October 2010

 

I want to thank all of you for helping make the first month of school so smooth.  Working in partnership with the parents and the faculty, the students have done extremely well transitioning and have really started the year off with confidence and focus.  It was like there was no summer break.

 

We often speak about our strong community here at The Swain School.  It is one of the most frequently mentioned themes that is posi- tively recognized when we ask the students, the faculty, and even the parents about what makes our school so special.  In addition to our micro-community, it is important that all of you know that we belong to a very strong community of independent schools across the nation.  Over 1300 independent school exist in the U.S., and we all have a similar desire to provide the outstanding education your children deserve.

 

On September 17, three board members and I went to Philadelphia to see the President of the National Association of Independent Schools, Patrick Bassett.  As always, his presentation was thoughtful, educational, and inspirational.  The focus of his talk was "Governance: 101".  He did not simply limit his talk to only board leadership, or even Head of School and other administrative leadership roles.  He also covered the importance of the independent school parent and the independent school faculty.

 

According to his research, he believes these four constituents are essential in having a successful independent school community.  I couldn't agree more.  During his presentation he stated that the board's role is to hire the Head of School and to govern the school, or as he said, to "steer" the ship from above.  He continued by suggesting that the Head of School's job and the Administration role is to manage the day-to-day operation and try to negotiate peace among all involved constituents.   I don't know much about worrying about making peace, but I do feel it is important to look at the blank canvas and try to create a beautiful painting from all the different colors in our community.  Sometimes it takes different brushes with a variety of paint stroke techniques to make this happen.  Sorry for the analogy, but I thought our art teacher, Barbara Ward, would appreciate the comparison.

 

However, in my experience, the faculty play the most significant role in a successful independent school education.  They are truly the ones guiding the program and setting the classroom expectations for their students.   This daily design and implementation from the teachers creates clarity for the students and their parents. It is proven that if a faculty member continues to grow pro- fessionally, works diligently to teach children to love learning, shows empathy and care for their students, and exudes a positive attitude, he or she would be a high performing professional.  These are the teachers we need in our classrooms across the nation and certainly in our school. I am proud that over the past several years our experienced and new faculty have made considerable efforts to learn more about independent school education philosophy and have shown the desire and effort to provide the great gift they are giving in educating our students.

 

As for the independent school parents, Pat Bassett states that they are the "self-selected" customer of an independent school.  Therefore, they should be the voice of the school and represent themselves as an advisor for the school.  They should get involved, support the school's mission, and find ways to immerse themselves into the ethos of the school.  The parent has made a choice, and they should be committed to this community. 

 

I hope you see the commitment as a positive in your life.  This type of education is a choice you have made for your children.  I think it is one of the most important decisions you can make for your children.   I asked many of you at the September coffees and at Back to School night to be proud members of our school.  I want you to be actively proud that you are giving your child or children this opportunity.  This community has many talented individuals, and as a collective group, we all have the responsibility and the capability to understand our role at this independent school and build upon its strong foundation to create an even better future. 

 

In addition to these four levels of community membership, we must also focus our energy on our talented students.  The students are essential and can be described as the fifth constituent. The Swain School has wonderful students; let us all take the time to create a school that is a place they can learn to make a significant impact in society, in their daily lives and in their future.

 

I am so proud of our community, and I look forward to working with each one of these constituents to make this independent school the best learning environment for our students, your children.  Let us all think strategically to find ways each of us can help foster our students' learning and enhance this great school's potential.

 

Warmly,

 

Todd