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…
In Science class during the 3rd trimester, the 3rd and 4th graders have been working on self-directed long-term inquiry projects on ENERGY. Guiding students through a project like this was new for me, and I learned a lot along the way. We began the unit by exploring what students already knew about energy, and as…
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…
Yesterday, the K-2 group ventured out downtown to learn more about Chicago’s rich architecture and food. We have been studying the history of Chicago all year and this was the perfect way to cap it off! We took the CTA bus down to the new Chicago Architectural Center. We were met with a docent to…
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…