It’s lovely to have December behind us. While November and December had plenty of wonderful moments at home and school, the pace that follows these busy months is the pace I most enjoy.

I can sit back, relax and enjoy Twitter again.

I don’t know that everyone loves Twitter as I do. In fact, the glazed eyes that meet mine when I talk about Twitter confirms that not everyone loves it as I do. My appreciation for Twitter almost reaches my passion for curriculum mapping, and for similar reasons, but now I really need to explain…

First, some necessary context:

1. Educating individual children for a successful and meaningful life is not straightforward. The more you teach and learn (goodness, the more I raise my boys even), the more evident this becomes.
2. Because the world keeps changing, and children keep changing, all educators must keep learning from all perspectives and sources to ensure their professional judgment, which is applied endlessly each day, is rooted in as much knowledge as possible.

With the above in mind, here is one of the barriers to the excellence we all want to see widespread in education: educators are so busy educating that little time remains to constantly learn and grow from all the various perspectives out there.

Educating is demanding work. Educators are committed, passionate professionals who learn as much as they can and apply it to their practice. But, oh how lovely it is to come across a medium that allows us to significantly increase our knowledge base with the little spare time we can find.

Twitter serves many purposes, many of which have no bearing on professional learning at all. However, the fact that I can readily access relevant articles, blog posts, videos, resource suggestions, youth commentary, TED Talks and information about the world we live in from credible sources with a flick on my iPad or scroll of my mouse sends shivers up my spine. Sitting down to Twitter each day is like sitting down to the proverbial treasure chest. Rare is the day I don’t find a gem that I would have never otherwise come across – something that provokes, excites, encourages, or just introduces a whole new train of thought.

Embracing learning matters, especially when it has the potential to make you better able to do what matters. Time, and the wise use of it, also matters.

Where these converge is where I find Twitter.

If this perspective is new to you, I encourage you to check out Twitter. And if new perspectives will help you do what matters to you, enjoy the gems you’ll find there.

Andrea Fanjoy,
Assistant Head, Academics
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Find Andrea on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/afanjoy
Find KCS on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/kcsmatters

To be human is to have good times and bad, happy moments and moments that aren’t so much. Even at KCS, we can have days that are tougher than others, days that leave us feeling a little glum.

I felt that way the other day. Lucky for me, The Order of Good Cheer was taking place upstairs.

Historians and Maritimers know what I’m talking about. In case you’re in the dark, this story will enlighten you, and, I hope, bring as much cheer to your day as it did mine.

The Order of Good Cheer was a tradition started by Samuel de Champlain in 1606, with a hardy group of French settlers in Port Royal, Nova Scotia. Life was tough for the few who tried to stick it out. Winters were particularly so. In order to survive, the men needed something to focus on other than their misery, something worth looking forward to, something that nourished their bodies as much as their spirits. What could that something be? A party. The winter passed with relative ease, thanks to the distraction of planning and enjoying weekly feasts and entertainment.

Now, I can hear you saying, Port Royal and 1606 are far removed from KCS and 2011. In fact, The Order of Good Cheer was as close as a grade seven classroom. In advance of their party, students had learned about the early years of European exploration and settlement in Canada. They were then assigned a role from this era. One was Champlain, another Etienne Brule, and some were ‘filles du roi’ (women brought over to marry and bear children). A bishop was there, representatives of the king were present and a native peacekeeper was too. All students had to research their roles and prepare for the conversation that would ensue when they all sat down for the anticipated event.

As I rounded the corner on that gloomy day, Ms Gaudet was greeting her ‘guests’ adorned with a red velvet crown and green velvet cloak. Desks were bedecked in tablecloths, doilies, dishware and candles (have no fear, they were the new-fangled battery-powered ones). Guests came in costume and with artifacts related to their disparate lives. They also had their reference notes, prepared in advance, so they could convincingly play their role in this 17th century reenactment.

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Their faces glowed. They spoke in character with evident pride and conviction. They debated the issues of the day, expressing the competing perspectives of the time. They proved to their teacher that they knew what the Ministry wanted them to know in this grade 7 history unit. Thanks to the Order of Good Cheer, they will also never forget it.

