When people learn that we live on the campus of a boarding school and have a house that is connected to a dorm, the reaction is predictable. You see, boarding schools are not as common here in the midwest as other parts of the country. “Wait… You live in a dorm? What is that like?” To tell you the truth, it is pretty wonderful. You see, we live in a house that is attached to a dorm because our School is a home away from home for our students. Though the goal is their increasing independence and ability to take care of themselves, they should never be without access to attentive adults. We invite the students to knock on our door whenever they need something. Sometimes, they need a spoon. Often, they have locked themselves out of their rooms. And occasionally, they just need an adult to notice them and ask them about their day. We give a lot as a family to make sure our students get what they need. But we get so much more in return. I would love to tell you about my five favorite things about living on a boarding school campus. 1. The commute. Before moving to northern Michigan, I endured a typical commute to work. It was always necessary to build in time to account for traffic and construction. Now, I can get from my home to “work” with a short walk - less than five minutes unless I decide to stroll to the beach on the way. 2. Our colleagues. Seriously. We have the best colleagues in the world. You see, when we moved to northern Michigan, we move four and a half hours away from our families. Our colleagues immediately became our support system. And we became a part of theirs. It is such a gift to live and work with people who share your values, work hard together, and take care of each other. That leads me to my next favorite thing about living here… 3. It takes a village... Have you ever heard the adage, “It takes a village to raise a child?” In a time when people share so much on social media, yet feel increasingly isolated, it is a gift to have a community in which to raise our son. His five years of life so far have been filled with doting teenagers, four beautiful seasons to enjoy, and a belief that strangers are simply friends we haven’t met yet. My husband and I are immersed in gratitude for the guidance, support, and reassurance of our colleagues as we journey through parenthood. These wonderful people willingly snuggled our little one when he was baby so we could eat a meal with both hands, run and play with him, and take an interest in whatever holds his attention - trains, dinosaurs, legos, race cars, construction vehicles… 4. Sharing meals I might be biased, but I think the food at our school is the best around! The food is locally sourced, healthy, diverse, and beautiful; our colleagues in the food and nutrition program are incredible. Not only is it a relief from finding the time to plan meals and cook, it allows us the opportunity to share meals with our colleagues and students - a chance to put away our tech and really enjoy laughing and talking with one another. 5. The fun. Joy, play, and fun are essential components of educating students and this is critically true in the education of teenagers. This means taking advantage of the beautiful place we live and the affordances of four beautiful seasons. Whether we are catching a sunset on the beach, talking around a fire, making Rice Crispy treats in the dorm, sledding, or playing Bubble Soccer, our family gets to join in the fun! Sometimes, teens can find it uncomfortable or awkward to join in a silly game. But when a five-year-old grabs your hand and pulls you toward the dance floor, it is easier to shed your insecurity. Sharing a dorm with ninth and tenth grade boys can be loud, unpredictable, and a little smelly. It can also be heartwarming, humbling, exciting, and fun. For these reasons, we wouldn’t trade it for anything.
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I originally wrote this post for the Leelanau School blog and it posted in October 2016. Always relevant, metacognitive practices are a staple in the daily life of Leelanau teachers and students. Please enjoy and leave a comment about those metacognitive practices in your life that help you be present, aware, and focused. One note: In the post below, you will see the name JD. This name refers to JD Friley, our esteemed (and now retired) Head of School. The Journey of the Megacognitive Learner –
Metacognition is a term that refers to the process of deliberately thinking about one’s own thinking. It means being conscious of not only what you are thinking about, but having awareness of how you are processing the information with the intention of improving your learning. You will no doubt have heard JD say that we focus as much on process as content; metacognitive strategies are a really important element of how we educate our learners. Really exciting research has shown that metacognition can be improved over time through practice and development. In fact, brain scans show more gray matter in the anterior prefrontal cortex (the area of the brain responsible for metacognition) in people who regularly engage in metacognitive strategies. Our Leelanau Learners come to our community with a variable range of metacognitive experiences. Some have attended schools in which metacognition is built into the culture; others have not encountered such strategies. Without metacognition, students can develop misconceptions about themselves and their abilities as learners. Through practice of these thinking strategies, students recognize that their academic struggles are skill problems, not intelligence problems! At Leelanau, we expect our Metacognitive Learners to use planning when approaching a task, to monitor their own understanding of the process, and to evaluate their progress toward the end of a task. We help students reflect on their learning, building awareness of their own best strategies. Here are 5 of the ways we support metacognitive learning at The Leelanau School.
Welcome to the beginning of my journey as a educational blogger! Thank you for taking a moment to peruse my musings. :) Blogging a new venture for me, but it is one that I undertake with sincerity and integrity. I would like to begin with a little about what brings me to this point.
This summer (2018) I am completing a Master of Arts in Education Degree (MAED) from Michigan State University (MSU). It is with a huge amount of support from my family and colleagues that I have accomplished this program. Not wanting to waste an ounce of all that I have learned, I decided that incorporating a habit of blogging would help me to continue the inquiry and reflective practice that I have come to love about graduate learning. The MAED program offered by MSU is incredibly supportive of graduate students who are also working professionals. I have been able to consider everything I have learned in the context of my own teaching practice and I have been able to incorporate my learning as best practices in my role as a Learning Specialist at a small, independent boarding high school. As I am sure you will see in this blog, I am completely in love with my School, colleagues, and students. My students are a significant reason why I work so hard to be a good teacher - I want to be the kind of teacher they deserve. To me this means that their time and effort spent in my classroom needs to be relevant and applicable beyond my classroom. I invite you to explore my professional portfolio (the site on which this blog is located) to learn more about me, my graduate school experience, and my goals. Check back for more posts and please connect with me using the contact page! Have a great day! -Becca |
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August 2018
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