Excellence as a Means, not an End

Two months ago a distinguished group of eleven educators from independent schools around New England spent three days on the Rivers campus sitting in on classes and interviewing students, teachers, and parents.  Their visit was part of the accreditation process for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.  The group included the Head of Greenwich Academy, the Head of Milton Academy, and educators from Concord Academy, Hotchkiss, Thayer, and Brunswick Academy. Their final report confirmed what we already know  ̶  Rivers lives its mission.

I wanted to share three excerpts from the visiting committee report because I think they capture the essence of Rivers.

 “Rivers students exemplify the motto “Excellence with Humanity.” Witnessing the dynamics, the casual moments captured as one moves through the campus buildings, the committee saw the warmth of relationships and care and pride of the student body.  From doors held for those who walk behind, the smile and the pat on the back after a brave sixth grader shares herself with the school community, and the willingness to speak up and take a stab at a hard question in class, Rivers students show their embodiment of the values of the school.”

And from another section of the visiting committee report:

“Constituents articulate the mission of the school in deeply personal ways, indicating a strong buy-in to the core values of the school. Students readily articulate their investment in their experience, including ways they have grown in character.  Faculty members are committed to their mission as educators and role models and routinely go above and beyond the parameters of their job descriptions when it serves the interests of their students… the Rivers faculty have distinguished itself not only for professionalism, knowledge, and teaching skill, but also for a collaborative and humane spirit that pervades this school.

“Students and teachers alike spoke with a sense of belonging to a stimulating academic culture, one in which learning is championed even while students are pulled toward extracurricular specialization.  Rivers has not forgotten that the primary academic business of a school is the conversation between teacher and student… In addition to respect, there’s great affection on both sides, too.  Students lavished praise on their teachers.  And teachers did likewise.” 

And finally from another section of the report:

“Faculty feel supported, motivated, and encouraged to teach their passions and to pursue various teaching strategies.  Faculty at Rivers are happy and engaged; they exude a loyalty and admiration for their school, their colleagues, and their students.  Their love of Rives is palpable.”

These excerpts point so clearly to the reason Rivers exists… the why of the school and that is to help students live meaningful lives, lives filled with purpose.

The why of most independent schools is excellence. These schools teach students how to compete, how to win, how to work harder and smarter in this competitive world. For these schools, demonstrated excellence is an end. A graduate of a highly regarded school in the area once told me that he always felt that the question being asked of him while he was a student there was “What are you doing to enhance the reputation of the school?” 

Make no mistake, Rivers teaches students how to be successful, how to work hard, how to compete; we can point to lots of markers of success to demonstrate that excellence is a critical value. Seniors accepted to highly selective colleges, 5’s and 4’s on the AP exams, art and music prizes, athletic championships, awards in Robotics, Model UN, and Debate. We are proud of these achievements.

But these accomplishments are not why Rivers exists.  They are not what fundamentally inspire us to go the extra mile for our students.

Rivers exists for one simple reason  ̶  to help students live meaningful lives, now and in the future. At Rivers excellence is a means, not an end.  We don’t challenge our students for the sole purpose of demonstrating that we have excellence.  We challenge them so that they can learn about themselves, so that they can discover what they are good at, what they love, what they need to work on.  We challenge them so that they can discover who they are and who they want to be.  We challenge them so that they can live lives that matter.

And here’s the kicker. The best way to help students live meaningful lives is to make sure that teachers are living meaningful lives, to make sure that the reason our teachers got into this business in the first place  ̶  to make a positive difference in kids’ lives  ̶  never dies out, that their life purpose is not only valued but constantly nurtured. “Faculty at Rivers are happy and engaged.” That statement from the Visiting Accreditation Committee reflects the school’s belief that people should live meaningful lives. That is why Rivers exists.

 

Innovative thinking pays dividends

One of my favorite expressions is “best idea wins.” When I use it at faculty meetings, it’s not to challenge teachers to go beyond the standard syllabus or class activity to try something different in the classroom. I challenge them to really think outside the box, to find new and better ways to teach and mentor our students.

This summer, that spirit of innovation has paid off for two of our teachers who have been recognized outside of our own Rivers community for their groundbreaking ideas. I am so proud that the programs they conceived of and implemented at Rivers have gained the respect of top universities and institutions.

