Farewell Class of 2016

It is indeed a particular honor to stand before you today as your Principal.  You are a graduating class with outstanding academic merit, amazing aptitude, and remarkable energy.  I have been impressed, over and over again, with your accomplishments.  Your baccalaureate, truly, was a demonstration of the diverse abilities that distinguish the Class of 2016.  From musical performances, to riveting speeches, to NCS titles, you excelled and exceeded expectations time and time again.

It would, therefore, not be difficult for any of us to imagine that, within this graduating class, there will be respected professionals, renowned innovators, future leaders of industry, and creative geniuses.  Your talent, tenacity, and, as Ms. Hofinga mentioned in her speech, your “willingness to speak your truths,” will undoubtedly lead to great success.    

But, Class of 2016, will this be enough?

Popular author Stephan Covey stated, “Life is not accumulation, it is about contribution.”  Think about it this way: each of you has an individual capacity for happiness.  You can, throughout your life accumulate experiences, relationships, and financial assets that will make you feel happy.  But, at some point, there is a threshold for your content; a point at which additional experiences, better relationships, and more financial gains cease to increase substantially the feeling of satisfaction.

So, what if, rather than merely accumulating, you chose to contribute?  You contribute your time, your skill, your energy.  And, with all this time and skill and energy, you make an individual, a cause, or the world just a little better.  That small investment outside of yourself then generates more happiness for another – a happiness that you can share in because you helped to make it happen.  Then, that threshold for content that was once contained in just your singular being, multiplies exponentially.

My hope for you, graduates, is that you will choose to be contributors.  That when you “speak your truth” it is a truth that builds bridges, improves the lives of others, and, as a result, adds to your own sense of purpose and self-worth.  In a class of such talent, I am humbled to think of what our future could be if each of you followed this path.

Go Mats.

Picnic with Parks

Today we had our first "Picnic with Parks" and had a small, yet enthusiastic crowd, gather to ask questions about Miramonte.  The purpose of this event, which I hope to do monthly, is to provide students with an open forum to discuss issues impacting Miramonte, concerns, or, simply, just catch up on topics of interest (if anyone cares to discuss either CrossFit or Game of Thrones, I am always happy to weigh in).  So, after gathering some publicity ideas for next month, I am hoping to see increasing numbers of students come by on these days to check in.

I did feel that summarizing some of the topics discussed today might be beneficial.  I have included some of the questions, and their corresponding answers, below:

Is it true that we are having a block schedule this year?

It is!  For the last two weeks of May we will have a block schedule.  The purpose for this is two-fold.  First of all, we have Smarter Balanced testing (the state testing in math and literacy) for all 11th graders during this time and, with a block schedule, we can accommodate more instructional minutes for each student.  Let me explain. If we shorten the day for most students (9th, 10th, and 12th graders) to accommodate testing for some students (11th graders), everyone looses instructional minutes (duh).  If we block the time to create longer periods, students needing to test (11th graders) can test during some instructional time, while all other students (9th, 10th, and 12th graders) continue to have the same number of minutes, missing zero instructional minutes.  While some would undoubtedly have been ok with the reduced school time, this is a far more ethical approach (after all, student learning is kind of a priority around here).  

The second reason for the block schedule is to give a little trial to the idea of block schedule.  Some of you may be aware that there is a District committee looking at the concept of having a block schedule.  There is a lot of interest in this right now.  The committee is comprised of students, parents, teachers, and administrators.  We have been making visits to similar schools with block schedules and bringing back data to share.  We are on schedule to make a recommendation to our Governing Board.  Stay tuned.

Do we have to take Smarter Balanced test?

The good news is that the Smarter Balanced test is only given to 11th graders.  That's right.  With the old STAR test, kids were tested 9th, 10th, and 11th grades.  Now, under the new standards and new testing systems, 10th graders still take the relatively short life science test and only 11th graders take the literacy and math tests.

Now, if you are an 11th grader, I realize that this is still something extra.  However, I am very happy to report that last year we did extraordinarily well!  I'm certainly not surprised, but it was great to see that our scores are much higher than the average for the state (although, of course, we still have work to do).  

