Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl Sunday.  When I was in middle school, I would have thought that this day was a national holiday.  All day long, I would be giddy with excitement for the big game.  I remember that ESPN would show NFL Films recaps of past Super Bowls, in order, throughout the day.  I would watch every one!  The music of NFL Films and John Facenda’s deep voice made everything about the Super Bowl feel larger than life.  It did not matter the teams that played, I just imagined that the whole world must be waiting with bated breath, like me, for kick off.

I have written before about the importance of football in my life, so one might assume that I still would be crazy about the Super Bowl.  Somewhere between 1985 and the present, however, Super Bowl Sunday lost its shine.  I still find time in my schedule to watch, but it is not that monumental day that it once was.

As I was reflecting on this, I was wondering if my seventh-grade self would have believed this to be the case.  I am pretty certain that Ricky Johnson of the mid-80s would be incredulous, and probably a little disappointed in the way that his adult-self views the Super Bowl.

This then led me to reflect on the current students at The Beech Hill School.  What will they remember with a gauzy nostalgia from their lives in 30 to 40 years only to have its importance fade as they age. Will it be something like the Super Bowl, Harry Potter or maybe it will be an activity that they think defines their life?  It is hard to know how tastes, priorities and lives will change through the years. 

This I know - I loved those old Super Bowl Sundays, and I am so glad that my family would let me get excited, stay up past my bedtime and have a great day geeking out on football.  While there is no doubt that the current group of middle schoolers will change so much in the years to come, I hope that we support their current passions and excitements, even knowing that it could just be a passing phase, so that when they reflect on their middle school years, they too will have fond memories.

As a side note, when writing this, I looked up an old NFL Films video on YouTube.  The sound of the music and John Facenda’s voice already made this year’s Super Bowl Sunday a winner for me!

Healthy Competition

As far as competitions go, this was a big week for The Beech Hill School.  The MathCounts team hosted a math competition, the faculty were competing in Faculty Jeopardy, the whole school participated in the stackers competition, we crowned a Spelling Bee champion – congratulations Lennon! – and our climbing team was competing in the second contest of the winter season on Saturday.

Philosophically, I believe that competitions are a good thing – they provide a forum for individuals to test themselves, and, hopefully, are enjoyable.  The MathCounts competition this week was a perfect example of this, as almost 30 students from different schools came to BHS on Thursday afternoon to test their math acumen.  After students put forth their best effort to answer 30 demanding questions in 40 minutes, they all hung out together, eating pizza, Oreos and animal crackers.  Awards were given, but what mattered most was that a bunch of middle schoolers got a chance to push themselves – not for a grade – but for the joy of the challenge.  Throughout the event, there were no tears, no taunts, and no yelling or jeers.  There were, however, smiles, congratulations, and gratitude.

When done well, competitions of any sort are great avenues for community building.  By their very nature, competitions require numerous participants.  When competitors join together in a common pursuit of excellence, it is something to see.  Especially when that pursuit is undergirded by respect.  Such was the case this week at BHS.  I watched as students cheered on their classmates, when competitors shook hands and hugged after competitions and witnessed the awestruck faces of students that watched as their peers accomplished great feats.

Unfortunately, competition is too often associated with boorish and brutish behaviors.  From parents and coaches mistreating others, to students putting undo pressure on themselves, and more – competition can sometimes be taken too far.

I am pleased to report that our community is a better place because our students have the chance to compete in a safe and healthy manner.  Congratulations to all the individuals that participated in, organized, or simply made possible the opportunity for BHS students to test themselves and to enjoy the pleasures of this week’s competitions.

On Creativity...

Last weekend I drove my daughter, Elizabeth, to a lacrosse event in Boston.  I spend a lot of time traveling with her for her sports, and as a teenager, there are many miles when she is completely absorbed by her phone.  Fortunately for me, she also enjoys chatting with me, and she is quite the conversationalist.   On the ride back last week, she was especially talkative, and we were discussing a book that I had an interest in reading – Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act.

