A Note From the Head of School:
"Anyone Can Be Good, You Just Have to Practice."
If at first, you don't succeed, try, try again. I think most of us prefer to be a "do-er", not a "try-er." When we begin the learn new skills, we want to do them perfectly the first time. Trying anything new can be tough. It is hard for children to try new things these days. As an adult, phew, it can be even more difficult! Who wants to fall, or fail? I have read that to preserve one's memory, attempting new tasks the older we get makes our brain healthier. Perhaps I better add learning to tango to my nightly omegas! We should seek to create an environment for our children where it's okay to take risks, try new things, and even embrace failure. It doesn't mean that everyone gets a trophy, but that the journey of learning embraces the exploration of intellectual curiosity and problem-solving.
Carol Dweck's book Mindset reminds us that when we teach kids, the best part of learning is in the process, not the end product. There are incredible images of brain scans depicting how much we grow when we work to solve new problems or attempt new challenges from knitting to algebra to line dancing. Yet, so many children are afraid to take a twirl, join a new sport, ask a new friend over to play, or even raise their hand in class. Feedback regarding the organization of an essay can be perceived as a personal attack, not the mechanism to help the student grow as a writer. This fixed mindset, or a fear of failure, can become crippling.
How do we help our kids gain confidence in trying something new? I think it is shifting from celebrating the final product, whether it is an art project or a final grade, to celebrating the steps it took for your child to get to the end of the process. Ice cream for an A+ is a great treat for a job well done, but consider also celebrating the effort, grit, and creativity your child used to accomplish his goal. Try to dispel the myth that no one is an expert the first time they try something.
I recommend that you work to integrate attempting new and different things at home. Sample new foods, play a new game or do a riddle of the day. As adults, we carry so much power in how we model what happens when challenges arise.
Today was another wonderful day at Radcliffe Creek School. We held our third annual spelling bee outside in the warm sunshine and students from 2nd to 8th grade participated. Each child went to the microphone in front of the rest of the school and attempted to spell a word. Several participants are dyslexic, yet each child tried. Whether they failed or succeeded, the group cheered. We are so proud of our 8th grader, Ben Gilbert, who won the bee, but I am equally proud of the community warmly supporting, congratulating, and comforting each other. This also has a knock-on effect. First graders said, "I am going to do this next year!" and the more savvy students were plotting to start studying now. My favorite comment came when one student mumbled something about how he stinks at spelling, and a buddy turned to him and said, "Hey anyone can be good at spelling, you just have to practice!"
For all children, especially those who learn differently, it is absolutely critical that we help them to embrace the critical elements of effort, process, and practice. At Radcliffe, our children have the gift of creativity, the ability to see details many don't, to think "out of the box", and to do incredible things with their hands when given the right tools. The biggest gift we can give is to teach them to try, embrace the challenge, and persevere. The last year has taught us that we need a generation of passionate problem solvers who can be fluid and flexible in their thinking. We are grateful to be working with 55 of them right now.
Head of School
As always, do not hesitate to reach out if we can be of any help.
