First Grade Goes to Walden Farm

It might have been a cold day, but a sunny one no less!  And you couldn't keep our first graders from enjoying it all... pumpkins, hayrides, farm animals, corn mazes - discovery at its best!   Check out Mrs. Woodard's class and see, first-hand, the joy of learning!

Star or Hero?

Star or Hero?

Do you want your child to be a star? Or is being a hero what matters most? Between the two, I choose hero. If my boys become stars, that’s fine, too. But that is not my ultimate goal for them. Here at Lipscomb Academy we understand that not everyone can be a star, but we want all of our students to become heroes; and there is plenty of opportunity for everyone to be heroic. As a part of this effort, weekly we recognize students who have displayed Christ-like Character. Christ-like character is defined in the acrostic below:

Over the past two weeks:

A second grade student was recognized for his Service. This boy worked around his grandfather’s house to earn money to give to Paola, a Honduran child whom his class is sponsoring.

A third grade girl was honored for showing Perseverance. Her teacher said, “She always gives her best in all that she does.”

A first grade boy was applauded for being a great Friend. He graciously helped a hurt classmate on the playground. He stopped what he was doing to check on the child and help him up.

A fourth grade student was acknowledged for her Responsibility. This student consistently brings her materials to class and is prepared daily to learn.

These students are recognized not as a side note, but as a main note. Character is essential for student success. In the most recent This American Life episode, (474: Back to School), Ira Glass asks Paul Tough, author of How Children to Succeed, “Why do some children succeed while others fail?” The conventional answer usually focuses on intelligence: success comes to those who score highest on tests, from preschool admissions to SATs. But Tough argues that the qualities that matter most have more to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, conscientiousness, optimism, and self control; and he uses science and current research to back it all up.

At Lipscomb Academy we believe that the social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum. We recognize that social, emotional, and intellectual growth are very much intertwined and mutually reinforcing. Our teachers pay close attention to each child’s well being in all these areas to enable them to reach their full potential. True traction in math, language arts, or Spanish can only take place when children trust their community and feel free to take social and academic risks—share a poem with the class, collaborate on a project with a student who is not a friend, stand up for someone who is being called names, or choose a more difficult essay question.

So back to the original question: Do you want your child to be a star or a hero? Ed Hallowell did a good job of answering this question in his book Connect when he referenced the following “hero” story told to him by Rick Lavoie, the head of Riverview School:

One day I was sitting at a counter at a downtown Greenwich pizza parlor. I was splitting a small pepperoni pizza with my five-year-old son, Christian. As we sat there, I could not help but overhear the conversation among three teenage boys who were sitting in the booth directly behind us. They were dressed in tennis white and had obviously just returned from a morning at their fancy local tennis club. Two of the boys were discussing the faults and foibles of another boy, who was not in attendance. They criticized his tennis play, his mode of dress, and every aspect of his personality. The boy obviously suffered tremendous social isolation and rejection. They laughed as they regaled each other with stories of his various faults and failures.

At one point, one of the boys turned to the third boy, who had been silent during the discussion, and said, “None of us ever want to play with Mike. He’s such a nerd. But whenever the coach asks us to choose a partner for doubles, you always choose to play with Mike. Nobody likes Mike. Nobody will play with Mike. Why do you play with him?”

The third boy responded quietly, “That’s why I play with him.”

I looked over my shoulder at that courageous young man, and then I looked at my own son. My fondest hope at that moment was that my son would develop the strength of character and courage that that boy possessed. I hope that young man’s father knows how proud he should be of his son.

This story gets me every time I read it. My fondest hope is that all students at Lipscomb Academy learn to exercise the character of Christ in their daily lives, on the playground, in the cafeteria, on the ball field and even at home, so that they may become truly successful children of God.

Jonathan Sheahen ~ Elementary School Principal

Learning from a Slinky

If you've played with a Slinky for more than five minutes, you've probably mastered all the classic moves. But it turns out those humble coils have a surprise up their sleeves. Do this:

1) Dangle a Slinky above the ground as though you were holding a fish by the tip of its tail.
2) Let it extend to its full length.
3) Let go.

If you don't have a Slinky, do this:

1) Watch the first video.
2) Make a prediction.
3) Watch the second video.



Did you see it?  If not, try it again and this time keep your eye on the bottom of the Slinky.



Did you notice that as the top of the Slinky starts to fall, the bottom doesn't drop?  It just hangs in the air, levitating, as if it had its own magic carpet. It will stay there, hovering quietly, until a wave, or signal, passing through the Slinky finally reaches it. Apparently, the bottom doesn't know it's supposed to fall, so it sits there, seeming to defy gravity, until the very end.  (For a more detailed explanation check out http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/09/modeling-a-falling-slinky/.)

