When I was planning spirit week with the middle schoolers, I divided them up into pairs and told each pair to brainstorm about a theme, constumes and activities for spirit week. Half of the teams proposed potluck for the activity on their day! Before Covid-19, potlucks were a more regular occurrence in our school community.…
Peacemaking, for young children, does not start with large societal or nation-level conflicts. It often starts with simple things, like an argument about what the rules of a game should be, being hurt by a chance comment, or deciding who gets to use the pink fairy first. Luckily, serious transgressions like bullying involving young children…
A week ago, at the behest of student government, I walked over to the athletic fields of a nearby high school with a group of 4th -8th graders so they could organize a soccer game on a real field during their recess time. Before going, I was asked if I was going to ref the…
This month, we are reflecting on the values of Equality and Equity as a school. Equality and equity, like integrity, are easier for children to grasp in their absence than their presence. Throughout years of school-wide reflection, I’ve heard many stories of inequality — among siblings, among friends, in the classroom and at home. It…
This month, we are starting to reflect on Gratitude as a whole school. The image I have attached is of squares from a whole-school gratitude quilt that students are working on. As you can see this group of kids are grateful for a range of things: pollinators; music; a roof over their heads; medicine, even…
[A guest post written by the parent of a graduate from Chicago Friends School’s class of 2022.] It’s “afternoon pick-up” time on a sunny, autumn day. I scan the crowd as more than a thousand teens stream out of the three-story, 210,000 square foot building. A loud “thunk” announces our high schooler’s arrival as he…