Behind the Scenes on In-Service Day

A week ago today we were on the tail end of a long weekend – a weekend that, for some, was a bit longer than for others. Students and (hopefully) their parents enjoyed a four-day weekend. For members of our faculty it was a three-day weekend, as we spent that Friday at school for an in-service day.

I imagine our students might sometimes wonder, “What do teachers do at school when we're not there, anyway?” I thought I would describe a bit of this most recent in-service day, in part to answer the question (in case you were wondering the same thing) and also to provide a glimpse into the kind of professional discourse that occurs among our faculty.

Generally speaking, an in-service day provides a chance for the faculty to spend an extended amount of time on a topic or task; more time than we have, for example, in faculty meetings that occur after a school day. Sometimes the day involves a guest speaker or training, or time for committees to meet, or time for teachers to write progress reports.

On this in-service day, we chose to spend time on a few topics that are of particular interest to various members of our faculty and about which all of us would benefit from learning and discussing. Here is a sampling:

• Teacher Amy led a mindfulness relaxation exercise called “anchor breathing.” Students have been learning mindfulness practices, which increase focus and decrease stress and anxiousness, in guidance classes. Becoming familiar with these practices as teachers is good for each of us, individually, and paves the way for making them part of our daily routine with students.
• We viewed a TEDTalk called “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are,” given by social psychologist Amy Cuddy. We probably all know that body language affects how others see us, but apparently it may also change how we see ourselves. According to Cuddy's research, standing in a posture of confidence can have a physiological and neurological effect that impacts our chances for success. Viewing this talk prompted conversation among teachers about the effects of our own body language as well as that of our students, and steps we might take to utilize Cuddy's findings in the classroom.
• We listened to portions of a Voices in the Family (WHYY-FM) interview of Dr. Ken Ginsburg and Susan Fitzgerald, authors of Raising Responsible, Resilient, Self-Sufficient Teens in the 21^st Century. Here are some quotes from the interview that sparked conversation among our group: “Perfectionism is the death of creativity and innovation.” "Teaching you how to be resilient is not about teaching you to be successful, it's about teaching you how to respond when you are not." "Mistakes are the raw materials to help us build the foundation for success." (see end note)
• And, finally, we viewed an interview of Paul Tough, author of How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character (warning: if you view the video, take the interviewer with a grain of salt and focus on what Tough has to say). In his New York Times bestseller, Tough counters the prevailing belief that success comes to those with the highest test scores. The qualities that matter most, he says, have more to do with character: perseverance, curiosity, conscientiousness, optimism, and self-control. While these are skills that are instilled as early as infancy and nurtured through our parenting, the notion leads to wondering among educators about how these skills can be further nurtured and assessed through a child's school years. After reading the book (which I recommend to you), I took part in a book talk with other heads of elementary schools around the country in which we discussed strategies to make character skills a more meaningful part of how we assess students, and the ways that this relates to competitive admission to secondary schools and colleges (i.e. If the research proves that character skills are more indicative of success than test scores, then how do we get admissions offices to recognize and value these attributes?).

Professional development, of course, takes many shapes and forms. In addition to the generative discussions that happen here at school among our faculty, there are many opportunities to attend workshops and conferences. I am very excited that the largest conference of independent school professionals – the National Association of Independent Schools Annual Conference – is taking place in Philadelphia later this week. I am especially pleased that a team of eight WCFS teachers, administrators, and board members will be joining more than 5,000 of our colleagues to hear the keynote speakers and to learn from peers from independent schools around the country. Who knows? I might have more to report after that experience!

(Note: Dr. Ken Ginsburg will be speaking at Woodlynde School on Thursday, April 18, 7:00-9:00 p.m.  Click here for more information and to register.)