https://youtu.be/KExB1B47nwA
Virtual Service Day
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…
Simplicity, Equality, Community in a time of Pandemic
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…
TRUST
I’ve been thinking a lot about trust recently. It’s a quality that suffuses our school, and it makes a difference in so many ways, both big and small. At Chicago Friends School, students move independently around the school. Yesterday, I was watching over the indoor recess, and when my group changed from the gym to…
How To Use Equality In The Classroom
In January, my classroom had a very nuanced reflection on the difference between equality and equity. We came to a shared understanding that equality means that no one should be treated differently because of who they are, and equity means that “everyone gets what they need to be successful in school and in their community.”…
A Month at Chicago Friends School
As a student at Oberlin College, I am given the opportunity to pursue my own area of interest every January, during what Oberlin calls “Winter Term.” For my sophomore Winter Term project, I have spent a wonderful snowy January here at Chicago Friends School. As my month at the school comes to a close, I…