Taking this test allows us to show what we know, and identify the areas that we need to work on.  For example, our lowest "strand" on the literacy test was in listening and speaking.  This is not particularly shocking, as this was an entirely new area for testing.  However, knowing this has led our teachers to consider other forms of instruction that allow students opportunity to exercise their skills, like Socratic Seminars, debates, and presentations.  We use these scores to grow our practice.

In addition, this next year our scores will count toward our Academic Performance Index (API), the score our school gets that ranks us in the state.  This is an important data point for us as a community.

So, do you need to take the test?  Yes, because it is the right thing to do for you, your school, and your community.

What are you doing over spring break?

Playing with my kids (I have two boys, ages 6 and 3) and probably going to a lot of CrossFit (see, I got this into the discussion, after all).  I'm hoping all of you have a really restful week and enjoy the great spring weather.

The Recommitment Ceremony

So, we have heard you.  And, now we are listening.

Student took the time to take a survey for us back in December, giving advice for parents, staff, and even each other with regards to stress reduction.  The data, behind the scenes, has been fueling our discussion and dialogue in Site Advisory Committee, Department Chair Meetings, Staff Meetings, and Parent Education.  A frequently asked question: when are you going to do something?

Let's talk about the change process, shall we.  Change is, well, slow.  And, admittedly, this can be a bit frustrating (especially if you are feeling a sense of urgency to "get it done").  Sure, there are shortcuts to making change.  These might come in the form of laws, rules, or top-down directives.  But, I am sure that many of you may agree, these tactics may not always result in the type of outcomes that are desired.  Although folks may follow the law, or the rule, or the top-down directive, they may not actually believe in it.  This can lead, I'm afraid, to people finding loopholes, halfheartedly adhering to policy, or outright refusal to comply.  Perhaps students know a little about this.  We want to do better than that.  When we develop plans, we want there to be consensus among stakeholders, a true belief in the reform, and investment in the outcome.  Sounds idealistic, right?  Perhaps.  But, I think we can do it.  It just takes a little time.

Back to the topic: testing days.  This has been a topic of much discussion this year.  When testing days were first developed, five or six years ago, they were quite progressive.  The idea behind the testing days was the same as that which exists today; students often felt overloaded with tests on a given day and were requesting to spread things out so that they could prepare better. Makes a lot of sense.  And, when this was developed, my understanding was that there was a lot of support behind the idea.  Here comes the tricky part.  Time went on and old agreements weren't renewed.  And, on top of that, it became increasingly difficult to pinpoint what, exactly, constituted, a test.  Were all assessments, tests and quizzes, in this category?  How about projects?  Presentations?  Papers?  It gets a little complicated when you think of it that way.

This was exactly the type of conversation teachers have been having.  For some departments, it was simple.  They didn't have many tests or had agreement around testing days that they felt they could work with.  Other departments had a difficult time.  Frequent checks for understanding are a good practice.  Do testing days mean we can't do this?  Papers might be works in progress over several weeks.  If the assignment was a long term assignment, would it have to be due on a testing day for that class?  We grappled with these questions, and more.  We grappled with them because it is deeply meaningful for us.  If we commit, we want to be able to commit well.

So, this is what we came up with.  For the month of March, we are going to recommit to testing days.  With fidelity.  Does that mean that you won't have a quiz on a non testing day?  Not necessarily.  Defining a "test" was a cumbersome, and somewhat confining task.  Our agreement is to exercise common sense.  High stakes assignments or assessments are tests.  Conceivably, therefore, you could have a quiz on a non testing day for a class or a presentation that is part of a project that has been in progress for a long time.  Does that make sense?

In addition, we want to gather information.  We need to know if testing days are actually helpful to the student experience.  We know that you think it will be, but we want to understand this even better.  At the end of the week, you will receive a survey in your loop mail.  It will ask you to identify the number of tests you had on each day this last week.  We want a baseline.  So, keep count.  We need that data.

And, on another note, give your teachers a thank you.  They really care a lot.  I know that testing days seem easy, but planning is often done months in advance.  Letting them know you see their efforts means a lot.

Stayin' Classy

This post is a little overdue.  

