My first week as the new lead teacher in the Acorns class has been a whirlwind. As I’m catching my breath and doing a bit of reflection, one thing that has been a constant all week is the support from the entire Chicago Friends School community — from my fellow teachers jumping in with their…
Chicago Friends School has a strong commitment to service, and it’s one of the things I love about the school. Our most recent service trip was to plant grasses at a new playground in Lincoln Park with the Lincoln Park Conservancy. Service beyond the school walls is great for the kids. To begin with, it…
How can we encourage kids to think critically from an early age? Through an activity that every child is already an expert at – asking questions! The trick is to go beyond simple “what” questions and start asking more complex “how” and “why” questions. I decided to use the book One Plastic Bag to help…
Every school year, I take time during the first two weeks of school for the development of this year’s classroom rules. I started our discussions on the first day of school with the question, “Why do we come to school?” I listed all of the students’ answers on the board, and then said, “If these…
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…