In June, Kate Wade’s RISE program for 10th graders helped earn her a $20,000 fellowship toward her master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. The Gardner Carney Leadership Institute presented her with their first ever cgLi/Penn Fellowship in Pedagogy of Leadership, citing her “outstanding work in building the RISE program at Rivers.”

Shortly after that, Julian Willard, founder and chair of our Interdisciplinary Studies Department, was appointed a research fellow at Yale University's Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics as well as a visiting scholar at The Hastings Center, the premier center for bioethics research in this country.

These four institutions are the best of the best in the fields of leadership training and interdisciplinary studies. It’s wonderful that Kate and Julian will have the opportunity to expand their own horizons among like-minded academicians (they’ll both continue teaching at Rivers!).

Kate and Julian are just two of our many teachers who thrive on finding a better way to achieve their goals. Dave Burzillo’s BIG History course was a prototype for the Gates Foundation’s curriculum for teaching history online anywhere in the world. Our 21^st Century Focus Group – Rivers’ think tank – meets regularly to explore what’s new in education and to look for ways to take the best of those ideas and make them work even better at Rivers.

So when I suggest “best idea wins,” I never know what might happen, but I do know it will be exciting to watch it unfold.

Taking Stock

I recently read an article in The New York Times by Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield who proposed that a company's ultimate success often rests with its leader's willingness to step back, examine, and reset, if necessary, the company's basic assumptions and goals. For them, self-examination is seen not as a sign of weakness, but one of confidence and creativity.

At Rivers we are spending this academic year conducting a self-study as the first step in the school's re-accreditation. Committees of faculty and staff have closely examined everything from the curriculum to the administrative structure. A summary document of our findings will be reviewed by an outside committee of educators, including the heads of Greenwich Academy and Milton Academy, and they will make their own recommendations to Rivers next fall.

I have been most interested in the results of the recent surveys that our students, parents, and alumni have taken the time to thoughtfully answer, because, as our “customers,” they are the true measure of whether or not we are fulfilling our mission to educate knowledgeable and compassionate leaders of tomorrow.

Across the board, each of these groups placed the relationships between student and teacher in the highest regard. It has been, and always will be, our first and foremost goal – what sets us apart as a community – to teach, coach, and mentor our students as unique individuals.

Students also praised our strong sense of community that provides a safe, comfortable, and accepting environment. Alumni felt that Rivers had prepared them well for college, with dynamic faculty and strong academic support as key to their success.

As we move forward, we’ll use the surveys and self-study reports to chart Rivers’ future course. Already we’ve begun to address areas where we can do more. Our recent Day of Consideration grew out of the study’s finding that we as a community need more opportunities to discuss and celebrate not only what brings us together, but what makes us different. Throughout the day, students and faculty met in workshops to discuss everything from stereotypes in music to experiencing a major loss. Our hope is that, having initiated these conversations, we’ll be more inclined to talk about these topics in our daily lives.

I am excited to see where our self-study takes us. It is a great opportunity to enhance what we already do well and improve those areas that will make us an even stronger community of learners.

How Children Succeed: The Importance of Grit and Character

I just finished reading How Children Succeed by Paul Trough. I was looking forward to the book because its thesis that "grit, curiosity, and the hidden power of character" are far more important than natural intelligence in determining achievement reinforces my own deeply-held perspective. I wanted data and hard science to substantiate this perspective. I must say, the first part of the book did not disappoint in this regard. In the first chapter, "How to Fail," Trough provides ample evidence to support the development of grit and curiosity as critical ingredients for success. I’ve always felt that failure is one of the underutilized yet most effective teaching techniques we educators have at our disposal. I especially like the section on "attachment" and close relationships between adults and students as vital elements in students learning how to persist.

In the rest of the book, Trough departs from scientific research and instead provides the reader with narratives about individual teachers, students, and schools. He becomes more of a storyteller as opposed to an expert, possibly because it is easier to chronicle examples than to connect those examples to real research. I felt that the salient points of his book would have made a compelling article. Moreover, he never consolidates his findings (what few there are), and as a result, the reader/educator/parent is left empty-handed. I was looking for the proverbial takeaways, but they never appeared. How disappointing! 

I'm not giving up on grit and determination and character. I still think these qualities are much more important than natural intelligence in shaping a fulfilling life. I agree with Trough that our failing students and schools are in dire need of more of this kind of "performance character." I just wish Trough had provided the proof to make my opinions rock-solid and indisputable. 

