Academics
I’ve always thought of time in the context of school: that the beginning of the year starts in September and ends in August. I’m often puzzled when people speak about the end of the year in December, celebrating New Year’s Eve, and making resolutions reserved only for the new calendar year. For me, that time of reflection is in the summer. Summer is the treat we get after a long school year. It’s a time to reset. We can (hopefully) relax, connect with old friends, get around to reading that book that’s been sitting on our nightstand, and refinish that shelf that’s been in the garage for a while. Summer gives us a time to reflect and think about what we want to focus on and how we want the upcoming fall to go. Rosslyn Expansion This summer has been less about relaxing and more about prepping for the…
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The Sycamore School’s Journalism & Yearbook Class is a daily elective where students actively contribute to our school’s social media. This class empowers them to contribute to the narrative and culture of TSS while developing their capacity to make ideas visible with words, pictures, and videos. Social Media as Collaboration The student social media unit began with the selection of a holiday/ day of celebration. Students went through guided practice with immediate feedback on their post copy and graphic. As their skills developed, students worked collaboratively to research holidays and celebrations, adding them to a planning calendar and claiming which posts they would like to create. When students claim a holiday, they create the graphic, write the copy, and choose a minimum of three hashtags. Upon completion, the post is approved by a teacher and scheduled on the school’s social media platforms. Students have total control over the posts and…
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The Sycamore School is moving to Rosslyn! After six years in Ballston, TSS has decided that we are ready to take the next step in our journey and move into a space that accommodates our growth over the years. From how far we’ve come, to how far we hope to go, we know this move will be beneficial to our students, staff, and community. Where We’ve Been: Ballston When TSS was founded, it was designed as an urban model school. Being based in Arlington may seem like a limitation, since there are not acres of land available to house a large campus. However, we take this as an opportunity to explore the countless museums, nature centers, and historical sites that are only a metro ride away. We utilize community resources to augment our on-site resources. For our version of PE, which we call Movement & Mindfulness, we regularly visit local…
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What Has Been the Purpose of Education? Our education system is outdated and has been running on autopilot for quite some time. While we have amazing teachers throughout our community, our larger education system is antiquated. The continued educational repercussions of the pandemic have forced parents and educators to face concerns about student learning and regression. We have had to pause and reflect on what is working, what’s not, and how we update our approach to education. The Los Angeles Times released an editorial last year that reflected on the state of education: “Schools have stuck to an outdated system that relies heavily on students’ compliance — completing homework, behaving in class, meeting deadlines and correctly answering questions on a one-time test — as a proxy for learning, rather than measuring the learning itself.” The focus of education has been on the end result versus the learning process, and we…
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Part of our personalized experiential learning approach at The Sycamore School (TSS) is connecting learning to our larger world, and one of the ways we do this is by regularly taking students on field trips. We call Fridays our community-based learning day — students go on field trips related to what they’re studying, participate in community service outings, and welcome guest speakers. They also engage in extension activities such as science labs and career days. This year, our youngest middle school cohorts studied ecosystems and natural disasters. As part of this experience class, students went to Lacey Woods to investigate and learn how to identify local flora and fauna. They also visited a virtual aquarium to explore underwater ecosystems and food webs. This experience helped them make real-life connections to the concepts they discussed in class. Our youngest cohorts also participated in a soil investigation lab. They collected soil samples…
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Teachers and healthcare workers are the unsung heroes of this pandemic. We keep dumping more and more on them and then expect them to keep going, undaunted. Perhaps it’s time to flip the script. How can we recognize our teachers as experts in their fields and give them the support and resources they need to be successful? Our teachers recognize that many of their students are stressed and not always available for learning. They know that learning has been lost. They are doing the best that they can. I’ve witnessed firsthand the flexibility and compassion they give their students. Parents are stressed. Many have children who aren’t doing well. Many teachers are parents too. How do we support one another versus pointing fingers? It’s time for some systemic change. Why don’t we take a step back and ask teachers what they need? Why don’t we set them up for success…
