LAES Students Learn Every Little Bit Counts!

Lipscomb Academy Elementary School students learned that every little bit counts when everyone is involved and were able to make a huge impact on children they have never even met.

“Coins for a Cause” is a service learning project developed by Lipscomb Academy Elementary faculty and staff in conjunction with the Directors of Spiritual Formation.  The program asked the elementary school students to collect coins and donate them to Mission Lazarus to be used to help children in Honduras.

Mission Lazarus is a Nashville based organization that offers educational, medical, agricultural and spiritual outreach in Honduras and Haiti.  HYPERLINK "http://www.missionlazarus.org" www.missionlazarus.org

Each of the Lipscomb Academy elementary school students were given their own water bottle to collect coins in and they brought what they collected to add to a large jug that was placed in each of the classrooms.  The students were given one month to go and serve their families and neighbors and ask for a donation towards ‘Coins for a Cause'.  At the end of the collection period all of the coins from the individual classrooms were combined.

“What you guys do is important, it is very important. The children in Honduras, by the time they are eight years old, they are milking cows and working in the fields.  You guys have collected change and maybe you thought it wasn’t that big of a deal, but it was.  You have made it possible for other kids to get a good education,” said Jarrod Brown, President and Founder of Mission Lazarus, when he spoke to Lipscomb Academy Elementary School students about their efforts.

At an assembly held during elementary school chapel, the total amount, $4,387.84 was revealed to the students. A check was presented to Brown by Elementary Principal Jonathan Sheahen, who took the funds to Mission Lazarus to be used in Honduras.

Through this service-learning project, the Lipscomb Academy students were able to learn about another country and learned to band together to make a difference.  Regina Lankford, a second grade teacher at Lipscomb Academy who has been working with Mission Lazarus for years, was able to travel to Honduras over spring break to do mission work along with Lipscomb Academy high school students.

Before she left, she filmed the elementary school students singing “We Love You with the Love of the Lord” in both English and Spanish.  She played the video for the children in Honduras. When she returned, she had a video of the Honduran children singing the song back to the Lipscomb Academy students.  The connection became real for the students who were able to see the faces of the children they had helped half a world away.

Spring Explorations is Right Around the Corner

For most of the twentieth century, school was organized around an industrial model that operated on the assumption that information was at a premium, and those who mastered the most information were the most educated, and therefore the most successful.  In the Information Age, however, much of the content in any school’s curriculum is available to everyone at the push of a button.  Those who’ve memorized the most content for any particular test don’t stand out in today’s world; instead, what’s valued most are the skills associated with doing work that the World Wide Web still can’t do.

At Lipscomb Academy we’re committed to developing what we call the six C’s: character, critical thinking, communication, creativity, collaboration, and cosmopolitanism.  These are the skills and values that the 21st century will demand and reward, and these are the skills that we seek to nurture in our students, K-12.  Through our commitment to individual learning, relational learning, and learning for the greater good we seek to encourage students to build upon their natural curiosity, hone their inquisitiveness, and apply what they are learning to the world beyond themselves and our school.  It’s essential that they learn how to think for themselves, how to convey a convincing argument on paper and in person, how to make something that comes from within rather than is imposed from without, how to work effectively with others, and how to connect with the wider world.

As a former math teacher, I’ve grappled with these challenges for years.  I remember first-hand as a student how quickly I forgot what I’d just memorized for a test several days before.  Charged with the responsibility of leading students through what I wanted to be a provocative and interesting journey of numbers and patterns, I worried as a young teacher that many students struggled to understand why a certain fact mattered.  I came to understand that “because I said so” wasn’t a very good answer.

My teaching and their learning became significantly better when instead of focusing on practice, I allowed students to explore and look for patterns.  As a result, their understanding quotient went up considerably.  It’s like starting at the roots of a tree and working up as opposed to trying to memorize something unique about the leaves.  Not only is this a much more effective way to learn, it is more fun.

That is the premise of Lipscomb Academy’s Explorations Program.  We want students to experience the world first-hand.  This Spring students will have the opportunity to try new things; things that they may have never done before or are outside of the normal classroom routine.  For instance, Niki Ganick will help students learn about the art of movement and Becky Collins will tap into a child’s naturalist side.  I encourage you to check out our upcoming offerings from March 25-May 2. 

