From the Desk of the Head of School- February 8, 2019
Dear Parents,
Inspiration can come from anywhere. Educators are no different within this department. I’ve just come from my time as a judge for Kim Keller’s 7th grade economics class project based on the TV show, Shark Tank. I’m not sure who has more fun - the judges or the students. I think you might enjoy the creativity of the judges, who have all developed detailed origin stories for the fictional wealth with which they find so difficult to part. There is...
- Charles Maumus, who owns any store with Dollar in the title, including a new partnership with WalMart, WalDollar ...
- Ken Folger, who heads GreenSchemes, which invests in people and companies that promise to be environmentally friendly ...
- Jay Codispoti, founder, President, and CEO of JayCod Industries, made his first billion on the fidget spinner and now runs various online notebook platforms ...
- Will Arnold, entertainment mogul and inventor of the cassette tape ...
- Me? Skeen Machinery manufactures nails, screws, bolts, and anything that fastens big or small - Skeen Machinery is all around you, keeping you secure (see what I did there?)
Needless to say, it’s a hot ticket to be a judge for Mrs. Keller’s classes. But Mrs. Keller is not alone in finding inspiration in shared experiences that make learning relevant to our students. Tapping into that shared knowledge and experience is a key piece of pedagogy - especially for today’s students - that provides an opening for a student to develop a love of learning and become the lifelong learner espoused in our mission. You see it in the Space unit in Kindergarten, Flat Stanley in Second Grade, Math Food Trucks in Fifth Grade, or foreign language Hunger Games in the Eighth Grade, to name just a few.
Students are fully engaged and excited about the work they are putting into these projects. These experiences are the ones they will remember after their time at Harding Academy comes to a close. As John Dewey, the father of progressive education in America, often laid out, the intersection of education and experience is where learning is best achieved. At Harding Academy, that intersection means our students view learning as the reward in and of itself.
Inspiring The Mind • Nurturing The Spirit