Head Lines

Thursday, March 09, 2023

Does it not seem to you that the stakes are higher in education and, generally, in everything, everywhere these days?

While it might feel that way, I think in response to such an assessment, it would be fair to say, “It depends.”

For example, if you look at the world at a political leadership level, polls over the past 50 years show that our collective trust in government leaders has declined in recent years. And, if we look at the world through a scientific lens, we are able to measure that, indeed, the planet is getting warmer. Not good. And the list of global maladies goes on and on.

Read more 1 comment
Thursday, March 02, 2023

In a recent New York Times article – “Two-Thirds of Kids Struggle to Read, and We Know How to Fix it” by Nicholas Kristof (February, 11, 2023) – there is data to illustrate that students in the United States, at the elementary school level, are behind in their ability to read and write compared to their peers of 25 years ago.

To be clear, this lag in reading skills is most apparent in students who do not have access to “resources” such as computers, wifi, quality teachers, etc. As you might imagine, the pandemic years from 2020-2022 only accentuated the issue.

And what about the impacts of excessive phone usage, with texting, emojis, Tiktok and acronym-based messages, and its potential impacts on reading and writing? Surely, 25 years from now, there will be data on this too.

But now, moms and dads, there is more. More to consider. Welcome to ChatGPT.

Read more Add new comment
Wednesday, February 22, 2023

As you know, there has been a seismic shift in the nature of work and workplaces that was triggered by the worldwide pandemic in 2020. In a myriad of industries the expectation of “going to work” has been flipped on its head. Even the notion of retirement has changed. More and more people are working from home; more and more people will not be able to afford to retire as early as they might have liked. So what are the future implications for kids? What can they expect when they hit the workforce? With all of the unknowns, when recommending what our students focus on for their future careers, I remain firm on one thing…(which I reveal at the end of this blog post!).

Read more Add new comment
Thursday, February 16, 2023

I had the pleasure, last week, of visiting Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. More importantly, I had the pleasure of meeting the people of Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, which included TCS alumni, a former faculty member, as well as local educators, administrators, students and parents, to talk about “the state of education” from the opposite side of the world.

It was fascinating on many fronts.

There is always something to learn when you visit different schools and talk about educational issues. Of course, schools, in general, tend to have more aspects in common than not, but it’s those “small” differences that make each school community unique.

There were many takeaways from my visits and meetings – some of which I will share at a future date. However, to give you an idea of the Australian educational landscape, I share a few of what I feel to be very interesting facts about independent schools “down under.”

Read more Add new comment
Thursday, February 09, 2023

This week, Ms. Jennifer Paziuk shares insight into what student support looks like at the School. At TCS since 1993, Ms. Paziuk is the head of Senior School - student support.

Written by guest blogger, Jennifer Paziuk

I am often asked what “student support” looks like at Trinity College School. Having been at the School for nearly 30 years, in a variety of roles deeply rooted in supporting student needs, my response to that question is often intentionally abbreviated and focused on support as it applies to the context of the person inquiring or the setting in which the question was asked, such as an Open House or Information Evening. It was suggested that I respond to that same question for today’s blog, through a more personal lens.

Here are my thoughts…

Read more Add new comment
Thursday, February 02, 2023

If you have been watching the American news over the past couple of months, you may have witnessed the election of the U.S. Representative for New York’s 3rd Congressional District. It seems shocking that he was elected in spite of lying about his education, work experience and heritage – and even his legal name. As if it couldn’t get worse, he even fabricated the story of his mother’s cause of death. You would think this would all be more than enough to either pressure him to resign or to be disqualified from serving in public office. But, to date, that has not happened.

Meanwhile back at Trinity College School…

Here is what our Life at Trinity: A Handbook for Senior School Families states with respect to academic dishonesty: “Cheating, plagiarism…incur consequences ranging from red gating to expulsion.”

Shouldn’t there be a Life in the Senate: A Handbook for Anyone Running for Public Office document?

Read more Add new comment
Thursday, January 26, 2023

Thankfully, “Blue Monday,” known as the “saddest day of the year,” is in our rearview mirror. In case you were unaware, this year, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Blue Monday arrived on Monday, January 16th.

Blue Monday has no scientific credibility. In other words, there is no mathematical calculation involving, for example, weather conditions, number of hours of daylight, motivational levels, and failure of New Year’s resolutions, to generate an unhappiness scale relating to days on the Gregorian calendar. Actually, some say that Blue Monday supposedly gets its origins from an advertising stunt, intended to encourage winter travel, rather than an official research study.

Read more Add new comment
Thursday, January 19, 2023

Twice a year the School publishes its alumni magazine, The TCS News. All members of the TCS community would have received their most recent copy with the cover story “The Secret Ingredient.” This publication is yet another source of immense pride for me and many others associated with the School.

Within each issue of The TCS News there are sections entitled Class Notes and Milestones. These sections provide updates on our alumni, as submitted by alumni. The fall 2022 issue included a broad representation, with alumni from more than 50 different class years submitting updates to their alma mater on their current state, educational pursuits, family developments and career accomplishments. Alumni news spanned from the class of 1947 to the class of 2022 with insights ranging from reminiscent to joyous as witnessed through the inclusion of 14 birth notices, 30 marriage announcements and, sadly, news of the passing of 35 members of our extended community.

Read more Add new comment
Wednesday, January 11, 2023

This week, Mr. Kristopher Churchill considers the role of literary “classics” in the modern English classroom. At TCS since 2009, Mr. Churchill is the head of Senior School - academics & student life.

Written by guest blogger, Kristopher Churchill

The thoughtfulness of our colleagues in the English department is impressive as they regularly weigh and select novels, short stories, plays and poetry for the English classroom and the edification of our students.

As an engaged supporter and observer of their collective efforts, I ask if there is still room in the canon for the works many my age read in high school, including Lord of the Flies, Little Women, The Odyssey and Of Mice and Men.

Read more Add new comment
Wednesday, January 04, 2023

It is customary for my first blog of the calendar year to focus upon themes of resolutions and goal setting.

While many students feel they do not have much “power” or ability to alter their life’s purpose and destiny, most parents and adults have a very different perspective on this. With decades ahead, we know that young people will actively direct their own path by pausing to consider macro issues in their life – such as their own value system and long-term priorities – as well as micro decisions along the way, which might include selecting their friend groups and co-curricular activities.

Anytime is a good time for kids to talk about and write down their short-term and long-term plans. It’s just that, in this month, there are many more of us penning our plans as soon as the calendar turns to January.

Read more Add new comment

Pages