I want to talk a little about sportsmanship.  I know.  We are in a disagreement about this.  So, before we move forward, I want to remind you a bit about some of the commentary that came up earlier this year in the surveys.

You told us, in pretty high numbers, that the top things that students could do to reduce stress on campus were to stop comparing and competing with each other (24.5%) and to be more kind and accepting (21.2%).  I thought, for what it is worth, that this was pretty insightful.  Certainly, a less competitive, more supportive, more open-minded environment can fuel a broader definition of success and, in turn, a less stressful climate.  Here is what I am wondering: does this just apply to time spent in class?  Or, perhaps, could this type of outlook be applied in a much broader sense?  Think about it.

At our games, I am proud of our athletes.  I am proud of the spirit of our crowd and the numbers of students, parents, and community members that come out to root for the Matadors.  I am definitely proud of our Sixth Man, who commit fully to supporting their friends and leading the school (even when this means making questionable wardrobe choices).  That's a lot of proud.  That is why it feels rotten when others don't see us the same way.  And, they don't.  They see a loud crowd (no problem there), dressed in a lot of green (again, no problem), standing up (sounds good to me), shouting at the players on the other team (this is where we need to chat).  Cheering is good.  Some chanting (you guys know the boundaries), works just fine.  What is problematic is the personal insults.  And some of them are really quite personal.  

Let's consider for a moment that the opponent, who we may want to dehumanize during the course of an intense game, is actually a high school student.  Not a college player, playing for a scholarship.  Not a professional player, playing for a (substantial) salary.  But, rather, a person, a student, a kid.  It makes me a little sad.

Now, I know that I often fall on the sensitive side of the spectrum.  After all, I am an educator and, by definition, tend to care a lot about kids.  But, I just feel that we can do a little better.  I think that we are better than that.  After all, we are a top achieving school in the state.  We should be able to think up some pretty good cheers and chants that don't involve talking about people's mothers.  Agreed?

So, here is what I am proposing.  I am asking you to think about that survey.  Many of you felt like a less competitive, kinder campus would contribute to your lives in a positive way.  How about paying it forward?  I am not asking for you to holler compliments at the other team.  But, maybe, you could give our guys some chants instead of just trying to "break" the other team down.  I think our athletes have that part under control.  It is possible to have the best crowd around without being so nasty.  

Let's stay classy, Miramonte.

Final Data (during Finals Week)

Last piece of information from our survey.  Conveniently timed during finals week.  Actually, strategically timed during finals week to help you remember that there is, indeed, a light at the end of the tunnel!  We have finished putting together the data on what you would like to see from teachers and staff in terms as ways to alleviate stress (I know, right now that seems like an impossibility).  The good news is, we are hearing some good stuff from you and, even though in the midst of your third all-nighter this might not seem like something we are making progress on, I promise you that we are.

I checked in with many students and heard many teachers made efforts to reduce Winter Break homework.  This is a great start.  During the preparation for finals, many teachers offered Exam Jam sessions and we had several hundred students each day attending.  Another positive.  We are working as a staff to look at our testing day schedule and consider how we can feel comfortable committing to this.  It is complicated.  For example, what constitutes a "test"?  I suspect each student might answer this differently.  Do quizzes count?  What about papers?  Presentations?  Assignments worth a lot of points?  We are discussing these topics because we want to be able to commit with fidelity, and to do this we need clarity and consensus.  

My favorite part about the responses to this question was that students, overall, valued the learning.  Very few kids responded that it was too hard.  Instead, you wanted engagement, hands-on activities, interesting content.  Makes me proud.  You guys are pretty boss.

In terms of a block schedule, it is worth sharing that there is a District-wide committee meeting to discuss this.  I am attending these meetings, along with several of your teachers, fellow students, and parents.  The climate is ripe right now for this discussion.  I will share more as we continue.  Right now, we are in the process of setting up visits to schools with different types of block schedules to see how this looks and how it was implemented.  More to come.

Thanks for your honest feedback and being patient as we put it together for you to see.  Go Mats.

