Una's Podcast of The Lexington School

I'm excited today to talk about the benefits of bringing children outdoors. Twenty-five years ago, when I was Middle School Head, we changed the D.C. trip to the Southwest Trip, which has become a rite of passage for our graduates. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love being outside but, even more importantly, taking kids outdoors. My past as a summer camp counselor and teacher, being with children outdoors has shaped that influence. Now, as a Head of School, I get to see the impact of the outdoors on children starting as early as two years old through 8th grade and well beyond as TLS alumni. 

In this podcast, I've invited some Lexington School teachers from the preschool, lower school, and middle school to talk a bit about how they view the benefits of moving the classroom outdoors. Please welcome Flora Platt and Kris Neese preschool Montessori teachers, Ryan Bowers, lower school Citizen Science teacher, and  Chris Johnson, Middle School Dean of Students, and 7th Grade Physics teacher. 

Together, we discuss the Norwegian concept of "Friluftslive" or "Open Air Life." The philosophy involves the love of nature and the impact the outdoor classroom has on providing new contexts for learning. This podcast gives examples of how education outdoors offers unique opportunities for risk-taking and confidence building, positive social development, physical and emotional health, executive functioning skills,  sensory integration, increased productivity, and care for the environment.

For those who want to dig a little deeper: 

https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/how-does-nature-impact-our-wellbeing

https://e360.yale.edu/features/ecopsychology-how-immersion-in-nature-benefits-your-health

 Sound credit pronunciation of Friluftslive: https://youtu.be/DJm3sn941rA 

Join Una and a few friends in new roles as they discuss their summer reading book choices. New preschool Director Jennie Anderson, new Lower School Head Becky Johnson, and new 7th grade English teacher, Tim Souders share their favorite takeaways in a fun and casual chat that leaves the listener with some helpful and interesting advice and strategies.  Learn about neuroplasticity, how organic and factory farming relate to child development, how best to facilitate a thoughtful and valuable discussion, and the impact of teamwork in decision-making. No reading between the lines, you will want to take a leaf from all of these books. Click play, open your limitless mind, and enjoy a few minutes learning something new from The Lexington School. 

Thanks to Elizabeth Wooster, middle school music teacher, for sharing her students' digital compositions. Louisa de Beer's composition introduces the podcast and Kristian Middleton concludes it.

PODCAST NOTES and LINKS:

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Simek

Moments of Impact by Chris Ertel

Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead and Live without Barriers by Jo Boaler

Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution that's Transforming Education by Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D. and Lou Aronica

Speaking Volumes by Barry Gilmore

 

Spring at The Lexington School is a busy time.  Even in this atypical school year guided by COVID protocols, we have culminating moments and traditions that are important to our children and our community. Events like our reimagined Little Kentucky Derby and Virtual CELEBRATION are in our immediate futures and just beyond are school trips, Candlelight Ceremony, and commencement activities for our 8th graders. Meanwhile, our faculty/staff and families are juggling their lives outside of TLS as well. It's a spirited and fun time of year and the perfect time to talk about one of our most important and our most nuanced mission skills, TIME MANAGEMENT.

We gathered up some fun people for the podcast to talk about time management. All of them have expertise in their own unique ways. School Counselor, Grace Newsome, second-grade teacher Sharon Deller, sixth-grade Anatomy teacher Tomi Lounsbury, and finally former student Axel Kiefer '11 and his mom, former parent and former trustee, Dr. Teresa Oropilla-Kiefer, MD are entertaining and educational. I am very grateful for their gift of time. 

I had a great time chatting about time management, learning some time management strategies, and sharing a few memories along the way. I hope you will make time in your day to listen to the podcast. I think it's a valuable thirty minutes-well worth your time!

PODCAST REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Grace Newsome, School Counselor provided me with some great references for those looking to dig a little deeper into time management:

1. Teach Kids to Manage Time
2. 10 Tips to Teach Your Kids Time Management 
3. How to Teach Your Kids Time Management Skills

Tomi Lounsbury refers to great summer reading:
 
Make It Stick by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel

Happy March, everyone! The sun is out at 1050 Lane Allen Road and spirits are high. We took a bit of a turn for our March podcast. Instead of inviting someone in to share the microphone with me, I want to share with you an assembly we hosted for Black History Month. 

