’m waking up early every morningto run. The weeks go by, and I’m nervous about my abilityto run this event. I start to run even more. One Saturdaymorning, I notice that a muscle doesn’t feel quite right. Thatisn’t part of the plan – I don’t have time for an injury. So, Iset out on a run the next day and return in terrible shape. Iend up spending Thanksgiving hobbling around on a sore leg.Fast-forward to today: My unbalanced approach took me outof the race entirely. Imbalance hit hard – and it hurt.This painful experience was a valuable lesson on my inabilityto slow down. I decided to embrace a little more balance inmy life. In doing so, I was able to see the wisdom in <strong>Cannon</strong><strong>School</strong>’s pursuit of balance in the lives of our students, faculty,and families. Finding balance in our lives is a great idea worthpursuing – no matter how hard it may seem to accomplish.Under PressureAs an Upper <strong>School</strong> English teacher and <strong>Cannon</strong>’s yearbookadvisor, I communicate with faculty, staff, and students on adaily basis. From that perspective, it’s easy to see why <strong>Cannon</strong>is making the commitment to bring more balance to students’lives. They face pressure to succeed in the classroom, on theplaying field, in the arts, and in their extra-curricular activities.As a 2005 college graduate, I’m not so far removed from thisgeneration to understand what they’re up against. Technologyhas made the world smaller and more competitive – andcreated pressure on students to market themselves at a youngerage. Fortunately, <strong>Cannon</strong>’s faculty, staff, and administratorsunderstand these pressures. They also recognize that there’s notime like the present to empower students to develop healthyhabits that will last their lifetimes.“Students who become accustomed now to actively managingand prioritizing their time, including building in downtime,are more apt to have a more balanced, successful, andhappy life in the long run,” says Upper <strong>School</strong> Head ShayneCokerdem. Last November, Kirk Martin, a nationallyrecognizedexpert on stress, told the <strong>Cannon</strong> community thesame thing. Habits students develop in high school tend todevelop into lifelong patterns, for good or ill, he said. <strong>Cannon</strong>is working to make sure its students choose the right path.Pace YourselfAs faculty members, the more we talk about balance the morereadily we want to embrace it in our own classrooms. “I thinkteachers and students are becoming more in-tune with thatword, ‘balance,’” says Middle <strong>School</strong> Head Matthew J. Rush.“Teachers are more communicative, trying to be more awareof over-scheduling, coordinating assignments of projectsand test days.” That solid foundation begins early, in Lower<strong>School</strong>. “It has had an effect on how we assign homework,plan lessons, and [design the] pace in the classroom,” says thirdgrade teacher Tracy Wade. “We find ourselves readjustinglessons based on how the kids seem to be and what works bestfor them.”Balance is often an issue of pace. The new Upper <strong>School</strong>schedule – 55-minute classes three days in a cycle and 85-minute blocks twice in a cycle – provide opportunities forstudents to reflect on the process of writing assignments,participating in discussions, and completing projects. “I thinkthat we are talking collaboratively with students about duedates and length of assignments, so students get additionalinput on how they are asked to use their time and energy,” saysMonty Coggins, Upper <strong>School</strong> Science Department chair. “Ithink these conversations have given students a greater degreeof ownership in their work and allowed students to exchangeideas about working more efficiently.”Go Beyond to BalanceLongtime junior kindergarten teacherBeckie Perkins distributed tips to families forestablishing a balanced transition from <strong>Cannon</strong>to home after school each day. She offers thefollowing family-friendly advice:• Give children enough quiet time with bothmom and dad;• Establish a bedtime routine;• Take note of how much sleep a child needs;• Play games together; and• Read to children each night.CANNON MAGAZINE5> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Engaged Learning
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