Toronto Maple Leafs

I have to admit from the outset that I am a “die-hard” Toronto Maple Leaf fan. Not only do I remember when the Leafs last won the Cup, but I can also remember who was on the team.

And so, on Tuesday night, like many others, I went from the excitement of another round of playoffs, to utter despair. Waking up on Wednesday Leaf Nation did not have the same aura about it.

But then I thought of the players and how they dealt with and felt about their disappointment. Did they take any consolation in the pundits who talked about improvements throughout the season and how next year would be so much better? I can’t think they were feeling good, despite all the clichés about it only being a game. This gave me pause to think about our students.

How do our students feel when they are disappointed? Would they be as devastated as the Leaf players. To some degree they would feel the same emotion.

Whether it is putting a great deal of effort into a test, a musical performance, or an athletic event, there is a true feeling of investment. When you feel that you have fallen short of your goal it hardly feels that the investment of time and commitment was worth the effort. And it would not be reassuring for a faculty member to say, “next year.”

Success and failure are not end points; they are stations on the journey. The secret is not to spend time at the station. In failure and in success there is learning, but the learning does not stop there. It is the resolve to move forward with renewed enthusiasm to the next station that is critical. As teachers it is our responsibility to help children develop this resolve and resiliency. Hopefully the Leaf coaching staff can do the same for our beloved Leafs.

Speak Out Montcrest

Over the past month, students from grades 4 to 8 have been preparing for our annual Speak Out Montcrest. They have been researching, writing, peer editing, and auditioning their speeches in the stairwells of the school, all in preparation for a presentation before their class and possibly before the school.

For many students this is the first opportunity they have had to share their thoughts in such a formal and public way. Our older students are more seasoned presenters. Speeches may be developed individually or with a partner.

The speeches take a wide range of forums depending on their grade level. Some may present about their favourite person or favourite cause, others might tell a story, and one class recites their own poem. And although this is a collective initiative of the school, it represents, in one of the most tangible ways, the unique voices of our students.

Last year we heard the tales of Women in Afghanistan, Betty and Veronica, and Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. This year, we listened to insights about Speech Writing, Tommy Douglas, and Betty White, our beloved art teacher. The speakers and audience learned so much about the world around us and about each other.

It takes courage to stand in front of an audience, however large or small, and speak with poise and confidence. For some people this comes very easily, for others it represents a great challenge. Everyone has a role to play, as a speaker, editor, and a listener.

Once again this year, our students were outstanding as they offered us their unique voices.

Bingo Night

“Under the B, one – five, 15” and so began a fun-filled first ever Friday Night Bingo in the Montcrest gymnasium as Jeff Borsten, Assistant Head of School, and I began to call out bingo numbers.

This was a true community event, organized by the many volunteers from the Montcrest Parents’ Association and student helpers in partnership with the school, particularly the IT Department. Our exceptional and talented organizers had carefully considered everything. We had special cards, “dabbers”, paper tablecloths, terrific prizes, and of course all time favorite snacks including: signature bingo cupcakes, water, juice, and specialty tea. Our school gym had been magically transformed into a Bingo Hall.

As we looked out on the 251 in attendance it was hard not to be impressed by the variety of groups in the audience. There were grandparents seated with kindergarten children; there were parents seated beside their grade 8 student; and every combination of relationship in between. People were dressed in bingo attire and even alumni decided to join our festivities.

In a time when there does not seem to be enough time, Friday night was a powerful example of taking this precious commodity and using it to the utmost. Children were supporting adults, adults were giggling with their children, and everyone was working to have fun together in concert to win a prize. And with the announcement of each winner there were cheers that erupted from around the gym. It was fitting that the winner of the grand prize was one of our youngest students – a grade 1 boy.

In what was a week that all of us would like to forget, Friday night was a powerful affirmation of community, of values, and of joy – all of the things that Montcrest passionately supports.

Let’s have many more evenings like this one.