How do you feel about these traits? Did they play a role in your education and subsequent path in life?

Faculty-Student Connections: Rivers' Advisor System

One of the values that defines Rivers is relationships. In fact, relationships are at the heart of the Rivers experience. We believe when students know teachers want them to be successful, and when students know they are valued not as achievement-machines but as multi-dimensional human beings, they are more likely to stretch for excellence and more likely to pick themselves up when they inevitably fall. Relationships provide the grounding for students to explore, try new things, and test themselves. These students know that adults are in their corner, ready to listen, provide feedback, mentor, and support.

Relationships are part of Rivers’ DNA.

Several years ago in an effort to do a better job of promoting relationships, the school undertook a self-examination of the advisor program. We liked our program, but we thought it could be better. We made several changes including adding more advisor-advisee time and one-on-one meetings, introducing parent-advisor conferences, creating advisor-team meetings, and using professional development money to discover best advising practices. These efforts stemmed from our desire to do a better job of living our values. The results have been dramatic. The link below will take you to a video about the Rivers advisor system. Enjoy!

VIDEO: Advisory Groups Nurture Student-Faculty Bonds

Why Rivers Implemented a New Schedule

This year Rivers introduced a new schedule, one that is significantly different from schedules of years past. With this new schedule, each course meets three times a week. On Monday each class meets for 45 minutes. On Tuesdays and Thursdays half of the classes meet for 80-minute blocks, and on Wednesdays and Fridays the other half of the classes meet for 80-minute blocks. 

So, why did we change the schedule?  What difference does a new schedule really make? 

For Rivers, the answers to these questions are in the values that define the school – specifically, our commitment to excellence, quality of experience, and innovation. 

The new schedule promotes excellence by forcing students to go deeper, gain greater insight, and revise their theories and assumptions. Longer periods mean deeper, more sophisticated thinking. Science teachers appreciate the extra time for labs and demonstrations. Teachers have had no problem varying activities within the 80-minute block to ensure students are engaged. 

Moreover, the new schedule reflects Rivers' commitment to quality of experience. We are no longer herding students from one class to another without suitable breaks and time to decompress. Students report that homework is much more manageable, and the pace of the day is not so frenetic. 

And finally, the new schedule illustrates the spirit of innovation that is a hallmark at Rivers. This is a school that is constantly looking for more and better ways to live its mission and values. The drive to find a better schedule that fosters both excellence and quality of experience emanates from this spirit.

Both students and teachers praise this schedule change! Click here to read more about the new schedule and to see some feedback from faculty members and a student.

Rivers' "Innovation Engine"

When I step back and look at the innovative environment we have developed and continue to cultivate here at Rivers, I think of our 21st Century Education focus group. Many of our recent innovations can be traced back to this group of faculty members. I affectionately call this group our “innovation engine;” it comprises faculty members who participate on a volunteer basis. They meet several times during the school year to discuss topics that are on the forefront of education. As they explore these topics, they come away with ways in which we can better live our mission at Rivers – ways in which we can innovate. One major addition to the curriculum that was originated by a member of this focus group is our Interdisciplinary Studies Department. Please take a moment to watch the following excerpt from a speech I recently delivered to a group of parents, which describes how this department started and how our Annual Fund helps support innovation at Rivers: 

If you are having trouble viewing this video, please click here.

Expressing Our "Life Force"

This summer, I had the opportunity to read Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs. The story prompted me to think about Jobs and Apple, and the question "What makes an organization great?"

I've spent a lot of time throughout my career thinking about this question and reading books and articles about the essential ingredients that make up great organizations – leadership, technical expertise, collaboration, management techniques, marketing, strategic planning, and execution.

But the biography of Jobs gave me a new slant. I came to the conclusion that perhaps the most significant reason for an organization's greatness is the passion to bring an idea to life and the ability to find a means of expressing that idea.

Apple's greatness stemmed from Jobs' obsession with bringing the marriage of technology and humanity to life – the functionality and practical work of computers married to a belief in creativity, elegance, art, design, and experience – the human dimension so antithetical to technology before Jobs. He was committed to finding ways to express this idea.

In this regard, he had so much integrity that he demanded even the inside of the Mac be elegantly designed. This demand was the truest reflection of his passion for making incarnate his idea of the need to combine functionality and elegance in technology.

