What’s it worth? Where is the value?

What is the worth of independent school education? After all, there are alternatives. Our tax dollars do pay for public education. Wherein lies the difference between the two if a child can, at the end of the day, gain admittance to that college or university of parents’ dreams? The difference is so profound that the asking of the question itself belies one’s attitudes toward education.

William Butler Yeats said that education is not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire. This is the primary and profound reason why most people seek out independent education for their children. Parents want the fire, the passion to be nurtured and fanned. They want education, in the truest sense of the word, to occur. That is to say, to have what is inside of every child drawn out to the surface, to have that child freely postulate and theorize about the mysteries of life and engage in the human endeavors of research and problem solving in an attempt to understand the universe.  And they want their child to do this without fear but with a healthy respect for one’s own abilities and understanding of their limitations.

Hartford’s own Wallace Stevens stands as one of many bright examples of a Renaissance man, a product of an independent education.* A practical man who followed his passion, Stevens worked as an insurance executive and in his spare time pushed literary boundaries in his poems, some obscure, others playfully accessible. His success is attributable to that upbringing that fades into the recesses as his accomplishments represent who he had become. So, too, is the way of a strong foundation, an education that promotes inquiry and the thrill of discovery.

The middle school years are arguably the most important years in the development of a positive attitude toward learning. The bond created in small classroom settings between student and teacher is not to be underestimated. The development of trust is essential for authentic learning to take place. The independent school model of adults as teachers, coaches, advisors, and activity leaders supports and encourages the development of multiplicity in students.

The safety and sanctity of the classroom is an important factor, as well. It is a place to try out one’s ideas and attempts at creating understanding. Observant and alert teaching requires an opportunistic flair to capitalize on the “eureka!” moment. This happens best with teachers who are experts in their field of instruction, who have the ability to draw in references to enhance greater and deeper understanding.

I call the above the parallel curriculum to the better known and established rigorous academic course of study that includes the fine and performing arts and foreign languages. Not only do our students receive the finest academic preparation, but also they receive the personal training to use this knowledge in responsible and productive ways. These are but a few reasons why an independent school education is worth it. And anything that is worth it requires commitment, hard work and sacrifice. Therein, too, lies the value.

*For a Wallace Stevens’ biography go to http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=6576

January 28, 2010: From the Desk of the Headmaster…

Experientia docet – Experience teaches.

January is aptly named. Nothing strange about this; the Romans used metaphors fairly well. The etymology of the first month of the calendar year is based on the name of the Roman god of gates and doorways, Ianus – Janus in later Latin. Ianus is often depicted as a god with two faces, looking in opposite direction. The symbolism is appropriate in that as the first month of the new year, we can clearly see what the previous year held and look forward to what the new year may bring. For me, January inherently is an optimistic month. Within its lunar cycle, we can experience the increasing length of daylight hours, confirmation that spring is indeed on the horizon.

With this in mind, I think that January is a good month in which to reflect and to learn from previous experience, to reevaluate goals, and to grow. For students it is essential that they reflect on their achievements and challenges in order to keep the wheel of adolescence moving forward toward adulthood. And there is much upon which to reflect: a full half-year’s worth of academic and social opportunities. Given the mercurial nature of young students, at least some of these opportunities have been challenges that are beginning to shape who they are and who they will become.

There has been some talk about the exams recently. This is normal. However, it is important to remember that exams at MHS are an exercise in the process of preparation as much as they are an assessment of retained knowledge. We know that our students become, over time, comfortable in the testing environment, and thus best able to represent their knowledge and achievements on written assessments. Practice does lead to improvement.

In helping your child process the results of the exams, I recommend approaching the matter from a position of strength and optimism. Examine what went well and what needs improvement. First, focus on the areas in which your child did well. There are many. Ask probing questions about how they approached those segments, e.g., “How did you prepare for the multiple choice? You did so well there.” Get them to analyze, as much as they can, their successes.

