Skip to main content

Modeling Disagreement

It will likely come as no surprise to our parent body that the so-called peaceful transition of power in the White House has sent certain reverberations through the Berwick community. As I expected, this next chapter of leadership energizes many of our students and families, and others have been inclined to protest. I often say to my colleagues at other schools that I enjoy the richness of opinions afforded to us at Berwick based on our unique geography. At a moment when I am asked to oversee the emotional regulation, as it relates to the recent election, of 600 students, 125 employees and the potential reactions of parents, it has been a difficult leadership moment for me - and for Heads of School everywhere. Recently, I told the BPC Board that our parents should know that we take our obligation to appreciate all views in this community seriously, and behind the scenes we continue to address any student or employee behaviors or comments that strike us as crossing the line of modeling disagreement professionally and making differing viewpoints feel safe in our classrooms.

Simultaneously, Michael Buensuceso and I have been searching for ways to engage parents of all political viewpoints in conversations about culture, race, and socioeconomic class. While we maintain that our work in cultural competency is not political in nature, these conversations do inevitably touch at the core of our values, which clearly drive so many of our ideologies. Our parents have a great opportunity to hear a conversation about policing and communities of color in the 21st century on campus tonight Thursday, February 2. The panel includes a civil rights law professor from Drexel University, a current parent who is an expert on terrorism and security, and another professor in criminology who happens to be an active police officer in Nashua, NH as well. While these kinds of speakers can never be fully “screened” for their viewpoints, we have explained to all of them what we are trying to accomplish. We seek to model how we can have differing viewpoints and yet still engage in a respectful dialogue where everyone can learn and grow. Suffice it to say that Berwick Academy has never tackled this kind of topical format with our parent community before.


The reality is that this might be one of the best events we have ever done or it might go poorly. We have opened it up to the public, and we could have lots of interest or less than ten people showing up. I will certainly know more a week from now. However it goes, I believe it is essential that the adults in this community model and embrace dialogue and listening in these times of great divisiveness. If one’s school community does not have the courage to challenge views and ask tough questions, I am not sure any other institution in our lives here on the Seacoast will do so. So the event this week may very well be small today, but I think its significance will be fairly large. Hope I might see you there.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

E.T.

I don’t think everyone is aware that for this period between Thanksgiving and Winter break, grade levels within the Middle School temporarily re-organize themselves to offer interdisciplinary learning experiences to break up the regular routine of class. This year, I was asked to participate in the “Machine Pilot” aspect of the seventh grade effort to explore the concept of extra-terrestrial life (E.T.). Seventh graders are asked to consider who, out of anyone on the planet, they would choose to send into outer space to interact with alien life forms and why. Our students are told they can literally choose any person on the planet, and the focus need not necessarily be someone with experience in space travel. In fact, they are asked to envision a pre-programmed ship with one seat, leaving them to consider not just technical skills but who would we want to represent human kind in this first interaction. They research, create resumes, write persuasive cover letters and are ultimately as
Post a Comment
Read more

The Campus as Mission

Yesterday, I was fortunate to spend an entire day with our board in retreat to discuss the future of Berwick Academy. The day included strategic conversations about the future of financial aid, innovation, and our amazing campus. In considering the strengths of the Berwick campus, almost everyone spoke to the remarkable quality of our main quad, the blend of old and new buildings, and the incredible open space we have to support our programs. There is an aura of learning and support on this campus that is clearly bolstered by the physical space and buildings. This sense will only be strengthened by the addition of the new Wellness Center next year. Looking ahead, there are still improvements to be made. Certainly parking is a concern, and we continue to dream about new facilities that might make the Berwick experience even more special for our students. One of the key insights that emerged from these conversations was the way in which the physical campus needs to reflect the
Post a Comment
Read more

Sugar Shack

Late April always brings the excitement of the BPC benefit, and I want to encourage the community to attend on April 28 at the Sheraton in Portsmouth. Certainly it is a fun way to gather and celebrate what makes BA so special, but it is also true that the funds raised through BPC help move our school forward in such compelling ways. Just this week I was reminded of this reality after I was invited to offer feedback to Krysta Ibsen’s eighth grade science project. As many of you know, Krysta has become famous for her Sugar Shack projects, which teach our kids aspects of science and entrepreneurship through the practice of making maple syrup. Clearly this is an example of student directed learning, where kids get to pursue individual interests within the broader educational construct. What I have always loved about the event is that it changes every year, and this year Krysta charged the kids to propose a real model for a permanent Sugar Shack we might build on campus someday. Kids
Post a Comment
Read more