One of the many benefits of studying history is the perspective it gives us. If you’re feeling gloomy, remember how much gloomier life was for many before us. And learn from their example – throw a party, or visit KCS.

Andrea Fanjoy
Assistant Head, Academics

It was 2:30 last Friday afternoon. Lady Gaga’s The Edge of Glory traversed the walls and halls of the school. One hundred students were participating in a Fit2Dance workshop, dancing in Canada Hall and singing with all the spirit they could muster. Lise, our other Assistant Head, and I, working upstairs on much more mundane affairs, looked out our window to see a solitary grade 6 student walking in the hall, laptop cradled in his arms, grooving with each step, then suddenly spin and moon walk the rest of his way to class.

What a beautiful sight.

May our students always find ways to have song and dance in their lives.

Andrea Fanjoy,
Assistant Head, Academics

As I turned the corner, there he was. Dressed in black, blood dripping down his face, one eyeball hanging from its socket and, most curiously, a flicking tongue protruding from his forehead.

Surprised and a little uncomfortable, maybe I just need to get out of Etobicoke more often.

My husband and I had just left Private Lives, the Noel Coward play at The Princess of Wales. Our boys were spending the day and night with their grandmother, and we were ambling our way to Little Italy for dinner. We were also, we later learned, in the midst of the annual Zombie Walk. Our moment of middle-aged pleasure was turned inside out by dozens of moaning, groaning, staggering, decomposing creatures from the earth.

Zombies as leaders you ask? I admit, my first instinct was to be put out by such disturbing images in my path. However, the Habits that seem to lie in wait in my mind, pouncing whenever I lazily try to avoid them, set me straight. What are the Zombies doing wrong? There wasn’t a single Habit they were breaking that I could fault them for. And when I thought about it, they were doing some things perfectly right. They were thinking and acting creatively, they were taking a responsible risk, and despite the dreary façade, there’s no doubt good-hearted humour was underneath it all. They were setting a positive example on worthy fronts.

While the Zombies weren’t trying to be leaders, they did make a difference with me. They reminded me not to jump to judgment. It was an ‘embrace learning’ moment that I deserved.

Happy Halloween to all. May it be full of zombies and other leaders.

Everyone who has stepped in our doors since September will have noticed that habits loom large at KCS. They are everywhere – on our walls, in our halls, and even on a third story window… somehow, a snail made his (her?) way up there. Derek called a number of us over to see it. “Come see this example of persistence and resilience, for which I’m responding with awe and appreciation.” Chuckling aside, we were all genuinely impressed by this example of the snail. If you know ‘what matters’, you may be surprised by where you find it. And if anyone can explain why a snail would be clinging to a third story window, I’m ready to embrace learning. Please share what you know.

Learn about the KCS Habits of Mind, Habits of Body and Habits of Action.

It is not that I’m so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer.
–        Albert Einstein

A lifetime ago (or so it seems), I lived in Japan. There began my fondness for the word persist.

Every day, in every context, every Japanese person I came across told others “Gambatte!”, “Persist!”. From toddlers at the doctor’s office, to students at school, to adults in their daily to and fro, it was almost as common as hello. It stood out particularly because of its relative absence in dialogue back home in Canada.

How often do you hear the word persist?

As evident in the quote up top, persisting worked for Einstein. Steve Jobs also has a compelling story in persistence, as told in his 2005 speech at Stanford’s graduation ceremony (if you haven’t seen it, visit the KCS YouTube channel and find it in Favorites). Also, though not yet famous, persisting works for KCS students when they face challenges, be they reading, writing, math, exams, or opportunities sought and lost. We see it all the time.

As I write, the 2011 Lip Sync just ended. A new story of persisting emerged from this event. One of our grade 8 students sent me an email asking if he and his large group could use the Multipurpose Room to practice. That rehearsal went poorly, and he sent me a subsequent email saying they wouldn’t perform. The next morning, however, he sent yet another email. Here is what he wrote: “I thought about the lip sync again and I am willing to make one more shot at this. Sorry for causing you a lot of mayhem. I am going to regroup with certain people and see if I can reconfigure the lip sync from a large size crowd to a smaller one to make it work.”