Then look at areas that require further work or a change in approach. Ask questions, again, “The essays proved a bit challenging. What did your teacher say about how to approach these on the finals?” The key here is to model externally the internal thought processes they should engage in as they learn to assess their own work. Again, over time, they will do this naturally. The faculty has been working with the kids on these and other questions. Many have engaged in error analysis already. The advisors are ready to help students debrief the experience, also. It is traditionally at this time that advisors will reexamine goals with their advisees to make adjustments as we head into the second half of the academic year.

From the vantage point of January, we can see how much our students have accomplished and what more there is to do. With a new year and new goals, we continue to grow and learn happily. As always, if you have a question or comment, please do not hesitate to contact me.

November 20, 2009: From the Desk of the Headmaster…

I just returned from one of the best -spent hours I have had all week. This is often the case, by the way, when time is spent with students, no matter the purpose. In this instance, I was kindly invited to join the seventh grade and their class advisor, Ms. Whitman on their first trip to the Jerome Home in New Britain. What I was witness to illustrates the selflessness and spirit of giving that has become a hallmark of Mooreland Hill students.

This year the faculty and I decided that each class should determine for itself what community service activity they wanted to engage in. The plan was to allow our students to choose projects with attainable goals that are meaningful to them. As one might imagine, these projects are both age-appropriate and become ever more sophisticated, as students move through the grades. Activities can range from fundraising to commitments of time for a particular cause.

In the case of the seventh grade, the class advisors met with the class and began the discussion of service projects. From among several ideas, the class decided upon visiting the Jerome Home to work with elderly residents. Once the decision was made, Ms. Whitman initiated contact with the facility and worked out the details of the first visit. On the short ride from school, a few students expressed anxiety about the initial meeting, but all were enthusiastic and committed to making the visit a successful one.

I have come to expect much of our students because, in fact, they have much to give. They listened intently to the orientation and instructions. Each paired up with a resident and work on a craft project. I watched mesmerized at how easily they introduced themselves and engaged in conversation. Within minutes, genuine conversations were taking place, and everyone was busy talking and working together. Our time with our new friends came to an end after about an hour.

The ride home was filled with conversations about their experiences. These were interspersed with quick jokes and questions about what was for lunch. They were preparing for their reentry into school, easily making the transition back to the routine. It is during these forays, however, that we can find the real measure of growth in our students.

October 9, 2009: From the desk of the Headmaster…

There was an interesting article in the health section of the New York Times this week about how the brain reacts when confronted by an experience that defies logic and expectations. Apparently, the brain looks to match the new experience with previous ones in an effort to predict responses and potential outcomes. When this is not possible, the mind becomes confused and maybe disoriented. The article goes on to say that this may actually be positive and healthy. In these situations, our brains begin to look for analogues; in short, it tries to incorporate this new experience into the body of knowledge and memory in a meaningful way, to make it familiar.

You can imagine the implications for learning. A little discomfort and unease in the classroom is not necessarily a bad thing. “Sitting on the edge of your seat” can lead to more focus and a drive to understand than being at ease and comfortable, which implies that one already knows the material and can predict the outcome.  Active minds are always more engaged.

In the last week, I have had visits from seven secondary school representatives. It is a great opportunity to learn about each other’s schools. After touring these people around campus, I became accustomed to hearing how happy and genuine our kids are. The natural thing is to take this for granted: the comment being simply a nice platitude. Yet, when nearly all of them make this observation in the span of one week, it makes me wonder.

The last representative to visit embellished on this observation. The night before her visit while relaxing at her hotel with another school representative, her colleague, who had come to Mooreland earlier in the week, said that she found Mooreland students to be a surprisingly happy and active bunch. And now after her visit, she had come to the same conclusion.

Obviously, there is something about our students that is not easily identifiable elsewhere. Next week, I expect to see a few more secondary school admissions people on campus. I wonder what they will say?

New York Times Health, October 6, 2009, Mind: How Nonsense Sharpens the Intellect.