This isn’t a magic trick.  It is a physics principle that can be proven by using words like equilibrium, gravity, and compression wave and by applying Hooke's law in conjunction with Newton's second law.  Plus lots of math.  The basic explanation is that the bottom coil will not twist and fall until it receives a signal the coil directly above it.  In other words, each coil doesn’t “know” it is supposed to fall until it is “told” by the coil above it.

This idea, that information has to pass through an object for the whole thing to know what to do, applies not just to Slinkys, but to ballpoint pens, arrows, baseball and, yes, even to learning.

I believe that too often children are rushed through the learning process.  That students are not given enough time to process information, or room to make mistakes, or even a moment to sit still and reflect.  Take math, for example.  Traditionally, math has been limited to algorithms and arithmetic, promoting such beliefs as speed and accuracy are more important than understanding; there is one right way to solve any problem; and math is mostly memorization.  My 7th grade math teacher, Mr. Sammons, certainly believed this. 

Mr. Sammons’ approach was simple: introduce an abstract concept such as multiplying fractions or dividing decimals by showing the class an efficient procedure, and never ever answer the question, “Why does this work?”.  I quickly learned that math didn’t have to make sense, it was nonsensical magic.  This jump from the top of the Slinky (mathematical concept) to the bottom (abstract generalization), skips all of the necessary connections in between.

Nearly thirty years of research has proven that skipping students to the abstract and rushing them through the learning process hinders students’ understanding.  Memorizing rules for moving symbols around on paper may be the filing of facts, but it is not the learning of mathematics; much like memorizing names and dates is not learning history.  Understanding a subject means getting inside it and seeing how things work, how things are related to each other, and why they work like the do.

Instead of focusing on algorithms and shortcuts, the teachers at Lipscomb Academy build understanding over a period of time; first through informal exploration moving to representational activities, using manipulatives, games and other tools.  This developmental method allows children to personally construct meaning and prepares them for the abstract.  For instance, in second grade, students are asked to solve multi-digit subtraction problems.  They might solve such problems by counting up from the smaller to the larger number, or by using tools such as a number grid.  Once a student has had successfully explored a variety of valid approaches, algorithms are introduced.  Allowing children to go through this process validates their intuitive methods and reinforces the fact that math makes sense and can be used to make sense of the world.  It can even explain why a Slinky seems to hover in mid air after being dropped.

Jonathan Sheahen
Elementary School Principal
Lipscomb Academy

Here's to New Beginnings

For many students the start of school marks not a beginning, but the end of summer vacation. For teachers, however, the start of a new school year is a new beginning and one of my favorite times of year.

Throughout my school career, what I enjoy about the end of August was getting ready for the new school year. I actually enjoyed going shopping with my mom for new clothes at J.C. Penny’s and then heading over to the dime store to pick out a themed trapper keeper and matching A-Team Lunch box. I loved organizing and labeling my markers, pencils and pink erasers and putting them into my school box. Each year I was fully equipped for the challenges ahead.

As a teacher this enjoyment of preparation continued. I got excited about getting my new plan book and putting the students’ names in the back. I loved individually numbering the books I have ordered, and looked forward to going to Office Depot and to buy my school supplies.

Even more than this ritual, I enjoy the feeling of a fresh start and the opportunity to improve and make resolutions for the coming year. It’s clear that many of the students share this same feeling. Lined in the hallways are student goals and recommendations for success regarding this upcoming year.

Here is a sample from 3rd grade:
Stay focused and be a good listener.
Be patient.
Listen to Mrs. Sanders.
Try hard and have fun.
Share and Pray.
Make the most out of every recess.
Say, “I think I can.”

Maybe my favorite, “Do some math.”

I think this is evidence enough that the transition from summer to academics has been a smooth one. The students have embraced the new changes brought about by having new teachers and new expectations and have slid right into a rhythm in only a few days. That is something that I am proud of. Even more so, I am proud that our new students have been warmly welcomed into our family by the returning students. This student and parent community should be commended for the many ways that they have made those of us who are new, feel comfortable.

From my point of view I see a very happy group of children and faculty that are truly enjoying getting to know one another.

In as much as August is a time of fresh promises, it is also a honeymoon time. It is a time when everything runs smoothly and everyone is putting their best put forward.

 I liked how my Algebra teacher Dr. Jalbert put it. On the first day of class with every one of his classes he began with the same speech. He said, “Right now you all have a 100% in my class.” He followed up that sentence with, “But let me assure you that not everyone will finish the year with 100%”. I certainly didn’t. And not everyone at LAES will finish this year with perfect attendance or straight A+s . Some students will miss a few on their Friday spelling test or forget to bring in their homework. But perfection is not the goal of school. Matter of fact, it is the bumps in the road that are the opportunities from which our students learn the most.