We spoke about this topic for some time before my daughter asked me point blank – “Do you think that you are a creative person?”  I was silent – which is rare for me.  I was not sure how to answer her question, as I would like to think of myself as creative, but I was reluctant to label myself as such.  In my mind, I was thinking that artists, musicians, and writers could claim to be creative  - but me?

Since that conversation I actually purchased the book I was discussing with EJ, and the very first chapter focused on this issue of being a creator.  According to Rubin, “to create is to bring something into existence that wasn’t there before.  It could be a conversation, the solution to a problem, a note to a friend, the rearrangement of furniture in a room, a new route home to avoid a traffic jam.”  His broad definition resonates with me and gives permission for all of us to see ourselves as creative.

Too often, I hear students at BHS denigrate their own creativity.  This is especially true when I ask students to draw maps.  Without exception there are always a few that will claim – “I can’t, I am not an artist.”  I always respond that I am not seeking a masterpiece, but I just would like them to make an effort.  In all of my years, I have never witnessed a student that could not create a decent map, once they simply allowed themselves a chance to just create.

From my perspective, the students and faculty at BHS are extremely creative.  Moving forward, I hope that more of our students and teachers at BHS will embrace a broader view of creativity and embrace the moniker of creator.  I, too, will be much more willing to embrace my own creativity. So, if my daughter ever asks me again if I consider myself creative, there will be no pause -  I will answer with a full-throated and resounding – YES!

Dr. King and BHS

Earlier in my career, I worked at a school just outside of Wilmington DE, and I lived in Center City, Philadelphia.  While working and living in the Mid-Atlantic region, I discovered that region celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King’s holiday in a way that is very different from what is typical in New England.  Adults and children, supported by businesses and schools, actively celebrate Dr. King’s legacy in myriad ways, with most adults engaging in a day of service – volunteering their time and treasure to help others in the community.  I was moved by this and as Head of School, have tried to bring this sense of action to BHS.  This Monday brings an opportunity to consider Dr. King’s life and work, his message, and how we can help to bend the moral arc of the universe toward justice.

Tomorrow, we will not spend a day off, doing whatever we should choose – we will spend time together as a community.  In our time together, our students will be entertained, as they will be watching movies and eating pizza.  But they will also be challenged to think about the actions of the characters in these movies.  They will hopefully recognize that an “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and that in time, they will emerge as morally strong citizens and leaders.

It is true that we could do more, but it is also true that we could do nothing.  Like Dr. King said, “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”  On Monday, we will keep moving forward!

Travel as Teacher

Last week, I had an amazing opportunity to travel with my immediate and extended family.  This trip was originally planned to celebrate my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.  Because of the pandemic, we had to reschedule several times, finally making it all happen last week.  To say it was worth the wait would be a huge understatement.

On one level, the trip was about spending time together as a family.  My sister and her husband live in Seattle, and my parents live in Connecticut, so it is rare that all of us can spend time together.  Throughout the trip, however, I found myself thinking about the value of travel in relation to personal growth.  For example, I taught my 6th Grade Geography class about the island of Hispaniola this year, but while in Haiti, I gained an entirely new sense of the island’s volcanic past and steep, lush mountains. 

In the end, I believe that travel is truly amazing and a humbling teacher.  On occasion, I have told my Geography class that if I were able, I would have them spend the entire year traveling the world, as that would far surpass any learning that we could do in the confines of our classroom.  Alas, I also teach them about economics and scarcity.  While it would be an amazing opportunity to travel the world, this is not feasible. 

As Head of School, however, I have always hoped that at some point in the future of The Beech Hill School, a significant travel experience would be a part of the required curriculum.  To make this a reality, it would require significant funding and staffing.  However, as I wrote about last week, it is good to be aspirational.  Hence, I will continue to build a foundation at BHS that will one day provide our students an opportunity to participate meaningful international travel.