Respect

I have just finished reading the input provided by last year’s grade 6 and 8 parents and students who completed our exit survey. One of the areas where the school overwhelming drew positive recognition was for its commitment to the values of Standing for Character: respect, responsibility, integrity, compassion, and courage.  This commitment transcends everything that we do at Montcrest in part because our staff and faculty believe so much in its importance.

It was therefore with some dismay when I heard about the antics of the Rutgers varsity basketball coach who kicked and threw basketballs at his players and demeaned them with his consistently vulgar language. His behaviour was posted in a video and he was subsequently fired by the university. Some commentators passed his behaviour off as a passion for winning – getting the very best from his players.

I find this rationale archaic and unbalanced. There have been coaches who have won based on their belief that athletes are merely pawns in a chess game with the coach as the grand master. But, significantly more coaches have won because of the respect that they have earned from their players. Challenge, hard work, and dedication are all elements of a successful team. However, one of the most important elements of a successful team is teamwork and this only emerges when players respect each other and there is mutual respect between players and coaches.

Coaching is “Standing for Character.”  I am delighted that it was the student athletes who took it upon themselves to define respect to the coach and the university and asked them to not only talk about it, but live it.

Bystanders

I read with much interest an article on the weekend, “Standing by When Horror Happens: Can We Re-engineer Our Mob Mentality?” The article in the Globe & Mail describes the horrendous crime that was committed last August in Steubenville Ohio, and focuses on the large number of people who could have easily prevented the crime. Instead, the pack decided to record the evening’s events. Rightfully so the article asks, “Why did so many people document, rather than stop, what was going on?”

Is it because with a larger group there is an expectation that “someone else” will step forward and therefore individual responsibility can be abdicated? Is it because in a larger group one can claim anonymity and therefore be absolved of obligation? Is it because no one thought that anything “really bad” was going to happen?

As educators it is our obligation to model and speak with our students about individual responsibility; an element of that responsibility is the conviction of moral courage. It means doing the right thing, and it doesn’t have to be big: helping someone with their work, picking up litter on the playground, shoveling snow for the neighbour, or refusing to listen to gossip. By doing the small things, we develop the ability to have the conviction to do the big things like standing up to bullies or stopping events like the one that occurred in Ohio. At the root of moral courage is our capacity to understand the need to care for others and to actively support those who need support. We must consider schools an incubator of moral character, where we foster strength to make “right” choices.

Can we teach the mob to demonstrate collective moral courage? Absolutely. Is moral courage just for the hero? No, I believe that it is possible for everyone to be a “hero” – but we need to actively teach this quality to our children. We can begin to do this one student at a time.

Leadership

Last week I attended the National Association of Independent School’s annual conference. This event gathers more than 5,000 independent school educators and governors from around the globe.

The keynote speaker at this year’s conference was Jim Collins, author of books such as Good to Great and Great by Choice. I am sure that many of you have read these books.

Some of the things that Mr. Collins talked about were the elements that distinguished good organizations from great organizations. As I listened the more I understood that from a school perspective what differentiated good schools from great schools, was the institutionalizing of core values. By that, I mean the values that a school community: staff, parents, alumni and particularly students have as their anchor. They live and breathe these values on a daily basis.  At Montcrest School, our Standing for Character elements: respect, responsibility, compassion, integrity and courage are not just words. They represent the foundation for how we interact with others, not just at school but how we relate with people from other schools, friends and visitors. When values are not only defined but also practiced daily, they provide the bedrock for generations.

And so what has this to do with leadership? What is the role of the Head of School in the “good to great” continuum?  As leaders of the school, we offer vision and strategic direction. But of utmost importance, the Head of School sets the moral compass for the community. Values define how we interact with faculty, staff parents, alumni and children. We are models for others. When our decisions reflect the principles that we live by at school; we set a foundation for all decisions and help to create great schools.

Last Friday’s Snow Day

It had been predicted for several days, but given the recent accuracy of forecasters I did have my doubts that Toronto would be hit with a “major” snowstorm. There was certainly a great deal of lobbying (even from my own family) for a “snow day” at school.  But, after due consideration, Montcrest was open “as usual” on Friday. And I am delighted that we were at Montcrest draped in snow that created a different picture for all of us to enjoy.

