Karen CarneyOne of our traditions at Chicago Friends School is that each classroom makes its own class rules at the beginning of the year. This practice starts with students stating goals for their year, and then discussing what kind of learning and classroom environment they need to reach these goals. After our middle school classroom devised their rules, two of them noticed that if they arranged the rules in a particular order, they could spell out the words “Be Kind” with the first letter of each rule. The students rewrote their rules poster so that it did that.
This poster illustrates a few things about how we run our school consistent with Quaker Values.
First, our tradition of having the students make classroom rules is deeply rooted in both Community and Equality. By asking students what kind of community they want to work in, we nest the rules in their relationships with each other and not authority. The rules are a community compact and mutual promise rather than an arbitrary set of expectations set by the adult in the classroom.
Second, the class name. Another school tradition is that the middle school gets to pick its own class name – and this year, the class name is “The Bermuda Triangles.” Our oldest students get a hand in their identity throughout the school.
Finally, BE KIND. We often talk about the Quaker values: Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Equality/Equity, Community, Service/Stewardship. But they stem from a deeper underlying belief: that every person has a unique light to bring to the world and that we honor their humanity in that every day. Being kind shows that we see others, value them, and make the world better for them to live in. I’m thrilled that our students distilled that from a set of rules.
Karen Carney
is the head of school. Karen’s career demonstrates a rich and diverse set of skills: project oversight, curriculum development, educator training and mentoring, and classroom instruction. Prior to coming to Chicago Friends School, she worked as a senior specialist in science curriculum for American Institutes for Research. Before this, she oversaw educational programming at the Adler Planetarium, first as its director of education and then as associate vice president for visitor experience and learning. She has also worked in instruction and teacher development at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Learning Sciences Research Institute and has authored more than 20 scholarly papers, book chapters, and conference presentations.
Karen is an active, dedicated Friend (Quaker) and has held various leadership positions at the Evanston Friends Meeting. She enjoys baking, cooking, and painting and is a member of the Playmation improv comedy team.