The top responses to this last question are listed below:

1. Give us less homework, if possible.  We like having time in class to get started and we want to know the purpose of the homework that we are assigned.  If it is important, tell us why.  Homework free breaks and long weekends help us to recharge.
2. Follow testing days.  It is hard to do well on tests when we have so many on the same day.  The test days help us prepare more effectively for our tests.
3. Support us.  It is really helpful when teachers are flexible.  Sometimes it is impossible to get all the work done or we don’t do well on tests.  We like being able to ask for extensions when we need it and we like to be able to retake tests.  Review tests are very helpful in preparing for tests.
4. We like our classes to be engaging and we want direct instruction from our teachers.  Hands on activities help us learn and keep it interesting. We want to learn.
5. Connect with us, listen to us, care about us.  We want to know you and we want you to know us. 
6. Give us feedback.  Updating assignments on school loop helps us feel less stress because we know how we are doing and what we need to do to do better. We also like to know what is coming up in advance so we can plan ahead.
7. Communicate with other teachers.  Sometimes we have multiple teachers assigning things at the same time.  It would be helpful if you could work together.
8. Consider a block schedule.  This would really help us to be less stressed.
9. Try to reduce the pressure on us.  Help us learn how to reduce our stress.
10. Make it easier.

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What Students Say

More data to share, folks.  We have reviewed all the data in the category regarding what students can do to alleviate stress.  This category probably felt a little weird for some students.  After all, students aren't assigning homework, putting pressure (necessarily) on themselves to get As, and, generally, in control of many of the exterior factors that contribute to stress.  When we brainstorm on root causes of stress, very nebulous causes, like the culture of Orinda, come up.  What can students do up against these factors?  Well, this is precisely what we wanted to explore when we asked you the question. Certainly, students play a role in developing their community.  And in that, students have power to change their reality.  Perhaps not absolute power, but power, nonetheless.

Here is what students are saying:

1. Stop comparing yourself to others. Stop competing with classmates. Stop sharing grades.
2. Be more kind and accepting. Support each other to do well and collaborate on work.
3. Procrastinate less. Eliminate distractions and plan ahead.
4. Stop stressing out all of the time. Things will work out, you will get into college. Be resilient.
5. Don’t do drugs, stop cheating, talk to your teachers. There are a lot of small things that we can do.
6. Take easier courses that are the best fit for you. Eliminate activities if you are overwhelmed. Be realistic about what you can handle.
7. Engage in self-care. Relax. Take time for yourself.
8. Sleep!
9. Work harder. If you do better in class, you will be less stressed.
10. Have more school spirit! This should be a fun place to be.

And, because I just really am a sucker for a colorful chart, the distribution is as follows:

Could we do this?  Could we stop comparing ourselves to each other?  Could we celebrate successes without diminishing those who are struggling?  The two top responses are to stop being competitive and to be more kind and accepting. Interestingly, these are really both saying the same thing.  Work hard, be nice. It doesn't sound outside of the realm of possibility.

Thank you, students, for sharing your thoughts.  Your teachers and parents will be looking at this and thinking about it with you.  And, because you all are generally more eloquent and astute than me, I will finish this post with a student quote from the survey:

“I think that students at Miramonte are so caught up in trying to do well at everything all the time.  I think we need to make things to look forward to, even if it is just something like having a good lunch or wearing your favorite clothes. But, above all, sometimes we need to not demand so much from ourselves. Yes, always try your best, but if it is 3:00 am and you still have more work to do, just accept that it wasn’t possible to finish it, get sleep, and look for other ways to make it up later.”

Awkward Potty Talk

I am very happy to announce that we have toilets!  Although you may already know about the various bathroom locations around campus, the new facilities exist in every classroom.  Thanks to Andrew Johnston and Jesse Wilkinson, we now have portable, emergency bathroom facilities in the form of bright orange buckets.  I should emphasize that these are for emergencies, such as lock-down or shelter-in-place situations, only.  See below:

I know.  This is pretty darn exciting.  The buckets contain plastic bags, a toilet seat (for added comfort), a privacy screen, toilet paper, first aid materials, and several water bottles.  Although we hope never to have another lock-down, it is good to know that we will be prepared in the event of an emergency.  Just thought you should know.