Traffic Duty in the Morning

So why do I direct traffic in the morning?  There is a serious answer to this question, and the answer reflects the school’s educational philosophy. 

First, let me say that it is important to have an adult out there each morning to make sure that the students are safe as they cross the driveway.  And I like waving to the parents who drop their children off. 

But the most important thing I am accomplishing by directing traffic is welcoming students. Sometimes, I congratulate them on a performance or a game or a speech. But most of the time I just greet them, and in doing so, I am signaling to them that at Rivers it is okay for them to be themselves.  Teenagers crave validation (we all do, actually), and once they feel that validation from the community, the building blocks are in place for them to soar. This simple gesture coming from the authority of the school tells students that they can take risks, they can pursue passions, they can go about the business of becoming the person they want to become without worrying about how others perceive them or if they will be judged.

There are schools that motivate students out of fear.  Some motivate through a rigid code of conformity.  Others pit student against student.  Rivers is different.  By signaling to students that it is okay to be themselves, the school creates the fertile ground that then allows our great teachers to work their magic - challenging them, inspiring them, encouraging them. 

So why do I do traffic duty in the morning.  It’s a critical part of the equation that is designed to help students become their best selves, not through fear, conformity, or uber competition, but rather through extending an invitation and making that invitation as enticing as possible.  I think it is the best way to educate children.

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.

Why Interdisciplinary Studies May Help Your Child Keep His/Her Job

When Steve Jobs stepped down as C.E.O. of Apple, I, like so many others, read the many stories about the man and the spirit of innovation he so perfectly reflected. Steve Lohr's article in The New York Times was of particular interest as it cited the 1997 book "The Innovator's Dilemma" that puts forward the concept of disruptive innovation. Lohr lists five traits of disruptive innovators – "questioning, experimenting, observing, associating, and networking." He defines associating as "the ability to make idea-producing connections by linking concepts from different disciplines – intellectual mash-ups."

Interdisciplinary programs are "hot" in education these days, but their value as mechanisms for preparing students to think in synergistic and creative ways can be quite limited. The prototypical interdisciplinary course involves studying a period of history, then reading the literature of that period, and perhaps looking at the art and music. What's lacking is creative synthesis and integration! Students are not forced to use the knowledge and ways of thinking from multiple disciplines to answer a big question that inherently requires using an interdisciplinary approach.

Rivers' interdisciplinary studies courses are different; they focus on these big questions, drawing on depth of knowledge across disciplines to create meaningful connections and build our students’ skill sets. Faculty members from various departments collaborate, visiting classes to present and discuss material that is part of their areas of expertise. As IDS chair and Rivers English teacher Julian Willard says, "the key to a successful IDS course is the formulation of the big question, the answer to which requires pulling creatively from multiple disciplines."

On "Meet the Press" a few weeks ago Tom Friedman talked about a 21st century employee survival skill: the ability to continuously re-imagine one's job in order to bring increased value to the company. Interdisciplinary studies – when done right – forces students to practice "association." It forces students to synthesize in creative and innovative ways, thus allowing them to practice this critical 21st century thinking skill so vital to enhancing value.