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September 10, 2009: From the desk of the Headmaster…

“In any weather, at any hour of the day or night, I have been anxious to improve the nick of time, and notch it on my stick too; to stand on the meeting of two eternities, the past and future, which is precisely the present moment; to toe that line.” – H.D. Thoreau, Walden

Welcome to the Year of Living Deliberately! We stand in the present, here in September, finally. One week of school nearly done, we are beginning to find our routines and settling in for what will be a year of growth and discovery. Our school year is taking shape as is our student body. We have a new student in our seventh grade class who joined us on Thursday.

Ms. Whitman has already planned the first outdoor education activity for the sixth graders. On Friday, September 11, she, Lt. Gosselin and fellow Berlin Police Department officers will lead our students down the Mattabesett River from Cromwell to Middletown. Ms. Johnson will also accompany the class in the capacity of class advisor.

The purpose of the trip is many-fold. On the surface, it is a science field trip. It is also a trip designed to provide students the opportunity to work together and learn about teamwork. While thus engaged, students learn water safety procedures and gain experience with paddling techniques and maneuvering canoes. More information will be forthcoming from Ms. Whitman.

It has been a good first week, and I have enjoyed getting to know our new students and their families, as well as catching up with returning families. I also am looking forward to field hockey and soccer games in this beautiful autumn weather. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me at the school or stop in.

On Poetry

I have always struggled with poetry. It is not to say that I do not enjoy it; I do immensely. I struggle with its meaning and interpretation. I confess that I like the poems that transport me places in my imagination*, and I find meaningful those lines of verse that express emotions in words that I am not able to string together for myself.** I enjoy ideas and grappling with meaning and understanding; and poetry allows me to engage in thought and contemplation.

I believe poetry is constructed on many levels. A poem’s medium is language, and with the advent of large, national bookstores and the Internet, we have greater access to poetry collections than ever before, but primarily in its written form. Thus our understanding is shaped by our knowledge of language as a written medium.

Metaphors and similes aid in conveying understanding. Our knowledge of diction also determines how accessible a poem is, and, in many instances, our knowledge of words and usage is deliberately challenged when poets bend and stretch literary convention. John Ashbery’s Pulitzer Prize winning collection, Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror (1975), does this. Ultimately, we rely on personal experience to make sense of what we read. This may not be enough. Luckily, a poem has one more chance at revealing itself – through its recitation.

It is in the verbal rendition that a poem offers itself up fully. The meaning of the words, the cadence, the emotion with which a poem is read allows us a three dimensional view of the work. And when a poem in its ultimate form takes on the qualities of that which the poet intends to convey, it transcends the concrete nature of black and white print to become its own abstract expression. Anyone who has heard Dylan Thomas’ reading of Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night knows what I mean.†

April is Poetry Month, a good time to reacquaint ourselves with our favorite poems or to learn new ones. Please remember to mark April 30 on your calendars. Our Second Annual Poetry Recitations will give us all an opportunity to experience a wide variety of poems in their fullness. Listen for each student’s interpretation of the selected poems. I look forward to seeing you there and to listening to our students breathe life into mere words.

* One of my favorite “transportive” poems is by W.B. Yeats, The Lake Isle Of Innisfree.

I WILL arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the mourning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

**The Roman Poet Catullus (84-54 bce) did this very well. Though at times he can write from the gutter, he also is able to express emotions with bold brush strokes with the subtlety of a fine brush in his poetry.

Carmen LXXXIV
Odi et amo. quare id faciam, fortasse requiris.
nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.

I hate and love. Why I do so, perhaps you ask.
I know not, but I feel it, and I am tormented.

†The following is a link to the You Tube site for Dylan Thomas’ Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night. It is transformative.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=Dylan+Thomas&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=apXbSeT5BJPrlQfX6NCWCA&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=5&ct=title#

Pictured left to right: Michael Dooman '78, Headmaster, Herbert Carlsol '57, Founder, Reverend Norman Eddy '34, Amanda Carlson '89

We are thankful for the great events that honored our parents – Norm and Peg Eddy – the weekend of Feb 26th. As many of you know we had a powerful turn-out at both the New York Theological Seminary on Friday evening and at Church of the Resurrection on Saturday afternoon despite the huge storm in the NorthEast. We thank everyone who found a way to join us, and we have good news for those of you who missed either gathering. In the coming warmer seasons there will be at least one more opportunity to get together – this time to see the entire film of Jan Albert’s called Reverend Eddy and The Fireflies of East Harlem and to learn even more about Norm’s method of community activism that he refers to as Spiritual Coordination. In future years we also hope convey more about Peg’s work as well through her legacy at New York Theological Seminary (NYTS).