Yes, Jobs wanted to beat Microsoft and other competitors, but the genius of Apple did not arise from that desire. Rather, it came from this passion to birth an idea. It was Jobs the artist, not Jobs the businessman or computer expert, who was the essential element in Apple's greatness.

The great dancer and choreographer Martha Graham wrote a poem that captures this concept so perfectly, and I quote in part:

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy
A quickening
That is translated through you into action
And because there is only one of you
In all of time
This expression is unique.

And if you block it, it will never exist
Through any other medium,
And be lost.
The world will not have it.

During the past year at Rivers, we have spent a great deal of time reflecting on what Excellence with Humanity means to us. What are we most passionate about at Rivers? We’ve distilled our thoughts down to five attributes that we use to define Excellence with Humanity - five areas that illustrate the "life force" of this idea:

• Excellence: We’re committed to maintaining high standards in and out of the classroom. 
• Quality of Experience: It matters to us that our students are happy - that they gain a sense of self-efficacy and autonomy by facing the challenges we give them.
• Relationships: When we know and care about our students as multi-dimensional human beings, they will stretch for excellence and be willing to take risks. 
• Innovation: We’re continually looking for better ways to live our mission. 
• Character: We want to graduate great academicians, artists and athletes, but we also want to graduate great human beings.

At Rivers, Excellence with Humanity is OUR collective art - it is our creation and it demands that we seek its expression in the work we do.

This is the mission and the promise we are committed to at Rivers.

Competition vs. Uber-competition

I can’t leave this topic of the pitfalls of an uber-competitive environment. Earlier this week, I pulled out my Duke Magazine (the November/December 2011 issue) and read the article “Dreams, Fears, Pressures: Beneath the Surface.” It details the intense pursuit of perfection and the deep-seated fears the highly successful Duke undergraduates are feeling. In the library at Duke, students are able to write down their greatest hopes and fears. Here is a sample of those thoughts: 

• “loneliness” 
• “to not fulfill my own goals” 
• “accidentally hurting people, especially ones I care about” 
• “that I am damaged goods” 
• “having people realize that I am not as perfect as I try to be…” 
• “being alone” 
• “to give it all back to my parents” 
• “making my parents proud” 
• “to stop caring about the fact that I won’t be in med school” 

These are Duke students. Has the drive to compete, to be perfect, to meet parental expectations drained the humanity out of them? 

Do the quotes help you understand why Rivers subscribes to “Excellence with Humanity?” On one level, “Excellence with Humanity” signifies a balance between developing a competitive spirit, and discovering and developing talents and passions (being true to oneself). I know for some people, this balance is hard to comprehend. For some, getting ahead is the only thing that matters and they believe teaching kids how to do that is the job of independent schools. Indeed, competition is important and teaching students how to compete to improve their performance can be growth-inducing. But competition should be balanced with the legitimate pursuit of self-knowledge, the awakening of passions, the stuff that makes us human and ultimately will make us happy. This is the balance that Rivers strives for.

When schools create a super-competitive culture in which students are only striving for the gold ring of an Ivy League admit, they run the risk of graduating young people whose humanity has been stifled. Competition is a good thing; uber-competition is not.

Setting High Standards and Pursuing Passions

As I read David Brooks' brilliant editorial, "The Creative Monopoly," I could not help but think of Rivers and its mission. For some people, I suspect, The Rivers School “motto,” "Excellence with Humanity," presents a bit of a dilemma. The initial thought may be that excellence requires constant struggle, a super-competitive mindset, and a focus on defeating those around you in order to win the prize. Brooks acknowledges the importance of a competitive spirit but, he argues, that spirit taken to the nth degree can also stifle creativity and squash the discovery of individual passion. He writes:

“…students have to jump through ever-more demanding, preassigned academic hoops. Instead of developing a passion for one subject, they're rewarded for becoming professional students, getting great grades across all subjects, regardless of their intrinsic interests… they move into a ranking system in which the most competitive college, program, and employment opportunity is deemed the best. There is a status funnel pointing to the most competitive colleges and banks and companies, regardless of their appropriateness… Competition has trumped value-creation. In this and other ways, the competitive arena undermines innovation.”

This certainly describes the prep school I attended. As students, we were taught to compete; school was a form of academic boot camp. Learning was not intended to be fun or social; the only satisfaction we might glean from the experience was the bond of having all survived each learning experience. We counted ourselves as tougher than others; creativity, imagination, and passion all took a back seat to learning how to compete.

