Head of School's Message: January 25
The tone, structure and impact of Wednesday’s inauguration reminded me of a middle school assembly on a much larger scale.
Tradition, stirring words and a reminder of the values to which we are all in service are elements of a quadrennial Presidential inauguration and a daily Chandler assembly. Both are occasions in which we are reminded of our obligations as citizens.
This week in my conversations with individual Chandler faculty members, we talked about how to approach teaching civics. In an article in Thursday’s Education Week, The Same Old Civics Won’t Save Us, Rutgers Professor Nicole Mirra and Stanford Professor Andrew Garcia wrote, “Only when we come to see civics as a project for learning to live together in a multicultural and multiracial society will we find the momentum to save our flailing democratic experiment.”
Social Studies Co-Chair Joe Spencer said, “Students need to understand how the government is set up and how a law is passed, but civics education needs to focus on the experiences of our students. Where do the challenges come from, and how can we resolve differences? Civics education is foundational to being a good citizen.”
Teaching Assistant Madelyn Marquette emphasized the importance of working with students to make sure they understand the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance, which they recite every day.
“There has to be a lot of discussion, a lot of talking. The students have questions, but even when they don’t, we have to explain how the country works or how it should work,” said 6th Grade Math Teacher Eric Glover. 4th Grade Teacher Laura Heany agreed that students need the opportunity to participate in discussions about what it means to be a good citizen. “It has been harder to do this on Zoom because voices are muted, and discussions lack the spontaneity that happens when we are in-person.”
Teaching Assistant Anthony McLean said, “Teaching civics needs to be action-based. Young people need to see what good citizenship looks like and it’s essential they learn to be good digital citizens.”
Art teacher Julie Zemel believes students have to be encouraged to help others. “We are isolated from one another right now, and it’s hard to act with others in mind when you’re isolated.” Julie has been working on ways with the students to express the concept of a caring community through art. As a prompt, she created a collection of masks, joined together, shaped like a heart to remind us of what it means to be united in citizenship.
Given recent updates and recommendations from the health departments, the school is re-evaluating the date of return for our in-person programs, K-2 and Youth Sports. We will send an update on Wednesday.