 We are thankful for the Friday reception that was beautifully hosted by NYTS. NYTS President, Dale Irwin, announced plans to continue to raise the funds (with the help of Rev. Susan Switzer) needed to start a center called the Margaret and Norm Eddy Program Center for Spiritual Coordination and Community Well-being at NYTS. We were so moved by how longtime friends active in the East Harlem community spoke warmly about how they engaged in Spiritual Coordination efforts under the guidance of the Eddy’s. We heard a moving talk about Peg and Norm from Jose Vadi who is now a professor at Pomona in Southern California. Frank Diaz shared how he was trained to be a community activist using Spiritual Coordination while working at The East Harlem Urban Center founded by Norm. This effective process in East Harlem inspired him to become an Assemblyman and now a lobbyist. Buffy, a dear friend who was also a mother involved with the ‘group ministry’ talked about raising her children in Spanish Harlem with Peg and about their work together with the Healing Community and School of Faith. James Allen sang a song he wrote and personalized to Norm. Mr. Allen was part of the Narcotics Committee in 1950s that helped transform drug addiction from a criminal act to a medical condition by advocating for new legislation. His colleague, Reverend James Bryant, gave a closing prayer and led us in singing. Both James Allen and Reverend Bryant have been helping addicts for decades, having created and sustained the ARC – Addiction Recovery Choir (you may remember that they sang at Peg’s memorial services in 1990). While the weather kept author Dan Wakefield landlocked in Florida, we were blessed by having passages from his book Spirituality Incorrect read by the wonderful lawyer who helped put through the EHPP Narcotics Committee legislation (the Metcalf-Volker bill) – Seymour Ostrow. These talks were followed by a viewing of over half of the movie about the ministry of Norm and Peg in Spanish Harlem. Photos of early years and returning celebrations at South Church and 99 Lincoln Street as well as class pictures from Mooreland Hill School in New Britain were featured. It showed Norm’s experiences as an ambulance driver with the American Field Service (AFS) in WW2 and his call to open people’s eyes to the working of the universal spirit while on the road to Damascus. Jan Albert has captured in this movie how through hard work, dedication, and the skills of Spiritual Coordination community members of East Harlem started their own Federal Credit Union, fought to gain a voice and then collaborated with agencies to get new housing to replace their rodent-infested homes that had no consistent heat or hot water, were involved with Dr. Martin Luther King in the Civil Rights movement, and are still having an impact on children’s education today. Sy Ostrow stated that the Eddy’s work also included working to overcome police brutality and gangs. Norm spoke about his inspiration to ‘coordinate all people into small committees to make change using the power of prayer’ came from learning about Bishop Grundtvig of Denmark from Signe Toksvig, the Danish wife of Frances Hackett, a frequent guest of Jim (Howard S) Hart’s on Abel’s Hill. Norm spoke of how fireflies can light up the world when their energies are harnessed into one lantern, fueled by the Holy Spirit. He reiterated what many others said – his work was as part of a team – with God, the people of the 100th Street Church of the East Harlem Protestant Parish, with the extended East Harlem community, with dedicated professionals, and most importantly with his wife Peg.