Rivers is different. It's true that we teach our students how to compete. We challenge them with high standards and a rigorous program. But learning how to compete at Rivers shares the spotlight with discovering talents and igniting passions. We demand students use their imaginations in order to cultivate their creative spirit. This calibration – this balance between teaching students how to compete while also fostering their creative spirit, their humanity – is the Rivers Way. It is sometimes difficult to understand this balance because we often spend a great deal of time in the "competitive myopia" as Brooks calls it. That myopia undermines innovation; it also undermines true happiness – people using their talents and passions to make the world a better place.

Expressing Gratitude

Last week I had the privilege of listening to one of our seniors, Alejandra Gil, talk about her experience as an immigrant from Colombia. Alejandra's senior speech focused on the sacrifices of her parents, especially her father, in order to give her the opportunity for a better life. Overwhelmed by her feelings of gratitude, she broke down in tears a few times but courageously finished delivering the speech. The Rivers community responded with a rare standing ovation.

Alejandra's speech poignantly reminded me of the importance of gratitude in our lives. When I first became a head of school in Hawaii, I thought little about gratitude. I took for granted that teachers and administrators would do their jobs. I saw the value of their work as a means to an end – getting our students to the finish line of graduation. I was often so focused, I didn't adequately express my gratitude.

How shortsighted!

Ultimately, the expression of gratitude is our path to connecting with others and an affirmation that it's easier to get through this thing called life together than alone. In the school business, gratitude is critical because it nourishes the spirit of teachers, reminding them of why they got into this business in the first place – to make a positive difference in the lives of others. To express appreciation for their extraordinary efforts is to acknowledge the value of their calling and the purpose of their lives.

But a wonderful byproduct of expressing gratitude is entirely selfish. At the end of the day I am happier being a grateful person than an ungrateful person. I sometimes need to be reminded of this. Thank you to Alejandra for doing so!

Leading an Independent School

Last month, Independent School, the quarterly magazine of the National Association of Independent Schools, published an article I co-wrote with a retired head of school about strategic thinking in schools. Cynthia and I loved working on the article two summers ago as we each reflected on our own experiences as leaders of independent schools. As the article points out, many heads sadly tend to become problem-solvers instead of thinkers and visionaries. The job certainly lends itself to falling into this trap. But too often the result is that no one is thinking deeply about what the school is and what the school can be in the future. Strategic thinking, supposedly what schools are paying heads to do, takes a back seat to solving problems with the head becoming the problem-solver-in-chief. 
 
Good strategic planning requires research, study, and deep thinking. Unfortunately, heads often substitute their own biases and values for the hard work of thinking strategically. As a result, schools unnecessarily limit their potential. 


Over the coming 24 months Rivers will begin its own strategic planning process. It will do so, however, only after we have completed our self-study for accreditation next year and an analysis of the intensely competitive independent school market in the Boston area. In short, we will look inward to see how we can do a better job of living our mission and look outward to determine if those improvements are important to prospective families. Both perspectives matter. Gazing inward provides the grist to inspire our educators; focusing on the external grounds our vision in the reality of the market place. Great strategic planning marries the two perspectives.

Making History

The following is a guest post by faculty member, Ben Leeming. Ben is the History Department Chair at Rivers.

This year the Rivers history department initiated the first phase of a long-planned shift in the history curriculum with the launch of a brand-new ninth-grade course titled Perspectives in World History (PWH). Students and teachers alike have responded favorably to this new offering, which approaches world history from a thematic perspective that emphasizes the historical roots of present-day issues such as “wealth and poverty,” “the environment,” and “violence and conflict.”

PWH seeks to confront ninth-graders with relevant issues seen from multiple points of view and challenges them to grapple with ambiguity and contradiction in an effort to develop their own critically-informed opinions. PWH is internet-based, research and writing intensive, and skills-oriented. The course aims to equip students with the critical thinking skills necessary to navigate a rapidly changing, expanding, and globalized world. 

The ultimate goal of the changes we are making in the history department is to foster passion for historical inquiry in our students. We hope to kindle this passion during the freshman and sophomore years through exposure to newly-conceived year-long courses, and then fan it into flame junior and senior years by allowing students to delve deeply into more specific areas of study. Many of us recall from our college days that experience of opening up the course catalogue and pouring over page after page of history offerings, wishing we could somehow take them all. This is the sort of experience we hope to present to our Rivers students. 