Service-Learning: Making Service Meaningful

Service-Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction to enrich the learning experience and teach civic responsibility.  Through service-learning, young people—from kindergarteners to college students—use what they learn in the classroom to solve real-life problems. They not only learn the practical applications of their studies, they become actively contributing citizens through the service they perform.

What Service-Learning Looks Like?

If school students collect trash out of an urban streambed, they are providing a valued service to the community as volunteers. If school students collect trash from an urban streambed, analyze their findings to determine the possible sources of pollution, and share the results with residents of the neighborhood, they are engaging in service-learning.

In the service-learning example, in addition to providing an important service to the community, students are learning about water quality and laboratory analysis, developing an understanding of pollution issues, and practicing communications skills. They may also reflect on their personal and career interests in science, the environment, public policy or other related areas. Both the students and the community have been involved in a transformative experience.

Coins for a Cause

Beginning February 28 Lipscomb Academy Elementary School will embark on its own school wide service-learning project called Coins for a Cause.   Over the next month we have asked students to “earn” money through serving others to give to Mission Lazarus.   Students will also engage in several different learning experiences at school to connect their service to Honduras.  For instance, second grade has mapped out the foundation size of a Honduran adobe brick house.  You might see it by the flagpole during carpool.  In PE students are walking or running the distance it would take for a typical Honduran student to walk to school.  In Science students will be investigating and experimenting with water purification.

Each of these examples above shows how service-learning is integrating meaningful community service with instruction and reflection in order to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and serve those who are in need.

10 Commandments of Parenting - a snapshot

 
10 Commandments of Parenting Jim Schleicher, M.Div., spoke to Lipscomb Academy on January 17, at the elementary school. The talk was titled the “10 commandments of Parenting”. Mr. Schleicher is a licensed marital and family therapist and licensed professional counselor, who has been practicing in the Nashville community for more than 40 years. In addition to his counseling practice, Mr. Schleicher is also a consultant and an engaging presenter who makes frequent guest appearances with various organizations and school groups. He and his wife Olivia have six children and nine grandchildren. The following article was compiled from notes taken at the lecture. Mr. Schleicher opened his presentation by saying that children have not changed over time, but that parenting has. Parenting has become increasingly less clear. He said that each home has a culture and energy of it’s own and it is the parents that establish this. He also added that successful, happy children are often a product of a healthy happy home. Studies show that a family that eats meals together, does community service together and has a spiritual emphasis are more likely to produce healthy, unspoiled, “unentitled” children. The 10 points below are suggestions Jim made about how to make your home culture operate more effectively and efficiently.

1) SLOW DOWN AND BE PRESENT In our culture we are prone to busyness and over scheduling. We have made multitasking an attribute and consequently we are seldom fully present. Due to these circumstances there is an increase in the diagnosis of chronic anxiety. Our children lack our full presence and therefore they are lacking security and focus. Make time to be present. Take some time to turn off your cell phone, your computer, television, etc..

2) LET YOUR CHILD GO TO SCHOOL Let your children have the experience and responsibility of school. You have already been to school. They need to get their work done on their own and be responsible for gathering the information from the teacher. The teachers want to teach your child and parents often have the attitude that the teacher must be doing a poor job if their child has not gotten the complete assignment or has made a bad grade. Parents need to guide their children but not do the work for them or fix their situations. On another note, the choice of schools is up to the parents, not the child.

3) LET YOUR CHILD HAVE A BAD TEACHER In life we will have many people we do not “jell” with. Parents today have a tendency to try to make everything “right” for their children. There is an increase of a form of depression called “learned helplessness” because of this parental over involvement in the resolution of unpleasant situations. They will hear from their child, “my teacher never covered that in class” and will jump on the bandwagon. The parents response should be, “It is your responsibility to learn the information and to learn from this.”

4) TEACH YOUR CHILDREN TO LOSE Hopefully we will have many natural opportunities to teach to lose. Our children realistically cannot be first in everything. When children cannot accept their losses they will not be able to rejoice in the successes of others. Our culture has put up a very high standard, where a “C” used to be average, now we are considering it to be a failure. We should train our children to do their best, to be content with their successes and compliant with their losses. Ability to lose correlates with capacity for empathy.