 On Saturday Rev. Kim Wright, current pastor of the Church of the Resurrection, welcomed over 150 people. She shared a chronology of the Eddy roots with the church. After the 100th Street Church that Norm and Peg founded together merged to become the Church of the Resurrection Peg became the first female pastor there. The church still houses the East Harlem Urban Center created by Norm (which oversees the Booker T. Washington Learning Center). Many friends including Reverend George Todd commemorated Peg (Margaret Lindsay Ruth Eddy) who died twenty years before of cancer on March 7 (practically the same day that we lost Peggy Bristol Eddy this year). Her dedication and effect on East Harlem residents were palpable as described by Elisabeth Calvert on Friday evening. The Saturday program included many people who, to quote son-in-law Paul Feuerstein, deeply appreciated Peg’s ‘humility, hospitality and humor.’ We had numerous spontaneous speakers from ‘the early days’ who remembered the humor-filled hospitality of being at Mom and Dad’s wedding, in her ministry, and her direction of the family camp Parish Acres – ‘the Farm’ or ‘Trails End’ in Putnam Valley owned by the Parish. Her dear friend, Carol Brandes, came all the way from Seattle with her partner Dottie Neufeld. Carol blessed us with music and was accompanied by talented members of the Church of the Resurrection in singing hymns. We were delighted by a spontaneous visit from Congresswoman Maloney, introduced by community member Mr. Bob Montesi. She bestowed Norm with a framed citation that documents Peg and Norm Eddy’s work in the Congressional Record. Ms. Linda Lantieri spoke of Norm’s interfaith vision and his ease in leading a post-9/11 interfaith prayer circle. Dad spoke poignantly again and told a story about one East Harlem mom, Helen Boles, who was moved by the spirit to help families see their children in prisons – and did so by raising the money to rent buses to get to the prisons in remote locations to visit. We were moved by the visitors who braved the weather from Connecticut, upstate NY, NJ and Massachusetts.

 We have several documents that we’re happy to share with you: a statement about how Lydia Lopez perceives Norm Eddy as a spiritual coordinator and a brochure of the new proposed center at NYTS that will teach methods for how to enhance community well-being developed by Norm and Peg. Many people have written wonderful statements and sent photos. John Cato, Paul Valliere, Rev Dr. Pedro Windsor, and Hector Velez wrote moving accounts some of which we read out loud. We are printing all writing on archival paper with the plan to create a book that will last a long time! Your contributions are still welcome. We were delighted to have representatives from the Union Thelological Seminary library, AFS International, and the NYC Mission Society join us. Together we hope to grow awareness of the effectiveness of Spiritual Coordination and the importance of working together to bring positive social change in our world – ever still in need.

 When interviewed last week Norm said he was humbled and deeply moved by everyone’s love. He hopes that all who learn about Spiritual Coordination understand that the accomplishments achieved were examples of the divine at work. At 90 years young he continues to have passion to teach this spiritual approach to social change and welcomes anyone who wants to join in a study group on Spiritual Coordination. We will be arranging monthly meetings, most likely on Thursday or Friday afternoons at his home. At present he is home nursing a broken arm, but in good spirits. He cares most that we all live our lives in spiritual connection and loves to receive stories of the spirit at work.

 The entire Norm Eddy clan hopes to see each of you at future gatherings about Spiritual Coordination of Community Action and about other aspects of our parent’s life work. In the coming warmer seasons we look forward to one or two showings of the completed film in NYC, and perhaps others in New Britain, CT and on Martha’s Vineyard! If you have ideas about how to spread the work please do share them with us!

 With Appreciation,

 Martha (Eddy)

Mooreland Hill seeks students who possess good character, personal potential, motivation and who show promise of gaining from and contributing to the community. In addition, potential awardees must demonstrate high achievement on the standardized admissions test.

Student recipients of the Headmaster’s Award for Young Scholars will receive up to $5,000 in the form of tuition remission annually through the completion of their middle school education at Mooreland Hill.

Mooreland Hill School, located in the Kensington section of Berlin, is an independent, co-educational day school serving central Connecticut students in grades four through nine.

For more information, contact Kathryn West, Director of Admission & Development at 860.223.6428.

Pat Bassett, President of the National Association of Independent Schools

“We know why families choose independent schools. They value what Tony Jarvis, past-head of Roxbury Latin School, called environments where students “are known and loved,” and they believe what the research documents, that independent schools’ intimacy, manageable size, and universally high expectations for behavior and achievement produce graduates who succeed in college and life.” Read more ….