The second phase of changes will unfold this coming academic year and involves shifting United States History, traditionally taught during the junior year, to the tenth grade. As history faculty members, we wanted to offer a greater degree of choice to students interested in history and to shift the balance of course offerings away from the traditional, year-long survey course and toward a variety of diverse and interesting history electives. By moving U.S. History to the tenth grade, we will eventually open up both eleventh and twelfth grades to electives, many of which are totally new and currently in the planning stages. 

U.S. History will remain a graduation requirement, and will be taught to both tenth and eleventh graders next year until it can transition fully into the sophomore year. We are already referring to 2012-2013 as “the year of United States History” in the history department! Students who receive the necessary departmental recommendation will have the option of taking the Advanced Placement U.S. History course, which will be available to both tenth and eleventh graders next year. Honors U.S. History will be offered simultaneously for qualified students. 

The third and final phase of the course changes will commence in the fall of 2013. By this time PWH will be in its third year as the foundation of the Upper School history experience, U.S. History will have settled into its new position in the tenth grade, and juniors and seniors will have many exciting electives to choose from. Each elective will fall into one of four “strands”: ancient history, early modern history, modern history, or U.S history. Examples of elective topics will include: modern Latin America, modern Africa, modern India, disease in history, Muslim Empires, the Maya & Aztecs, war in the nuclear age, and “Big History.” As a consequence of moving AP U.S. History to the tenth grade, AP Modern European History – arguably the most advanced history course offered at Rivers – will be open to both juniors and seniors beginning in the fall of 2013. In an effort to provide an uninterrupted strand of Advanced Placement courses to qualified Upper School students, we are also considering offering AP Government as an option to juniors and seniors. Finally, the Rivers history department will continue to offer the option for Independent Study, effectively a one credit “elective” in which interested students may arrange for directed study of a historical topic of their choice with a history faculty member. 

Our aim is both to inspire in students a lifelong love of history and instill in them the qualities of a good historian: analytical, informed, open-minded and perceptive.

"Hope is a Good Thing"

On Friday, I watched Rivers students perform Man of La Mancha. The performances were captivating, and the young Rivers thespians earned a standing ovation. The play presents the struggle with the age-old conflict between delusion and hope – the romantic vision versus the practical reality. In the end, despite the misguided, fanciful antics of Don Quixote, hope seems to win. Quixote's romantic vision softens the heart of Aldonza/Dulcinea, almost erasing the grit and grime of her soul so she can find compassion and reach out to the man who believed in her.

"Hope is a good thing." Remember that line from the Shawshank Redemption. The pragmatists wrongly believe that hope is about the future, about a misguided, unfounded prediction of what will happen. Hope is about the present; it's about finding ways to sustain ourselves when life goes terribly wrong. And it works, not always in the way that we intend, but it works. Aldonza became Dulcinea because Don Quixote saw her and treated her with respect and even reverence. It was his romantic vision that changed her. Once she accepted that vision – in essence once she accepted his love – she could rise above her self-absorbed life to find meaning.

A friend of mine once said of hope: "Act as if it's real, and see how your life is changed." A big thank you to the Rivers actors for reminding me of this lesson.

How Art Prepares Students for a Changing World

Rivers' recent results from the Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards competition remind me of the importance of art in preparing our students for a changing world. Fifty-one Rivers students garnered recognition including 10 Gold Key recipients. It's an astounding achievement, and a testament to our superior art faculty and talented students.

So, why should we care about art in secondary education? Why does Rivers insist on a two-year art requirement when most schools require just one? After all, many colleges do not consider art grades when evaluating student applications. When I came to Rivers in 1997 these were questions I asked with an eye toward reducing the prominence of art in the curriculum. But after a few years, I became a convert, and now I'm a "true believer."

Here's why: Art demands that students use the skills of an entrepreneur. The student must use her imagination to create a vision. That vision must be adjusted to match her skills. In other words, vision and execution are bound to each other. The student must then be open to mid-course changes as she executes her plan. And finally, she must have standards by which to evaluate each step of the process. What other subject so consistently demands imagination, vision, creativity, execution, mid-course adjustments, and honest evaluation? These are the skills that will make a difference in the 21st century. These are the skills of an entrepreneur.