 5) STAY CURIOUS In our task oriented society we tend to be more about getting it done rather than what are we doing and why are we doing it. Ask your child, “what are you learning” and “what is your homework”, rather than focusing on the completion of the task and the grade

6) MODEL RESPECT AND INSIST ON IT Statistics show that 93% of our communication is non-verbal, what we show with our expressions and body. Our job as parents is to model respect in our homes. We give the best example of this by the way we treat our spouses and each other. We must hold our children to a high standard of respect in the way they treat parents and siblings.

7) STAY IN THE ADULT WORLD Our marriages often get the crumbs of our energy. We spend so much time and energy on our children’s scheduling and functions that we neglect the greatest security we can give them by having a healthy, happy marriage. Who are the parents best friends? We need to have best friends who are adults and spend time in that world.

8) OWN YOUR OWN HOME A child’s bedroom is not “his room”. His room is a room in your house. It is important for us to teach our children to keep up the space that we have allotted to them (their room) and to make a contribution to the upkeep of the household. Your child should keep his room tidy and have some duties around the home. Statistics show that kids who keep their rooms neat are again less spoiled.

 9) GIVE LESS Children are lacking enthusiasm about getting out into the world and on their own because they see no excitement about becoming an adult. Much of this is due to the fact that parents have indulged them. By the time they graduate from high school they have been to more fancy restaurants, gone more exotic places, been in more stretch limos and have more material possessions than should be available in a lifetime. They have done it all and have little to look forward to or to aim for. Even if you are able to provide extravagance for them, leave things to look forward to.

10) LIVE LIKE A BLESSED PERSON We have all heard that laughter is the best medicine and a joyful heart is good medicine. Gratitude greatly displaces anxiety. We need to practice and to teach our children thankfulness and gratitude. Work to find three things you are thankful for.

Free Parent Education Series - You're Invited!

10 Commandments of Parenting

January 4, 2013

Dear Parents,

Think of your children. Bring their faces to your mind. Then ask yourself, “What do I really want for them in their lives?”

Don’t assume you know. Before you spend another day as a parent (or as a teacher or a coach or anyone else involved with children), try to answer this deceptively simple question: What do I really want for my children?

Is it trophies and prizes and stardom? Do you want them all to grow up and become president of the United States? Is it riches and financial security? Is it true love? Or is it just a better life than the one you have now?

On some days you might quickly reply, “I just want them to clean up their rooms, do their homework, and obey me when I speak.” On other days, when you are caught up in the pressures your children are feeling at school, you might desperately reply, “I just want my children to get high SAT scores and be admitted to Prestige College.”

But if you linger over the question, your reply will almost certainly include one particular word: the simple, even silly-seeming word happy. Most of us parents just want our children to be happy, now and forever. Of course, we also want them to contribute to the world; we want them to care for others and lead responsible lives. But deep down, most of us, want our children to lead a balanced, happy life.
 
If we take certain steps, we can actually make it happen. Ned Hallowell wrote in his book Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness that parents and teachers can greatly increase the chances that their children and students will grow up to be happy, responsible adults by instilling certain qualities that might not seem of paramount importance but in fact are—inner qualities such as optimism, playfulness, a can-do attitude, and connectedness (the feeling of being a part of something larger than yourself). While traditional advice urges parents to instill discipline and a strong work ethic in their children, that advice can backfire when put into practice. The child may resist or do precisely the opposite of what is asked or even comply, but joylessly. That joylessness can last a whole life long.

We need a more reliable route to lifelong joy than can be provided by lectures on discipline or rewards for high grades and hard work. Of course, discipline and hard work matter, as do grades and behavior. But how we reach those goals is key. With this in mind, I want to invite you to Jim Schleicher’s compelling presentation titled, “The Ten Commandments of Parenting” on January 17 at 7:00 p.m. in the Lipscomb Academy Elementary School library. I have personally heard him address this topic on two different occasions and I’m looking forward to a third. Space is filling up fast. You can RSVP by calling 615-966-1783 or emailing Keri Sweeney at keri.sweeney@lipscomb.edu.

