A Dedicated and Detail Oriented Faculty

As you may or may not know Wakefield School is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS). As an accredited school every ten years we must undergo the process of reaccreditation which entails conducting a thorough and comprehensive self study to determine the degree to which our school is living up to its mission in a number of areas set forth in standards written by VAIS. The process of conducting the self study requires committees of the faculty and administration to prepare written reports which are then reviewed and approved by the full faculty.

This past Monday students were allowed to stay home to celebrate the Martin Luther King holiday while the faculty came to school to work on our self study. One of our sessions was spent reviewing edits to the reports of two committees whose work had been approved pending these edits. One might have thought that approving these edits would be a relatively easy task taking little time. However, as is the way of the Wakefield faculty, each word and sentence were analyzed in depth as each member of the faculty ensured that the words and grammatical tools worked together to clearly convey the intended message. We wondered as group if we should use the word “previous” or “previously”. We debated comas and semi-colons, word order, and syntax. Somewhat heated discussions were waged about the order of paragraphs and events or stories not included. In short, the process of approving previously approved work was not a quick process. In the end the faculty approved the new and improved reports and all were satisfied that the reports conveyed that which they were meant to convey in a clear and comprehensive way.

Why am I sharing this story with you? Because as I sat in these meetings listening to my colleagues debate the intricacies of sentence construction I thought how fortunate our students are to have teachers that are so committed to the details of a project. I wondered to myself, if they are willing to give so much of their time and energy to ensure that this report is as near perfection as possible then imagine the time and attention to detail they are willing to spend on their students and their lessons, for teachers did not become teachers because they love to write narrative reports, they are teachers because they love to work with students.

I was further impressed with the knowledge that my colleagues posses. My long forgotten grammar lessons are alive and fresh in the minds of our teachers. I am not just speaking of our English teachers but all of our teachers. Further, this is not the only occasion in which I have been impressed by the intellect of Wakefield’s faculty. Historical and literary anecdotes are regularly thrown out at meetings and in casual conversation. Teachers are engaged in their discipline for fun outside of school and are, in many cases, leading local experts in their field. Two examples that come to mind are: Amanda Gonczi, Science Department Chair and leading local expert on reptile rehabilitation; and John Hood, Chair of the Foreign Language Department and published author in classical studies. Our faculty is extremely smart and highly engaged – and not afraid to show it. They are teaching what they love and what they live.

I feel fortunate to be surrounded by such talented and motivated peers. I know that the students who are fortunate enough to spend time in their classrooms will benefit tremendously from the enthusiasm and experience our teachers bring to the classroom.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Sarah

Deadline for Admission and Financial Aid Applications: Friday, January 29. All applications materials must be submitted by this date in order to be considered for the initial review of applications. Applications completed after this date will be considered on a rolling basis as space and/or funds allow. Click here to be directed to the admission section of the Wakefield website for information on the application process.

Open House: Friday, February 12 at 9 am. RSVP here or call 540.253.7600

Pride and Kindness Prevail at Wakefield

Over the last week or so I have said to myself multiple times how lucky Wakefield students are to attend such a fabulous school. I have also thought about the many ways I would have benefitted as a teenager from the opportunity to spend my formative years at a school such as Wakefield. Finally, I have been considering the multitude of ways these benefits will pay dividends to our students for the rest of their lives. In this week’s Window Into Wakefield I will share some of the observations I have made over the last week that have contributed to my musings on Wakefield and our students.


On the first Monday of each month grades 1-12 gather together in the Upper Gym for all-school assembly. The all-school assembly is a forum for an address from the Headmaster or other guest speaker, presentation of student awards (this past week winners of the History Day competition were announced), and announcements are made. As I watched students arrive for assembly I was struck by the degree to which the students are comfortable expressing their individuality. The uniform limits the degree to which fashion is a form of expression but student personalities do come through in the form of accessories, shoes, and “fit” of uniform. There is a senior girl who wears cowboy boots and a western belt, another who proudly wears her letterman jacket, boys with military style haircuts and boys with shaggier looks. These variations are not what is striking; what is striking is that their style is not governed by social group or allegiance, rather it is an individual display of personality. Further, students show pride in their accomplishments and those of their peers. When a sixth grade student was recognized for winning a History Day prize her older brother, in eleventh grade, stood and applauded her personally. When students are walking, or in some cases running, up to receive their awards they do so proudly, there is no sense of embarrassment about their achievement. This same pride of ownership exists for activities, theater, and athletics. Students move freely and often between participating in the play one season and a sport the next. They write for the paper and play lacrosse. They enter photographs in an art contest and run cross country. Barriers based on social agendas are largely non-existent. Instead students freely explore and celebrate their interests and personality. The confidence and sense of self awareness that results from going to school in such an environment are difficult to quantify but I cannot help but think that if these students have the confidence to stand proud at six and at fifteen they will be able to do that at twenty-two and forty-two. They will make decisions about college and career with a sense of themselves that is much less clouded than that of students who do not feel the social freedom and safety to be themselves during these most formative years.

