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Trapeze Bars
The end of each school year is marked by a series of celebrations designed to highlight and appreciate individual and collective achievements while also honoring the unique nature of our communities. The end-of-year celebrations also represent a period of key student celebrations and transitions, such as kindergarten to Lower School, Grade 5 students to Middle…
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Relationships and Learning
One of my highlights each week is the eighty-minute Leadership Class I teach to high school students every second day. A pedagogical foundation that I always hope to include in the class is the application of theoretical constructs to practical situations through experiential learning opportunities. It was during a meeting with students this week, to…
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Performance, Not Results?
Last weekend, I had the good fortune and honor to host professional triathlete Tim Don at my home during his four-day visit to Brasilia to compete in Sunday’s 70.3 Ironman triathlon (Race Highlights). Since I was also training for the race, I was particularly enthusiastic about spending time with a triathlete who won four world titles, represented…
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Creating Innovators
What does it mean to be an innovative school? This is a question we have been wrestling with in relation to both EAB’s mission statement reference to innovation and our responsibility to offer a consequential educational program that keeps pace with societal changes. The answer to this question will depend on the context of the…
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Our Cultural Mosaic
Brazil’s Carnival commemorations not only represent a time for celebration, rest, and travel, but also highlight an important feature of Brazil’s rich cultural heritage. It is this heritage, framed within the context of a greater global perspective, that reminds us of the importance of culture and its correspondingly distinct and seemingly immeasurable variations. The privilege…
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Importance of Play
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” It is not clear if Plato was applying these words to education but they are, nevertheless, apropos to our contemporary work in schools. With the focus on grades, curriculum coverage, and standardized testing in schools, there is…
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Professional Learning Community
EAB’s mission statement ends with the phrase, “we cultivate … a strong foundation of academic excellence,“ which serves as a mantra to guide all programmatic decisions, pedagogical approaches, and professional development strategies. Arguably, the professional development component has the strongest correlation with academic excellence and student achievement. To that end, EAB has made a commitment…
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The Power of Habit
The Power of Habit Did you know that we conduct 45% of our daily actions with little to no thought? Charles Duhigg, the author of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, highlights extensive brain research that explains how nearly half of our actions are habitual and not necessarily…
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Change is Not Optional
During this week’s AdvancED conference, Will Richardson, a leader in the area of social online learning networks and education, shared a thought provoking key note address. While the presentation associated with the talk may be difficult to follow out of context, there are striking photos and quotes that may be of interest and can be viewed through…
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A Remarkable Legacy
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” ~ Nelson Mandela I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have lived in Swaziland from 1993-1995, traveled often to South Africa, and developed relationships with so many of the gracious and impassioned people from the region. Photos: Home in Swaziland; Drakensberg…