Tribute to a Mentor

The field of education, and education reform in particular, has lost one of its giants. Theodore R. Sizer, Ted to those who knew him, passed away last week at the age of 77. His obituary chronicles an extraordinary life spent in some of the nation's finest secondary and post-secondary schools as well as his efforts to remake American education around small schools, committed teachers, and authentic demonstrations of mastery.

Although I entered our first meeting in 1989 with a not-so-healthy balance of curiosity and cynicism, I quickly become one of many who consider Ted Sizer to be a friend and mentor. He had recently stepped down as chair of the education department at Brown University, but Ted was still very involved, respected, and even worshiped. In fact, the whole teacher education program had been formed around his ideology. Of course, I didn't know any of this when I started there that summer. In truth, I'd never heard of the guy. When the opportunity arose to meet him to discuss the possibility of being one of a dozen or so graduate assistants for his very popular undergraduate class on school reform, I tagged along with a few friends, as interested in the free food that was promised and meeting the person of whom everyone at Brown spoke in such reverential terms as I was in being a TA.

Having been around the block once or twice, Ted had experience with smart alecks of my ilk and won me over almost immediately. Without a doubt one of the smartest people I've ever known, he was also among the most unpretentious. Perhaps what made him such a wonderful teacher was that Ted was a great listener. Our weekly evening meetings at his home to discuss his class and our discussion sections were characterized by his giving us a little direction, our doing lots of brainstorming and a fair amount of arguing, him providing more gentle direction, and us reaching the exact point he knew we would at the beginning. Of course, at the time, we thought it was our brilliance that brought us to great clarity, when it was really him all along.

On my best days, I'd like to think that I live up to the model that Ted provided and to the belief he had in me. On my worst days, I take comfort in knowing that he would know just what to say to inspire me to be my best. Although it's been a few years since I last saw Ted and his wife Nancy, a great teacher and scholar in her own right, his ideas, his model, and his manner continue to inspire me as an educator and as a leader.

Hopefully, it's not too late to say what I should have said years ago. Thanks, Ted.

Real World Lesson

I think we often think of school, particularly the early years of school, as preparation for doing bigger and better things: learning letters and sounds to become a fluent reader later; learning math facts early enables higher level mathematics down the road; learning to write an effective topic sentence in elementary school leads to effective paragraph and essay writing in middle and high school. And on and on.

Molly Clauss and her Prep II class signing their greetings via Skype to their 

new friends at St. Mary's School for the Deaf. 

But even our youngest students can learn valuable skills that they are able to put to use right away. For many years Prep II students have learned American Sign Language, which they practiced in school, showed off to parents, and used at performances in the theatre. This year, long-time Friendship Club and music teacher, Molly Clauss, has taken signing another step. As we’ve looked for opportunities for EFS students to have an impact in the community through service learning – community service tied directly to curricular goals – Molly has partnered with St. Mary’s School for the Deaf. In September, Molly used the new interactive SMART Board in her classroom and Skype to conduct a joint lesson with a kindergarten class at St. Mary’s, giving both classes the opportunity to practice their signing skills in a real-world, real-time setting without ever leaving their classrooms. This week EFS welcomed the class from St. Mary’s here to perform a joint telling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The cast, made up of students from both schools, signed and spoke the story to the delight of classmates and teachers. Cute doesn’t begin to describe it! The children, both those performing and watching, were totally focused and very proud. Molly said later, “Afterward, all the children went out on the playground, where the real magic began. The children were signing to each other, asking each other to play, asking what their sign name is, and using their knowledge to effectively communicate through the universal childhood language of play. The Prep teachers stood in awe as we watched.” 

EFS and St. Mary's students performing Goldilocks and the Three Bears in spoken 

word and American Sign Language.

Five and six year-olds practicing new skills, using technology, and having a positive impact outside the school. In other words, they were living out the mission of EFS. Next month, the EFS students have been invited to St. Mary’s for a Thanksgiving feast.

Living the Dream

Although The Buffalo News neglected to mention it in its October 2, 2009 story, Worth a look: Adam Lippes makes a name in design, Adam Lippes, founder and creative director of the fashion line ADAM, is a 1987 graduate of Elmwood Franklin School. He remains closely connected to and supportive of the school, even hosting an alumni event last year at his flagship store in New York City. 

Adam signing autographs for some of his fans in Upper School.

An early highlight of the year was to have Adam visit on Friday and speak to the Upper School about his path to success and the importance of the foundation he received at EFS. Adam showed a short clip of his recent runway show at Fashion Week in New York and answered lots of great questions from our students and teachers. While many of the students were very interested in the celebrities he’s dressed (Oprah, Brad Pitt, Halle Barry, the cast of Gossip Girl, to name just a few), they also asked about his fashion inspirations, educational path, travels, the challenges of running a business, and social and environmental responsibility. Adam told them how important a second language, especially French or Italian, is in his business. He warned them that while modeling looks glamorous, it is anything but. Adam mentioned the important role that mentors have played in his success and that he now tries to do the same for young, aspiring designers. He spoke of learning to write a business plan. And he talked about the importance of having a family who believed in him and supported his dream. Perhaps the best messages of the day, delivered explicitly by his words and implicitly by his very example, were ones we’ve been stressing with our students this year: set goals, work hard, and surround yourself with allies who can help you realize your dreams. It's safe to say our students will not soon forget Adam's visit.

Adam spoke of the importance of mentors. In his case, they 

include his mom and Oscar de la Renta. Here Adam is pictured with

a couple of his non-fashion mentors, Tom Ryan and Mr. Ziggy.