My second encounter last week that caused me to think, “wow, we are doing something right at Wakefield” was when I was leaving a meeting in the early evening. I was laden with my briefcase, gym bag, purse, and several other items. A ninth grade student who was leaving the building at the same time as me jogged up behind me and said, “Mrs. McDonough, can I carry something for you?”. I declined noting that I had everything tenuously balanced. The student continued to walk with me down the stairs and out to my car making very pleasant and mature small talk and opening doors for me the entire way. As I pulled out of the parking lot several thoughts crossed my mind. The first was that while this student was always perfectly pleasant and kind when I had her in class last year I am not sure I would have guessed that she would be the student to make such generous and spontaneous overtures for an adult so I was struck by the personal growth she had experienced in the last year. I am sure that some of that growth is a result of her home life but I also feel sure that some of it is a result of being in an environment where her recent actions are the norm rather than the exception. The second thought was how pleasant an exchange we had. There are days when my interactions with adults can leave me wondering if manners and kindness are still valued qualities in our society. My interaction with this student was the highlight of my day. She thoughtfully asked about my son, how my class was going this year and shared the highlights of her year so far in an equally delightful way. Our conversation renewed my faith that kindness will prevail and made me appreciate the ways in which Wakefield teachers encourage and foster an environment of kindness and genuine mutual respect.

Finally, yesterday my students were filing out of their eighth grade public speaking class on their way to their daily advisory meetings. The last two students to leave the room were two students who had required a significant amount of redirecting during the class – put plainly, they had been a disruption through much of class. However, as they left the room they each looked me in the eye and said “thank you for class today”. Their thanks were genuine, absent of any note of cynicism. Again, this encounter made me smile and feel reassured that even those students who do not constantly win positive attention from their teachers are getting some of the most important lessons of genuine respect and kindness – even if there is room for improvement.

Students graduating from Wakefield will know many mathematical facts, be able to conjugate verbs in a foreign language, and write clearly and artfully. However, the real value of their education, I think, goes beyond those skills. Students at Wakefield also feel safe taking intellectual risks, they feel comfortable and supported by their peers to explore new extra-curricular experiences, and they take pride in being themselves. Wakefield students will stand proud of who they are, what they have accomplished, and what they dream to do in the future – that is the gift Wakefield parents give their children.

Have a great week!

Sarah

P.S. Current parent Laura has started a MomBlog which you can read by clicking here. Each week she will share her experiences and insights as the mother of a ninth grade daughter at Wakefield.

Upcoming Admission Events and Deadlines

Deadline for Admission and Financial Aid Applications: Friday, January 29. All applications materials must be submitted by this date in order to be considered for the initial review of applications. Applications completed after this date will be considered on a rolling basis as space and/or funds allow. Click here to be directed to the admission section of the Wakefield website for information on the application process.

Open House: Friday, February 12 at 9 am. RSVP here or call 540.253.7600

Window Into Wakefield - January 5, 2010

Happy New Year! I hope the first week of the New Year finds all of you still committed to your resolutions and happy to be back at work and school for the most part after having enjoyed time with friends and family during the holiday. In my class of eighth grade students yesterday morning the majority said they were fairly happy to be back at school, though they would not have been disappointed if they had a few more days off. Given that we were meeting first period on the first day back from vacation, I thought that to be a strong endorsement of the class and our school.


During the break I had the occasion to spend a little extra time in the car as I caught up on errands and visits to friends and family and hence had the opportunity to spend a little more time than normal listening to the radio. While out and about one day a commercial came on whose tagline was, “Is your child overwhelmed by the expectations and workload at college?”  The tagline made me think immediately of Wakefield and our students, not because this is a phenomenon they would experience, but rather because our graduates report to us so consistently and overwhelmingly that they are more prepared for college than their peers. The thoughts that began running through my mind after hearing this advertisement ranged from how lucky Wakefield students are to leave high school so well prepared for their next endeavor to thinking about what Wakefield does that so uniquely prepares students for the rigors of college life. Advanced Placement courses now must be approved by the College Board so our students are not getting “special” information that students at other schools do not get. The fundamentals of math, science, history, foreign language, and literature are largely universal, so again I could not conclude that it was the facts or figures conveyed that set us apart from our educational peers. Therefore, I concluded what I already thought to be true, that it is the intangible and somewhat difficult to articulate lessons that Wakefield students learn that prepare our students to be college standouts. More specifically, Wakefield’s approach to education encourages, and in fact requires, students to ask and wonder “why” – very rarely is a memorized answer all that is called for in class. Further, strong communication and critical thinking skills are the cornerstone of Wakefield’s approach to education beginning in the Lower School. It is our belief that students who do not possess these skills will not reap the full benefit of a premier education because these skills enable students to clearly communicate questions, as well as findings, and to extrapolate on lessons in order to make new and unique intellectual discoveries. The preponderance of college and university presidents and professors say that these are exactly the skills that, once mastered, make students successful at the post secondary level. So, in short, it is Wakefield’s approach to education rather than the facts and figures conveyed that allow our students to be highly successful early in their collegiate careers, though their mastery of a range of academic topics doesn’t hurt them either!

I hope that a Wakefield education is the sort of gift that you would like to give to your child. If so, please see below for important dates. As always, please do not hesitate to email or call (540.253.7501) me with specific questions or to schedule a personal visit.

Again, Happy New Year!

Sarah



Upcoming Admission Events:

Open House: Sunday, January 10 at 2pm. RSVP here or call 540.253.7600

Deadline for Admission and Financial Aid Applications: Friday, January 29. All applications materials must be submitted by this date in order to be considered for the initial review of applications. Applications completed after this date will be considered on a rolling basis as space and/or funds allow. Click here to be directed to the admission section of the Wakefield website for information on the application process.

Open House: Friday, February 12 at 9 am. RSVP here or call 540.253.7600