NAIS+2011

NAIS Conference Mike and I attended the NAIS Conference from February 23-26, 2011. The focus of the conference was “Advancing our Public Purpose.” I am so pleased to say that much of what was discussed regarding the theme of the conference is alive and well at Ransom Everglades including: Breakthrough Miami, tutoring at Tucker Elementary, REach Projects, work from various clubs and organizations, and grade level community service projects. Rachel Rodriguez 2011
 * The first workshop that I attended was entitled, “Bullying Prevention-It’s More Than Just a Policy.” This workshop was conducted by two attorneys who specialize in school law. They reviewed recent state cases (MA and NH) and discussed the implications for other states. They also focused upon the necessity to have policies regarding cyberbulling and bullying in general, Acceptable Use Policy, Code of Student Conduct, etc, outlined in the student handbook as this has been the one deciding factor in court cases. Next, the presenters focused upon the duty that each adult member of a school community has in order to protect students “in loco parentis.” Follow up with students, who have been bullied, was also discussed as communication appears to be key in any bullying situation. It was noted that the best bullying prevention strategy is to create a culture of kindness -something we surely do.
 * During the second workshop session on Thursday, I attended “Getting to No: From Congeniality to True Collegiality” in which Rob Evans discussed ways that faculty need to communicate in order to ultimately improve curriculum. Although these conversations may not always be comfortable, they can certainly be congenial and work towards the goal of curriculum innovation and increased student achievement.
 * Sheena Iyengar discussed her book, // The Art of Choosing // in which she focuses upon the importance of choice in schools. As a professor at the Columbia Business School, her studies center on the way in which our choices have far reaching consequences. As globalization changes, and we see political and technological revolutions, we must give students choices (and the ability to come up with a variety of consequences) so they learn to make appropriate choices for themselves.
 * Wendy Mogel, author of // The Blessing of the Skinned Knee // and // The Blessing of the B- //discussed the differences between parents of different generations. Her current concern is that students will never learn to live with failure if they are not allowed to experience failure, learn, and grow from those situations. Although this may seem simple, and was the topic of our 7th and 8th grade dinner, its importance should neither be underscored nor ignored. Not allowing students to learn ways in which to cope has potential consequences upon each child, family, school, community, and our country.
 * On Friday, the first session I attended, “Women in Leadership: Risks and Rewards” focused upon ways in which female administrators must balance challenges of the position. This included family life, school events, maintaining relationships, having people to communicate with, mentoring, and mentors. Although this session was not quite as informative as others, it was interesting to hear from two heads (one retired), with very different styles, but agree that being oneself is the only way to succeed.
 * The workshop “Leading Change in a Facebook World” did not exactly focus upon the title. Perhaps the workshop would have been better billed as “Technological Innovations for Schools.” Although I did not learn what I had anticipated, it was very interesting. Younger students are using technology as teaching tools (as evidenced on Youtube, etc) and less social networking than are older students. Students of all ages expect technology to market their skills. In addition, online publications have become second nature to students, and are something we should investigate, as well as analyzing online literacy. The use of private blogs is probably something else we should consider as students are increasingly using technology in an interactive manner.
 * Pat Bassett monitored the workshop “Leading from the Middle” in which he compared any school professional team to leaders in the Battle of Gettysburg. As Mr. Bassett noted, every school team requires people with a variety of styles so that each situation can be viewed in a thorough manner. Just as important, he noted the idea of training student leaders in ways that allow them to think, focus, and implement skills that will be valued and nurtured by the entire school community.
 * The president of the Harlem Children’s Zone, Geoffrey Canada, discussed the need for all of our citizens to understand that although our schools can be great, all schools must be good. His appeal to NAIS schools to assist others in their own community is something we do as evidenced by Breakthrough Miami, Tucker tutoring, REach Projects, work from various clubs and organizations, and grade level community service projects, as well as our BOT’s commitment to financial aid.