Return to Oz, Hold the Monkeys

The EFS auction is an annual highlight for the school community. Although it doesn’t take place until April 30^th this year, there was a kick-off luncheon yesterday for all the committee chairs. The auction occurs each year only because of the hard work, dedication, and generosity of hundreds of committed volunteers and donors. Planning is well under way, but yesterday’s event marked the official start of auction season and the announcement of the theme, Return to Oz. Everyone loves The Wizard of Oz and it presents our auction planners with so many great options for creative decorations. But before we get too far down the yellow brick road of planning and building excitement, I’ve got a little confession.

My goals upon arriving at EFS just over four years ago were modest. I wanted students, parents, alumni, and friends of the school to see me as approachable, humble, smart, confident, engaged, an effective communicator, and balanced. At least I wasn’t putting too much pressure on myself, right? I’m lucky to have found a school community that has allowed me to be myself and grow into the job.

As with any relationship, layers are peeled away over time. Insights into my upbringing, my family, my personality, and my quirks have no doubt revealed themselves, some intentionally and others in spite of my best efforts to keep them hidden. I love to tell stories and often use tales about my strict parents, about being the new kid in school, about my successes and failures to illustrate life lessons we hope to teach EFS students. Some of my stories are even true. I’ve certainly shared my passion for Boston sports teams, history, cycling, and playing hockey. And I think anyone who knows me knows how much I enjoy and take seriously my responsibility as Riley and Lucy’s father.

Now the EFS auction is forcing me to reveal a secret I’d hoped to keep to myself. I hate the flying monkeys. I know hate is a strong word and one that parents and teachers tell young children not to use, but I don’t do so lightly. First, it makes me a little less vulnerable than words like scared, nightmares, or heebie jeebies. And second, let’s be honest, no one likes those monkeys. They’re poor role models for our children. They’re followers of the worst sort, doing whatever the wicked witch tells them. They’re bullies, picking on poor, defenseless Toto. Worst of all, they have awful theme music. Everyone needs good theme music – think Superman, ET, Mighty Mouse, and Dudley Do-Right (dating myself a bit, aren’t I?). Flying monkeys are just plain creepy.

Anyway, I have every confidence that this year’s auction will be a rousing success. Of course I’ll be there to greet folks and share in the revelry as usual. But if there are any flying monkeys around, you’ll find me in the bathroom.

See, they're a traffic hazard too!

Congress Catches Up with EFS...But It's a Good Thing!

What do you call someone who can speak two languages?
Bilingual.

What do you call someone who can speak three languages? Trilingual.

What do you call someone who can speak only one language? American.

It's an old joke, but it's truer than many of us wish. And increasingly we speak our one language less and less well. In July, on the very last day the 111th Congress was in session, H.R. 6036, the Excellence and Innovation in Language Learning Act, was introduced in the US House of Representatives. It aims to have every child in the US become proficient in a second language. In other words, it aims to do what EFS and other leading independent schools have done for years: make learning a second language an essential part of what it means to be an educated citizen.

The State of Education

I'm frustrated every summer that when I have time to go to the movies there's nothing worth seeing. And with the start of school, when I have less time and energy to head to the theater, there always seem to be many interesting films that I want to see. This year is no exception. Among the films I'm looking forward to seeing are two documentaries about the state of education in the US: Race to Nowhere and Waiting for Superman. While each offers a different view, they both point to troubling trends that affect the future for our children and our country. Check out the trailers.

New Shoes

Perhaps there's nothing that symbolizes the first day of school more than a new pair of shoes. I remember being so excited to wear the new school shoes my mother had bought in August but I wasn't allowed to wear until the first day of school. Of course, in the old days, shoes meant shoes rather than sneakers, so I remember the blisters after walking to and from school those first few days as much as I remember the shoes themselves. Later, when it was ok to wear sneakers everyday - my mother was a late convert to the idea - there were Chuck Taylors, Stan Smiths, Jack Purcells, and Puma Clydes. I can even tell you what colors I had. And I can recall begging for Nikes when they first became fashionable, but they were just too expensive. As a parent, I'm always amazed that my kids' feet seem to grow exponentially during the last week of August. Those shoes that fit perfectly while we were on vacation earlier in the month are suddenly too small. So off the the mall we go to find the perfect pair of first-day-of-school shoes. As the father of two girls, we keep looking until we find the pair with just the right amount of pink.

So on this first day of school, my new greeting is, "Welcome back! Have a great day! Nice shoes!"