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Educators across the country are noticing that students have lost many of the skills they acquired before the pandemic. In some cases, our younger students never developed the skills we expected them to have. For example, lower elementary school teachers are encountering students who have accidents at school because they are not used to asking to go to the bathroom — they have been at home for the past two years, and it was never an issue. Some students are presenting with speech and language issues that have gone unnoticed during the challenges of the pandemic. Still, other students are not used to waiting their turn, raising their hand, or other simple behaviors that they learn at school. For our older students, we’re seeing crippling cases of anxiety. There has been a significant loss of learning for many students, yet they are expected to move forward as if they have…
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*This is an updated version of 5 Signs Your Kid’s School Isn’t A Good Fit, originally published in August 2018. As we continue to navigate education in the wake of a pandemic, many parents are assessing whether their child is thriving in their current school setting. For some families, the mix of asynchronous, hybrid, or full in-person learning has illuminated issues that were hidden prior to the pandemic. During the pandemic, parents were closer to their child’s day-to-day education, sharing Wi-Fi signals and perhaps a workspace. As you assess whether your child’s current school is a good fit, ask yourself these questions: Have I observed my child being held back, finishing their work ahead of their peers, or being bored? Have I observed my child struggling and not having enough time to understand a topic during their normal school day? Did my child thrive when they were engaging in virtual…
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What do parents want their children to learn in school? In an article What Do Parents Want from School? (Edutopia), they polled parents and found that a common theme was that parents want their kids to be prepared for life after high school. When I interview parents, I ask them what they are looking for in a school. Parents typically say, “I want the teachers to really get my kid and understand how they learn best.” They are usually looking for small classes and individualized instruction. Many speak about how their child used to love school and now they feel like their child’s interest is fading. They want to see that spark again — that love of learning return. I also ask them what they want their child’s school experience to be like. Most parents agree that they want their children to be happy, to have friends, to enjoy school, and…
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The Sycamore School (TSS) has a unique approach to learning. We utilize a mastery-based approach to meet students where they are, address any gaps in skills, and move them forward at their own pace. Learning is engaging, purposeful, and individualized. Instead of traditional grades, we offer narrative feedback and authentic assessments to tell students where they are on the path to mastery. Given our specialized approach, it’s not surprising that our teacher requirements are somewhat different than those of a traditional school. While many of our teachers are certified, teacher certification is not our top priority. We welcome staff who are uniquely qualified to work with our students and our curriculum. They need to be creative, compassionate, and adept at creating and integrating curriculum. They need to be accomplished at… Relationship Building: It is essential that our staff build positive relationships with students. Many of our students come to us…
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At The Sycamore School, each cohort has a different experience class. This transdisciplinary class weaves together language arts, science, history, and math under a common theme. This year, our high school cohort’s experience theme is Psychology. They will read fiction and nonfiction books, participate in book talks, conduct psychology experiments, and learn about historical events, all that weave in psychology. Unit themes include lifespan development, learning, memory, cognition, motivation, social interactions, ethics of experimentations, psychological disorders and treatment, as well as research methods, measurement, and statistics. Since I’m a clinical psychologist, I launched the psych experience class and facilitated their first unit, which focused on personal learning and intelligence. We discussed different theories of intelligence, had the students take the Myers-Briggs personality assessment, and discussed different learning preferences. Students developed their own learning profiles, which included their strengths, personality traits, and some learning strategies. Going forward, students will study research…
Read MoreThis fall, parents around the country took a deep breath and cautiously, worriedly, and maybe even gleefully sent their children back to school for a return to in-person learning. As our students return to school, parents may still be filled with anxiety asking themselves questions, such as: Will my child be safe at school? Will my child like being back at school? Do they remember how to be a student? Will they remember how to interact with others? Will their anxiety lesson once they get used to in-person learning again? Will my anxiety ever decrease? So, what can we do? How can we support our children and reassure ourselves? Tips to Help Manage the Return to In-Person Learning Most of us are trying to navigate our own anxiety as we try to smile bravely and encourage our children to return to school and trust that it will all go well. …
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