The Marshmallow Challenge

At a recent faculty meeting Lipscomb Academy Elementary School teachers were challenged to build a freestanding structure using 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string and one marshmallow in 18 minutes. And the marshmallow had to be on the top.

The man behind this exercise is Tom Wujec, a Fellow at Autodesk, the legendary makers of AutoCAD design software. He’s also the author of Five-Star Mind: Games and Puzzles to Stimulate Your Creativity and Imagination.

Back in 2010 he gave a fascinating TED Talk.  (http://marshmallowchallenge.com/TED_Talk.html) 
In the video, Wujec says,

“There’s something about this exercise that reveals very deep lessons about the nature of collaboration.” Having performed the exercise with more than 70 groups – including groups at Fortune 50 companies – Wujec has reached a few conclusions:

1. Recent business school graduates perform poorly. “They lie, they would cheat, they get distracted, and they produce really lame structures,” he says. The average tower by all participants in the exercise is 20 inches; the average tower by b-school grads is only 10 inches.

2. Recent graduates of kindergarten perform well. The average tower by kindergarten graduates measures 26 inches. “Not only do they produce the tallest structures but the most interesting structures of them all,” he reports. Why is that? “none of the kids spends any time trying to be CEO of Spaghetti, Inc.” says Wujec. In an exercise with an 18-minute limit, such jockeying for positions is wasted time.

B-school graduates tend to wait until the end of the 18 minutes to add the marshmallow to the top of their structures. When the structures collapse, the b-school teams enter something like a crisis mode. The kindergarten grads, by contrast, tend to incorporate the marshmallow into their designs early on, averting last-second crises.

The difference between success and failure was not intelligence or age or even experience, but the willingness to work collaboratively, take risks and be open to creative solutions.

Creativity Can Be Taught

Creativity Can Be Taught

 

In July 2010 Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman wrote a Newsweek cover story titled, "The Creativity Crisis".  In the article they report that while Americans’ average I.Q.s has been rising 10 points each generation (the so-called Flynn effect), creativity has been falling since 1990, with the steepest declines among children from kindergarten to grade 6. Part of the problem, say the authors, is that we assume creativity is a gift that can’t be taught. “While our creativity scores decline unchecked,” they say, “the current national strategy for creativity consists of little more than praying for a Greek muse to drop by our houses. The problems we face now, and in the future, simply demand that we do more than just hope for inspiration to strike.”

How do we know creativity is declining? From a massive study using the well-regarded Torrance assessment, which asks people to generate ways of using everyday objects differently and/or improving them. And why is it declining? Researchers aren’t sure yet, but one likely suspect is the amount of time young people are mesmerized by television and video games. Another is that schools have devoted less time to creative activities in recent years – unlike many other countries, which are making a concerted effort to develop creativity in schools.

            But isn’t creativity innate – either you have it or you don’t? And shouldn’t schools be sticking to basics to prepare students for the 21^st century and let “gifted” students develop creativity in the art room? Wrong, wrong, and wrong, say Bronson and Merryman. Creativity is “part of normal brain function” and can be developed, they contend, and it’s important in all subject areas from music to engineering. “The argument that we can’t teach creativity because kids already have too much to learn is a false tradeoff,” they say. “Creativity isn’t about freedom from concrete facts. Rather, fact-finding and deep research are vital stages in the creative process.” Students can, in fact, meet and go beyond today’s curriculum standards through more creativity-based instructional approaches.

            Bronson and Merryman also puncture the notion that creativity is exclusively a “right-brain” activity. Here’s the sequence of mental activity that occurs when a person solves a problem:

-   Focusing on obvious facts and familiar solutions to see if the answer lies there;

-   If not, scanning and evaluating remote memories for unseen patterns and alternative meanings;

-   Zeroing in on a promising idea – the “aha!” moment;

-   Evaluating that idea – is it worth pursuing?

“Creativity requires constant shifting, blender pulses of both divergent thinking and convergent thinking, to combine new information with old and forgotten ideas,” say Bronson and Merryman.