Art matters for a variety of reasons, not least of which is the cultivation of important skills not always found in the traditional disciplines.

Enhancing the Quality of Student Experience

A few weeks ago, each of the four Upper School Deans spent the day shadowing a student from his/her respective class. The idea for this “shadow day” originated with our Assistant Head of School and Dean of Student Affairs, Jim Long, and has continued now for several years. The insights gleaned from these days allow us to assess our students’ quality of experience.

When I use the term "quality of experience," I am referring to the degree to which students are truly engaged in the learning process, the extent to which they are deriving real meaning from their experiences at Rivers, and the balance between their intellectual and social pursuits. After “shadow day,” the Deans always come away with a great appreciation for the high caliber of teaching they observe, but they also invariably come away with a concern about the intensity and pace of the school day. These observations have led us to re-examine our daily schedule this year with the hope that we can do a better job of enhancing learning and improving the quality of student experience in the future.

We examine our program constantly. Excellence is a critical value at Rivers, but we refuse to achieve it at the expense of other equally important values: quality of experience, relationships within the community, our spirit of innovation, and character development. At Rivers, "balance" does not mean sacrificing a part of each of these values. Rather, it means living in the tension these values sometimes create and using our collective imagination to reconcile these tensions to produce a stronger learning environment and a better experience. We want our students to leave Rivers loving to learn, and that's why quality of experience matters to us.

"Sled Dog Moments"

On Monday Dr. Amy Enright, a member of the Rivers history department, gave a wise and wonderful talk to our students about searching for work that inspires us individually as opposed to fulfilling the expectations of others – work that feels more like play than work. In this talk, she referenced a news story she read last year called “Why Do Sled Dogs Run?” which explored the reasons behind why sled dogs find pure joy in hard work.

Dr. Enright went on to call times of hard, yet rewarding work “sled dog moments” because sled dogs appear to do their work simply because they love it. We tend to lose ourselves in this kind of work and become oblivious to time and our surrounding environment. Dr. Enright implored our students to find these moments in their work.

One of the defining attributes of Rivers is the concern for students' quality of experience. Quality of experience at Rivers means students squarely facing the challenges we put before them and, as a result, finding meaning in successfully meeting those challenges. It means students gaining self-confidence and self-efficacy such that they come to believe they can do this thing called adulthood. Part of this journey is students’ discovery of what they love and what they are good at; herein lies the power of the "sled dog moments." Recognizing those moments - those times when, as Dr. Enright states, "work becomes an expression of self" - is critical to leading a happy, fulfilling, and meaningful life. In turn, it is our job as parents and educators to help young people reflect on those moments, embrace them, and learn something about themselves in the process.

Community at Its Best

On Wednesday, January 4, most of the school's students and teachers traveled to Fenway Park to watch the girls’ varsity hockey team play St. George's at Frozen Fenway. It was a great Rivers moment – a shared experience that strengthened our community. This sense of collaboration and coming together around shared experiences is a cornerstone of the Rivers way.

Last Monday, Middle School math teacher Sam Poland spoke to the entire student body about the regret he still feels about giving up his dream of playing basketball in college, even though that decision led him to another activity he found fulfilling: singing. His point was that we need to think carefully about the choices we make, and his speech captured the attention of the entire student body at All-School Meeting that day. It was another shared moment. 

The concept of community can be an enigma. Americans, in particular, extol the virtues of individualism and sometimes chafe against the straight jacket of community pressure. Some American writers have criticized community for creating a culture that stifles the individual. I've seen this happen; I get it. 

But I'm not ready to toss community building aside and label it irrelevant at best or detrimental at worst. I have seen too many instances when community has lifted our students and promoted their growth as individuals: the star athlete who learns the value of teamwork, the senior who shares the poignant death of her father in her senior speech, an upper classman reaching out to freshmen. Community at its best encourages each of us to use our individual leadership strengths and to sublimate our individual wants in order to satisfy our intensely human need for connection. When those connections reflect and support our core values of respect, honesty, compassion, and responsibility, and enhance the quality of experience here at Rivers, how can we not be enriched as individuals?

Music at Rivers: Instrumental in the Learning Experience

The following is a guest post by Rivers Performing Arts Department Chair David Tierney. David is also the Director of The Rivers School Conservatory.

