Words from the Director - October 2010

It is early fall and time for me to start my blog again! For anyone who has been following the blog (if there are any of you out there), I pledge to write every other week this year. It is a promise I hope to keep for myself because I find writing cathartic, and, since I hold a job that is often hectic, I hope to create the habit of writing quietly about my school every other week (who knows, maybe it will even become once a week, but let’s not get too excited!). I also want to set a good example for my students in making thoughtful creative writing a part of my everyday life. Working at a school that emphasizes written communication, I appreciate the opportunity and challenge to live up to that expectation in my daily life. So here we go!

I recently read a column in the Washington Post Magazine titled “Goodbye, cruel words” by Gene Weingarten. As I read the column I could hardly contain my excitement about the opportunity to let everyone know that the English language is currently receiving CPR in a haven called Wakefield School in The Plains, VA (where the International Gold Cup is held). At this small, sophisticated school that delivers a challenging classic liberal arts curriculum, the teachers and students are waging a valiant effort day in and day out to revive the English language from its current arrest. You may be wondering what the protocol is for reviving a language that is clearly on its last legs as a result of many years of abuse inflicted by excessive texting, emailing, and IMing, coupled with an equally damaging lack of attention to detail and appreciation for intricacies of language.

The initial shock is delivered through a class at each grade level, aptly named Composition, dedicated to writing (rather than a class in which literature and language intermingle as if in an affair between second cousins). In these daily sessions students learn to appreciate the rules of writing and language the same way that math students learn the rules of algebra and geometry. In the fourth and fifth grade students eagerly attend a lunch time session called “Diagram Alley” during which they do even more sentence diagramming than they do in class, and they do it by choice!

Once language’s heart is beating again a long term regimen of language instruction is prescribed. The dose is delivered through courses on essay composition, mastery of vocabulary (the students throughout the school study WODs, “Words of the Day”), and continued drilling in grammar fundamentals. It is the aim of the faculty to teach so thoroughly that the elements of written communication become second nature and the prescription level of grammatical instruction can be gradually withdrawn as students enter Upper School.

In the Upper School the revival strategy centers on lifestyle changes, like diet and exercise for communication. Students spend their composition class honing their skills at writing for a variety of purposes and on many different topics. Throughout each term they compile a portfolio of work that is both peer and teacher reviewed to ensure that the writing and message are both crisp and effective. The climax of language’s revival occurs in the senior year when each senior writes a thesis on the topic of his or her choosing. Students spend an entire year examining, studying, and writing their theses, which are ultimately defended in front of a faculty examining board. Topics in recent years have ranged from a study of symbolism in Polish poetry to the relationship between reggae and folk music.

So, Mr. Weingarten, if you happen to read this I hope that you feel some relief that there is at least one school whose teachers and students are dedicated to ensuring that the English language is fully revived so that it can lead a long and healthy life for many years to come.

Please make plans to attend our admission open house on October 24, 2010 from 2-4 pm. RSVP at www.wakefieldschool.org/openhouse.