            Yes, some people are innately better at divergent thinking than others, they say, but creativity training that aligns with the new insights from brain science can be remarkably effective. “Creativity can be taught,” says California State University/San Bernardino professor James Kaufman. The key is alternating between intense divergent thinking and intense convergent thinking several times. “Real improvement doesn’t happen in a weekend workshop,” say Bronson and Merryman. “But when applied to the everyday process of work or school, brain function improves.”

            What would this look like in a school? Here’s a problem posed to fifth graders last year at the National Inventors Hall of Fame School in Akron, Ohio – a school that devotes three-quarters of each day to project-based learning: Reduce the noise in the library, whose windows face a busy public space. Working in small teams, students had four weeks to come up with proposals. Here’s how they proceeded (with plenty of support and guidance along the way):

-   Fact-finding – How does sound travel through materials? What materials reduce noise the most?

-   Idea-finding – Generating as many ideas as possible – drapes, plants, large kites hung from the ceiling to baffle sound, masking the outside noise with a gentle waterfall, double-paned glass, filing the space between panes of glass with water, an aquarium with fish as the barrier, etc.

-   Solution-finding – Which ideas are the most effective, most affordable, and most aesthetically pleasing? Safest?

-   A plan of action – Building scale models, choosing fabric samples, figuring out who would take care of plants and fish over vacations, etc.

-   Problem-finding – Anticipating all potential problems so their designs are more likely to work;

-   Presenting the plan – The audience was teachers, parents, and an outside expert.

In the process, students had fun, came up with great ideas to solve a real-world problem, and mastered large chunks of Ohio’s required fifth-grade curriculum, including understanding sound waves, per-unit cost calculations, and persuasive writing. The school’s state test scores soared this year. “You never see our kids saying, ‘I’ll never use this so I don’t need to learn it,’” says school administrator Maryann Wolowiec. “Instead, kids ask, ‘Do we have to leave school now?’”

         Here are some of the other activities at different age levels that have successfully developed creativity:

-   Preschool – Role-playing and acting out characters helps children see things from a different perspective.

-   Middle childhood – Creating paracosms, or fantasies of entire alternative worlds.

-   Fourth grade on – As the curriculum becomes more content-rich, it’s helpful if teachers are willing to entertain unconventional answers and “detours of curiosity.”

It’s a myth that creative people are depressed, anxious, and neurotic, say Bronson and Merryman. The reason creative students sometimes drop out is that they become discouraged and bored in creativity-stifling schools. In fact, a gloomy mindset shuts down creativity. People who score high on creativity assessments tend to be more confident about the future, have stronger relationships, and deal better with setbacks. It’s uncreative people who are at risk.

         In a sidebar at the end of the article, Bronson and Merryman sum up specific advice for educators and parents:

         • Forget brainstorming. Research at Yale University in 1958 showed that brainstorming actually reduces a team’s creative output; the same people, working individually, can come up with more and better ideas.

         • Imagination exercises don’t work. It’s a myth that all you have to do is let your natural creativity run wild. There’s much more to being creative than that.

         • Don’t tell someone to be creative. “Such an instruction may just cause people to freeze up,” say Bronson and Merryman. Here’s a better approach from University of Georgia professor Mark Runco: “Do something only you would come up with – that none of your friends or family would think of.” Using this approach, he’s doubled people’s creative output.

         • Reduce screen time. For every hour spent watching TV, says University of Texas professor Elizabeth Vandewater, overall time on creative activities like fantasy play and art projects drops as much as 11 percent.

         • Exercise. “Almost every dimension of cognition improves from 30 minutes of aerobic exercise,” say Bronson and Merryman. “The type of exercise doesn’t matter, and the boost lasts for at least two hours afterward.” But this works only for people who are physically fit. For those who aren’t, fatigue counteracts the benefits.

         • Get immersed in a passion. “Kids do best when they are allowed to develop deep passions and pursue them wholeheartedly – at the expense of well-roundedness,” say Bronson and Merryman. American Psychological Association researcher Rena Subotnik has found that children who dive into one area and become expert in it have better self-discipline and handle setbacks more effectively.