To the question, “What is it that most parents want for their children?” Dr. Robert Brooks writes in his book Raising Resilient Children: “Happiness, success in school, satisfaction with their lives, and solid friendships quickly come to mind. If we examine our parental goals, it would not be an oversimplification to conclude that the realization of these goals requires that our children have the inner strength to deal competently and successfully, day after day, with the challenges and demands they encounter. We call this capacity to cope and feel competent, resilience.”

I, along with the rest of the faculty, look forward to working with the students and to seeing them thrive, and yes, even to seeing them stumble or make mistakes from which they will grow. We do this with a tremendous amount of support and knowledge that these experience, in the end, will build the resilience that is so essential for their development.

Jonathan Sheahen
Elementary School Principal, Lipscomb Academy

Working on What's Important

Margaret Wise Brown, author of Good Night Moon, wrote a compelling and rhythmic picture book titled, The Important Book.  In the book she points out the important things about everyday objects and what makes them special.  Her writing is lyrical from beginning, "the important thing about a spoon is that you eat with it...", to end, "the important thing about you is that you are you, it is true that you were once a baby and that now you are a child, and that someday you will be a man or a woman, but the important thing about you is that you are you".  I am amazed at how she addresses a complex topic in such a simple and kid friendly way.  Being able to decipher what is important and unimportant is something that adults wrestle with everyday.

In an era of mobile devices, instant connectivity, and urgent to do lists, it is all too easy to become overwhelmed with the immediate, the “right now”.  As a result it becomes harder and harder to focus on the important.  Steven Covey calls this balancing the “clock and the compass”.  In his book, First Things First, he says, “For many people, the dominant metaphor of life is the clock. We value the clock for its speed and efficiency. The clock has its place, efficiency has its place—but after effectiveness. The symbol of effectiveness is the compass—a sense of direction, purpose, vision, perspective and balance.”

Some have addressed this imbalance by blocking out a time during the day to focus on the important things.  For instance, Piers Fawkes, founder and editor of PSFK, reserves a good chunk of his morning – from 7:00-10:00 a.m. every day – to work on his big list prior to opening his email.  My friend Gary Henry, author of Diligently Seeking God, spends the first hour of every day devoted to God in prayer and reflection.  For a teacher, the summer months serve as time to slow down, reflect and work on what is most important.  

Since my time here at Lipscomb Academy, I have been impressed with the amount of Elementary School faculty members who are working on the important things during their “time off” from school.

To name a few:

• Becky Collins and Kay Felts attended the Tennessee State Energy Camp to keep current Lipscomb Academy’s "green school" certification and to learn more ways to involve the community in our current programs.
• Michelle Seal attended several professional development workshops including one on Cooperative Learning and another on Fostering a Positive Classroom Climate
• The Kindergarten and Pre-K teams are excited about the 24 new iPads going into the classrooms and investigating ways use them as instructional tools.
• The fourth grade team is looking into using Edmodo as a secure place to connect and collaborate, share content and educational applications.
• Ginger Reasonover, the Science Lab Coordinator, is attending and presenting at Harpeth Hall’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) conference in July.
• Penny Seay, Kathy Musick and Kay Felts were trained in Backwards Design, a method of designing educational curriculum by setting goals before choosing instructional methods and forms of assessment.
• Jennifer Green attended S.A.L.T. (Service and Learning Together), a workshop that focuses on ways to intentionally join academic learning and community outreach.
• Kathy Musick invested a significant amount of time preparing for Summer Celebration, where she was in charge of all of the kid related activities.
• Melanie Gaw taught the first graders at her church’s VBS and participated in church camp.
• The third grade team continues to promote their “Don’t Rush to Flush” awareness campaign and working on a bill to be put before the state legislators.  
• Chuck Chism helped direct Antioch Church Encampment, an outreach serving families in Nashville, and led Mid-Ohio Valley Work Camp where he and 30 teenagers painted over 40 homes in Ohio.
• Suzanne Howell is rewriting the Bible curriculum for the Elementary School.
• The second grade team completed training on their new Ladibug document cameras, a real-time image capture devices for displaying an object to a large audience and are also exploring the use a WikiSpace to serve as a resource for parents and students.
• Kim Smith went a mission trip to work with the Inner City Ministry in Mobile, Alabama.  She also taught fourth grade classes at VBS and coordinated arts and crafts for church camp, grades 4th-12th.
• All faculty members are taking time to reflect on their instructional practices and how they can be improved.

That is a pretty amazing group of educators!

Jonathan Sheahen

Elementary School Principal

Lipscomb Academy