We talk of 21^st century learning skills: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, adaptability, self-direction, and communication. All of these were in full display. Some classes were combined and students had the opportunity to be with their friends in a different setting, quinces were carefully designed after much strategizing and built amongst great laughter, snowmen seemed to erupt everywhere as children worked together to construct the highest statue, and snow soccer spontaneously ignited and gained momentum as the children adapted their own rules to meet the challenging play conditions.

A play day? Hardly! Some of the best learning was taking place.

And so on what might have seemed one of the least academic days of the school year, parents came at 3:30 and picked up their children – a little red in the face and snow covered, but having a day that they will forever remember. And all without having to call in the army!

Nurture the Uniqueness of the Individual

Recently I read with interest and was inspired by an article that was written by a woman who was born in the early 1950s. For close to 15 years she did not understand her reading and writing challenges – until she was told that she was dyslexic. (My Secret Garden of Words – Globe and Mail, January 7, 2013).

This poignant article described in some detail her journey through her schooling years that included both horrific and brilliant teachers. Her early school years were often derailed by times of feeling totally ashamed, uncertain, and wholly inadequate. But, in the end it was the patience, commitment, and understanding of her parents, grandparents, and one teacher that allowed her to blossom and find her voice.

While reading the article I reflected on the unique gifts that each of our children bring to our schools. Each brings their own uniqueness; an individuality that is celebrated and contributes to the positive ebb and flow of the school day.

School should not be an exercise in “survival” as described by the author. It should be a time where we nurture the uniqueness of the individual and provide the tools to develop independent and responsible citizens who understand that they can take pride in their individuality. As parents and educators, our greatest legacy for our children lies in our ability to provide them with the tools so that they have the intellectual and spiritual power to make a difference in the world. We need to know that this is a process, not an end result, and something that we need to help children with each day.

Role Models

The professional conduct of “high profile” people is back in the headlines. Last week, Chris Spence, the former Chair of the Toronto District School Board resigned for plagiarizing and Lance Armstrong has finally admitted to using drugs while cycling.

The fall issue of Independent School magazine published a study by the Josephson Institute of Ethics of over 40,000 high school students and looked specifically at 36 independent schools. Close to 60% of public school students reported cheating on school tests, compared with roughly 35% at independent schools. The study examined why some schools and students reported rampant cheating and others did not.

The bottom line… where there was a low trust level between students and teachers, cheating was widespread. At Montcrest we work hard to develop meaningful relationships between students and adults. We strongly believe that there needs to be at least one adult in our community that a child connects with. Every day we live our Standing for Character and it is during the elementary years that these lessons of values are so powerful.

We place a significant emphasis on these ideals in our community. All of our interactions between adults and children are guided by the basic premise that we hold integrity and courage in such high regard. So, it is somewhat disheartening when we hear role models such as Lance Armstrong say, “It is not cheating if more than one person is cheating at the same time.”

We are ALL role models for our children – our words and actions DO count because our children are watching and modeling our behaviour.

 

 

Words

A week or so ago we all heard or read about the “antics” of two disc jockeys in Australia. They phoned the hospital that had admitted the Duchess of Cambridge and impersonated the Queen and Prince Philip. Through inadvertence their call was passed along to the attending nurse on the Duchess of Cambridge’s ward.

When the “prank” became public, the nurses were devastated to learn of the breach, so much so that one of them, Jacintha Saldanha, committed suicide.

This very sad and tragic event reminds us of the power of our actions and our words. One of the things that we are continually asking our students to do is to measure their actions by asking, “How would they feel if they were treated in the same way.” Clearly the Australian adults did not see the difference between prank and hurtful action and failed to take the same measure we ask of our children on a daily basis.

And now the nurse’s family, her friends and co-workers, the hospital, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and many others mourn the loss. To say, “I am sorry,” simply does not undo the damage that has been wrought. The power of actions and words is that they are easily disseminated; the challenge is that they can never be taken back. Not only can they destroy the voices that we so much want to hear, but it can so easily and quickly destroy the soul. Let us hope that we never hear a story like this again.