We asked several of our African American alums to Zoom in with our current students and discuss a person in history that has been influential and inspirational to them. The assemblies were informative, educational, and really enjoyable as we experienced our alums connecting with faculty and students. 

Chase Minnifield ’04, MaKayla Brown ’16, and Kamron Cox ’06 met with our middle school students. Jade Wright ’12 and Shaun Anderson ’14 met with our fourth and fifth-grade students. I hope you enjoy the talks as much as I did. 

Here are some relatable resources referenced in the assembly discussions.  

Chase : 

EZ Turn 

Helping Hand

Makayla: 

A visual presentation on Cicely Tyson by Makayla Brown 

Kamron: 

The Little Rock Nine in photos from Life.com  

Jade: 

Ruby Bridges 

Mari Copeny (Little Miss Flint)

Shaun: 

Thurgood Marshall

Today is Veterans Day when we pay tribute to the military veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Veterans Day makes it the perfect time to reflect upon resilience, one of our six Mission Skills, and a core value of TLS that goes back to the very first day of school in 1959.

Resilience is the ability to finish what one begins, trying hard even after experiencing failure, working diligently and independently, and recognizing setbacks as temporary. Resilience is brushing off our skinned knees, getting up, and moving forward with a renewed determination.

The U.S. Armed Forces train in the highest form of resiliency, which is the reason I've asked two very impressive TLS parents, General David Jenkins and Lieutenant Jeff Milward '99 to join me on this November podcast to talk about their experiences with resilience throughout their lives as students, parents, and as members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

I hope you will listen so you can learn as much as I did during my time talking with them.  We discussed everything from leadership, to contingency planning, to parenting.  I love the way General Jenkins sums it all up when he says, "I never lose. I either win or I learn.”

I hope you will take twenty minutes of your day to listen to this enjoyable podcast and to join me in recognizing the men and women of the military. They are models of resilience for all of us. We are grateful for their service and their tutelage as we grow in strength and purpose as educators, students, parents, and friends.

Additional Presentations and Resources:

"Veterans in Our Family" is a beautiful slideshow produced with love from TLS fourth and fifth graders and their families, faculty, and staff. It is a tribute to those in our TLS family who have served our country. The musical recording was from last year's Grandparents Day fourth and fifth-grade performances. Enjoy this lovely presentation that honors those closest to us. CLICK HERE.

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance   by Angela Duckworth

I’m happy to be back podcasting. We had to take a break while we spent last spring and summer planning for TLS Healthy at School. I couldn’t start the new year without reflecting back on the most unprecedented and challenging time in my career as an educator. It has also been the most rewarding. 

It is a really exciting time to be in education. COVID has forced us to reexamine everything we do. It has accelerated some things like how we integrate technology while reminding us of the simple pleasures of childhood like being outside in the woods. Most importantly, it has taught us the power of community and what can happen when that community is united in a singular goal. 

The Lexington School’s goal this summer was to provide a high-quality in-person and hybrid educational experience for our students. This podcast takes you through how we made it happen with specific stories, details, and examples of what we did to be successful to have kids on campus while including those at home. 

Huge thanks to everyone who contributed to the podcast this month: Faculty members Megan Conley, Tracy Young, Mona Azeem, Becky Johnson, Katie Farmwald, Amanda Hale, Beth Pride, and students Max, Dillon, and Nathan. 

I’ve added a few referenced resources and visual examples below for anyone who wants to dig a little deeper. 

Hope you enjoy it!

RESOURCES AND VISUAL EXAMPLES:

CELEBRATE Community 2020 Youtube Playlist

COVID-19 PROTOCOLS Website

Mighty Colts Come Back to School

TLS COVID CHALLENGE (Toughest School in the World)

TLS Specials Youtube Channel

For this year's final podcast, Una touched base with six alumni to talk about the medical world during COVID-19. Their perspectives fresh and unique to their current experiences in their various, diverse roles, and a silver lining is the quick stroll down memory lane with some reflections on what is most important to them from their time at The Lexington School. Enjoy spending a little time with Sheila Plumtree Sanders Ferguson '78, her daughters Ellen Sanders '05 and Riley Ferguson '11, Jillian Kepf '07, Logan Burgess and James Lagrew '2.