The interview on The Rivers School website with Rivers’ Jazz Director Philippe Crettien gives the listener insight into nearly every aspect of what makes the music program at Rivers so outstanding. The passion Philippe has for jazz is evident in every word and gesture; the depth of his dedication to teaching is palpable as he talks about the cycle of students and educators teaching each other; and his commitment to “being in the moment” with a “valid music statement” through his own learning and performing is unambiguous. But what makes Philippe a great teacher and the jazz program at Rivers the envy of public and private schools across the country is his unshakable belief that every student can play jazz well and the generosity of spirit and energy that he uses to guide every one of his students through the mastery of their instrument, music, and jazz.

Why is jazz so important? Before we can answer that question, we need to acknowledge why music in general is so valuable to learning. During the past 20 years, there have been numerous and extensive studies conducted by the National Association of Music Educators, McMaster University, University of California at Berkley, and Stanford University, to name a small handful, on the relationship between music and learning. The evidence seems to overwhelmingly prove that studying music trains the brain for higher forms of thinking including sequential learning which translates into stronger reading comprehension and math scores for music students. In my opinion, music also fills the most serious abyss in our education system – and perhaps in our society today – a lack of self-discipline. The very nature of learning an instrument, while providing the student with an intensely personal connection with a teacher-artist, requires the student to think and work independently, develop self-confidence, engage in honest self-critique, think creatively, communicate clearly and concisely, and persevere.

Both jazz and classical music require technical mastery of an instrument and artistic creativity. While the classical musician needs to interpret a musical score in order to bring the notes on the page to life, the jazz musician must use technique and improvisational skills simultaneously to both create and perform un-composed music using only a handful of written directions (changes) in the score. Jazz performance is uniquely authentic, requiring the performer to be the composer in the moment, creating and playing music with passion, developing musical ideas by listening, thinking, and responding to others in the performance. The best analogy I have heard is that the classical musician is like a Shakespearean actor who has mastered a script but must now bring a character to life, while a jazz musician is the actor without a script, perhaps with only a few notes for direction, who must immediately perform in character and engage in dialogue with other actors.

At Rivers, we hold students in both classical and jazz studies to the highest standards. Philippe Crettien is emblematic of the quality of teachers and the program at Rivers. He pushes his students' artistic imagination and critical and creative thinking skills to levels they never dreamed of attaining. The result is district, state, and national recognition, signifying a program of unparalleled depth and quality.

Relationships at Rivers: A Support System for Student Growth

Relationships are a staple of independent school education. Check out any school website, and you are sure to see statements about the close relationships between students and adults. Rivers is no different in its emphasis. However, our school goes a step further than many others, intentionally using the power of relationships to challenge and inspire our students to be their best. This essential Rivers quality was fully on display a few years ago at an Upper School faculty meeting in which we practiced giving feedback to students (played admirably by selected teachers) in the most effective ways possible. Our role-playing exercise highlighted the importance of honest, descriptive feedback directed to specific behavior.

These techniques have proven helpful in our work with students and advisees, but they only have impact because our teachers have established strong bonds with their students. Our advisor program and the connections advisors form with their advisees are direct examples of how relationships serve as the fertile ground that make student growth possible. In addition to frequent one-on-one interactions students have with their advisors, advisory groups meet at least once a week to review academic progress, discuss relevant topics and aspects of students’ lives, or just engage in casual conversation. Faculty members become mentors, role models, guides, and friends.

When students know that faculty members care about them, want them to be successful and value them as multi-dimensional human beings with an array of talents, interests, and personality traits, they will be more inclined to take risks, pick themselves up after falling, get out of their comfort zone, and pay attention to the feedback teachers give them.

In this week's Rivers web story you can read about a remarkable Rivers student, Bruna Lee ’13, who was the keynote speaker at the annual Steppingstone Gala. Her story is compelling, coming to the United States by way of Brazil with her parents who emigrated to Brazil from China. None of them could speak English. Her transition to Rivers was challenging, but adults kept reaching out to her, engaging her in conversation, and encouraging her to get involved. Today, Bruna is a true school leader, a great contributor to our community, and someone who is making a big difference. Moreover, she directly attributes her success to her network of supporters.

There are countless other examples of our teachers reaching out to students to make connections and then using those relationships to mentor their young charges and help them be their best. Relationships at Rivers are not just a "nice" appendage to the serious business of school; they are fundamental to our success with students.