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…
As head, one of my responsibilities is to meet with Middle School Student Government as their advisor. They like having a direct line of contact to their head, and they also do some important jobs for the school. These include: Representing classrooms of younger kids and funneling requests up to me as head. Planning fun…
Adolescence is a wonderful time of development. Kids have new skills and abilities, and also are itching for more freedom and responsibility. They want to do it all, but they still need guidance and support. As our middle school students grow, we look for opportunities for our middle school students to take leadership in the…
Throughout the year, at Chicago Friends School, we reflect on and discuss Quaker Values in community meeting. We recently finished talking about simplicity, and I was forced to pause and think about how hard this is for young kids who are growing up in today’s America. The Quaker value of simplicity might be best recognized…
I went to recess today for the first time in several weeks, and found myself reflecting on actions of some of our boys with pride. This recess, a group of our boys were playing a long game of touch football in the snow. They called fouls, passed, ran, and chased for almost the entire recess…