         • Forget the suggestion box. Formalized suggestion boxes and e-mail surveys actually stifle innovation, says ESCP Europe Business School Isaac Getz, because employees often feel that their ideas will be lost in the bureaucracy. Toyota’s plant in Georgetown, KY has been highly successful because it implements up to 99 percent of employees’ suggestions.

         • Take a break. Multitasking has been shown to undermine focus and productivity, but it’s a good idea to shift from one creative project to another.

         • Explore other cultures. Living abroad, being exposed to people from other countries, or even watching a slide show about another culture helps people be more adaptable and flexible. 

Adapted from the Marshall Memo, Issue #345

Jonathan Sheahen

Elementary School Principal

A Challenge to Mend

I’m going to share something with you I’ve told very few people.  I called my grandmother GaGa.  That’s right, even as an adult, I called her GaGa.

She was born in 1922 in Winfield, AL, a small farm town outside of Jasper.  A product of the Depression, she had this built-in compulsion to make do with what she had.  Instead of buying new things, she made new things.  She didn’t have money for store bought toys or clothes, but she did have the ingenuity and resourcefulness to create something from scraps.  This gave rise to a gifted seamstress.

As far as family legend goes, she sewed multiple ornaments, curtains, pillows, dolls, blankets, quilts, and countless number of scarves, socks, gloves...  This is not including all the clothes she made.  And she sewed a lot of clothes: all of her own clothes, her children’s, grandkids, even the high-school cheerleader uniforms.  My mom tells me she received a new dress every week or two, and she gives GaGa all the credit for being voted “best dressed” nearly every year at school. 

Although my sister was never voted best dressed, she could have made the same claim.  Every holiday break Vicki was scheduled for her annual wardrobe extravaganza.   First, GaGa and Vicki would go window shopping- my sister would pick out all the clothes she wanted.  Then back to the house where without as much as a photograph, GaGa created newspaper patterns from scratch.  This was followed by Vicki standing statue still as GaGa pinned, pleated and pressed rolls of fabric around her. Experienced, nimble, thimble tough fingers were her only guide.  I can still see my hummingbird of a grandmother flying from scissors to machine to pin cushion humming all the while.  After three days of working, she finished.  Hanging on the kitchen hutch, amongst a pile of cloth, were a half of a dozen dresses made to order, just like the ones in the window display.  Maybe a little better.

As time wore on though, GaGa’s fingers lost their dexterity and exactitude and she stopped making new clothes. But she didn’t stop sewing.  She mended anything she could get her hands on as though she could somehow hold together her unraveling mind and breaking body.  I think she found comfort in the chore. 

Since my grandmother’s death five years ago, I have found comfort in mending.  I have come to relish the moments when I sit down and, somewhat clumsily, repair a torn shirt or reattach a button.  I love the touch of the needle in my hand and how it pops through the fabric.  I love the inexact art of weaving and the final threaded scar.  The calm I feel from mending clearly exceeds the mere rescue of a piece of clothing.  It is a communion with my roots.  But, it is also a time to pause and quit running around trying to make figurative ends meet; it is a chance to sew actual pieces together.  I can't stop a world of fighting, or reverse global warming, but I can mend things at hand.  There is something about it that’s healing.  Mending doesn't say, "This never happened."  Instead it says, "Something or someone was surely broken here, but a saving grace offered it new life."

There are so many things that need mending:  my old socks, the fence around the garden, the friendship torn by misunderstanding, a country being ripped apart by greed and social inequity.  Some are easier to mend than others.  A few of weeks ago I challenged the students here at Lipscomb Academy to find something to mend.  To sew a button or patch a broken friendship.  This Thanksgiving break I extend the challenge to our families.  Take the time to turn off the TV and stitch together a real, face-to-face conversation.  Hug your kids.  Hug your neighbor.  Hug your least favorite relative.  Say your sorry and mean it.  When we mend, I believe we realize that we're better together than apart, and perhaps even stronger for the rip and the repair.

Jonathan Sheahen
Elementary Principal

A Month's Worth of Smiles

We just couldn't pass up the opportunity to share only a few of the October happenings at Lipscomb Academy. The month has come and gone, but by the looks of these faces, the memories are here to stay. Come and see what the smiling is all about!

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