Big thanks to Lucy McKinstry who reached out to the many TLS alums in healthcare across the country. We have really enjoyed hearing from many of them about their experiences. Here is a Spark page we compiled with the results of that outreach. It is objectively very impressive what TLS alums in healthcare are doing to make a difference in our world. 

Support the show (https://community.thelexingtonschool.org/development/donate-now)

It's January and we are working to wrap up the next strategic plan. In doing so, one of the first things we evaluate is whether or not the mission and philosophy of the school continue to reflect who we are. After all, a strong mission and philosophy is the roadmap to a successful organization.

Marijo Foster, retired Head of the Lower School and current board member, is my guest this month along with several TLS students from across all divisions. Marijo and I take a trip down the mission and philosophy lane and discuss the value of courage-building and how it is woven into the DNA of The Lexington School.

I want to thank the students who contributed such words of wisdom to the podcast this month, and as always, here are some resources for those who want to dig a bit deeper as referenced in the podcast.

Teach Your Kids to Fail by Jessica Grose

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

The Blessing of a Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogel

On Courage a short collection of Weekly Words from the archive of Marijo Foster

One more big thank you to Bo, Erica, Wren, Will, Louisa, Jack, Mia, and Malia for their courage in participating in this month's podcast! 

Did you know that dyslexia affects roughly 15% of the general population? Unaddressed, learning differences can lead to an insidious sense of failure and negative self-worth. Yet, early intervention can positively change a child's trajectory for life. Programs like The Learning Center at The Lexington School provide a proven, successful framework for students with dyslexia, and its story needs to be shared.

The journey began eleven years ago with visionary and soon-to-be-founder Brutus Clay, dyslexic alum, parent, and board member, over dinner with then Head of School Chuck Baldecchi. Add a strong and thoughtful task force and passionate Director, Jane Childers, and The Learning Center was born.

The Learning Center is celebrating its tenth year in a BIG way because it has had a BIG impact locally on the individual lives of children and families who have been fortunate enough to experience the program. We've opened a BIG new building and finally integrated the program in the way we imagined all those years ago. We have a lot to celebrate.

This month's podcast is the compelling story of The Learning Center told through the hearts of a visionary Brutus Clay, Director Jane Childers, former student, George Freeman, and parents, Marty and Teresa Johnson and me (George happens to be my son).  Please join me and my guests, enjoy some original music from 5th grade TLC student, singer, and songwriter, Ameera, and grow in your awareness of "neurodiversity." 

And for those who want to dive a little deeper, here are a few more resources for you:

1. NEW TLC VIDEO produced in close collaboration with TLC students.
2. NoticeAbility.org Dean Bragonier's TED TALK on "The True Gifts of Dyslexia."
3. WHAT IS DYSLEXIA? A good resource for clear answers.
4. From the Archives: Letter from Brutus Clay to the TLS Board of Trustees
5. HERE is 5th grade TLC student Ameera's unabridged TLC song. 

What do you remember most about a recent family trip? Likely you remember a PEAK and an END and the rest is a bit mixed in together. This month's podcast talks about the moments we grab onto, what makes them extraordinary, and how we can create powerful moments in our organizations to build a more engaging experience for everyone.

The Power of Moments by Dan and Chip Heath was summer reading for faculty this year.  It's a great book. Building meaningful moments is crucial to reaching and engaging our students and developing that curiosity and a lifelong love of learning we know is inherent to this unique educational environment. The Power of Moments relates to life beyond The Lexington School, too, which is why I highly recommend it for everyone in our community and why I am bringing it to you in this podcast. This podcast is about The Power of Moments and how we can strategically think about building lasting moments as part of every experience at The Lexington School, outside and inside the classroom. Powerful moments happen every day at TLS, so it wasn't difficult to track down a few faculty from each division and have a little chat about the book and how they think about powerful moments in their classrooms. I think you will enjoy hearing what they have to say!

“Transitions should be marked, milestones commemorated, and pits filled. That’s the essence of thinking in moments.”― Chip Heath, The Power of Moments: Why Certain Moments Have Extraordinary Impact

WHAT ARE YOUR POWERFUL TLS MOMENTS?
Please share them with me by clicking HERE.

WATCH what TLS alumni had to say about how moments impacted their lives (from the archives).
HEAR from a few TLS alumni about their most powerful moments (new).

Other Resources:
Order the book.
Watch a short Dan Heath video.