Well, they regrouped and put on a most entertaining performance! Of everyone in the audience (maybe apart from his ecstatic parents), I took the most pleasure. I knew about the extra layers of leadership, persistence, flexible thinking and resilience that went into the final production.

Now, I could also add that seeing this young man grooving with peers on stage was hugely out of his comfort zone. But that would get me talking about taking responsible risks…

If persisting helped you accomplish things that mattered in your life, please help us spread the word. It’s a secret to success worth sharing.

Andrea Fanjoy,
Assistant Head, Academics

I’m a happy person. It’s my nature to look at the positive side of life.

But even I know how unhappy homework can be.

Getting homework right at all times is something all schools struggle with. Wanting to get it right, KCS undertook a significant review of our practice last year. We spoke with all students, surveyed all parents, and asked all teachers about homework. We also looked at research. We knew we could improve, so we went to unusual lengths to do so. A report with our findings, homework guidelines and details of new practices was shared with faculty in August. A nine-page report for parents was posted in our October 6th parent e-newsletter, Stay Connected, and will remain in the ‘Speaking of School’ section under ‘About Us’ on our website.

Maybe homework is already a happy time in your family. We obviously love to hear good news stories. However, if there’s room for improvement in your experience, please check out the report.

While life can’t always be happy, it’s always worth trying to make it more so. We’ve done our homework. We hope it makes yours happier.

Andrea Fanjoy,
Assistant Head, Academics

“I haven’t really done it before, but it sounded fun and I wanted to try something new.”
–        Grade 3 student at her first yoga class

Lots of responsible risks are being taken in the colourful corridors of KCS these days. New students arrived to face the unknown; outdoor education trips tore older students away from the comforts of home; auditions for the musical took place last week; try-outs for teams started the first week of school; public speaking and leadership projects have already begun; and new clubs have tempted students to take a chance, sometimes with the serenity of the 8-year-old at yoga, sometimes not.

Truth is, this is the most popular of the Habits at KCS so far, among students that is (‘Show self-control’ would be tops for teachers, I’m guessing). If you were at Curriculum Night, you might recall the story I shared of the grade one student who told her classmate to “take a responsible risk” and try some grapes and oranges. Having been a picky eater, I know the challenge that can be. Last year, we also had a group of grade sevens who came up with the leadership project called “Get Out of Your Comfort Zone”, urging anyone in the school to get up at assembly and showcase a talent. I also learned how this Habit was leveraged by some grade 8 students during their recent trip to Kinark. He and his classmates were told they couldn’t play Truth or Dare, so they changed the game to ‘Share what you know’ or ‘Take a responsible risk’. Hoping they didn’t permanently muddle the intention behind the Habit, I have to admire their ingenuity.

Why does it resonate so? The October National Geographic has an interesting response. Its main article is on “The New Science of the Teenage Brain”. While we’ve learned a lot about the upheaval of the maturing brain, and the ensuing “neural gawkiness” that either bemuses or bewitches those of us left in a teen’s wake, current thinking explains why the teen brain is perfectly equipped, at least evolutionary-wise. It all makes sense. Over the eons, teenagers have always been at a stage in life where they need to chart their own path. They need to forsake the comforts of childhood, in preparation for the adult world they must face alone. Selection favoured teens who took the risks that led to successful independence (ideally, the risks were responsible…). Society needs individuals who have the courage to take a chance, whether it’s to walk upright, fight a worthy rebellion, or lead the next disruptive innovation. It has to start in the teen years, in the same way walking starts with toddlers.

I could go on about why taking responsible risks matters, but National Geographic says it better.

The fact that it explains that which befuddles us makes it all the more worth reading. And the next time your child takes a responsible risk, think of how this places him or her in the company of all humankind, on our collective evolutionary quest. At least, it might help you bear it.