Often, when I am leading Community Meeting I ask about relationships among the different Quaker Values. For example, I might ask, “What is the relationship between Equality and Community.” When we had Meeting for Community to kick off today’s service day, we sat outside in a nearby park, surrounded by the community we had planned…
I was at the ISACS (Independent Schools Association of the Central States) Head’s conference last week. At that annual gathering, heads of schools from 18 states from Ohio to Arkansas to North Dakota gather to learn from experts, share and connect, and talk to peers from across the country. During the conference, one session touched…
I spent the first period of this day with our middle school students and teachers, talking through yesterday’s deeply unsettling events at the US Capitol. At noon, I sat with Renata and a group of 2nd – 4th-grade students who wished to discuss it. Both sessions started with student questions. A younger student asked why President Trump doesn’t understand…
Twice a year, our school does a day-long, intergenerational service day. The first is in October as an alternative to Columbus Day, and the second is in the Spring, on Arbor Day. For the last couple of years, these two service days have roughly mirrored their holiday. In fall, as an alternative to a holiday…
Every month, Chicago Friends School contemplates one of our Quaker values during our reflection time. This month’s Quaker value is simplicity, which is ironic in a time when simplicity, in the form of social distancing and quarantine, is being forced upon us. Simplicity is often one of the hardest values to explain to kids. Why…
On September 20, students all over the world held strikes and protests for action on global climate change. In anticipation, we led some lessons on climate change and the upcoming strike, talking about the science of climate change, how to take action, and the costs of some climate action, including possibly giving up some comforts…