New Year, New School? 3 Touchpoints of an Independent Education

Besides being the time for New Year's resolutions and new starts of all kinds, January is also the month for independent school open houses on Boston's North Shore. Every year at the end of January, Shore stages its own Winter Open House.

Staging is the right word to use. At all independent school open house events, teachers, students, and parents are asked to be in just the right position to share, display, and convey the essence of their community.

But at Shore's Winter Open House, you will likely witness something more: teachers who genuinely relish this unique opportunity to share the craft they love: educating children.

Teachers eagerly show off their curriculum, debate philosophy, and, especially, relate stories about how their passions for teaching and subject matter are connected to the experiences they offer to children every day. They talk about learning from their students, about evolving new approaches, about making the learning personal.

At the same time, they make clear that they are interweaving expectations, skills, habits, and attitudes of learning. They are always up on their facts. Their enthusiasm is naturally high. But the magic is in their tone: loving, respectful, genuine.

Teachers innately have this capacity to connect with students, or they are not long lived. Independent schools extend only one-year work contracts to faculty, and yet the average teacher longevity at Shore is seventeen years. That essential aptitude for connecting is what we most want for our children: to be understood and valued in the classroom naturally leads to good learning.

We want you to know that our teachers are masters at their craft, perpetual learners, and deeply invested in the children they teach. And these are not merely things we claim to be true: these are what our parents and outside observers tell us again and again, year after year, when they experience the energy of our classrooms and the outcomes with their children.

With new young charges arriving every fall, Shore faculty view the world through a naturally optimistic lens. The school pushes (and funds) its teachers to grow, innovate, travel, and collaborate. We need them at their best, and they deliver with extraordinary skill and care.

Even outside their classroom interactions, our teachers demonstrate their commitment to their craft. They sit on peer evaluation teams and the curriculum committees. They coach athletes and groups of advisees. Some guide the energetic good intentions of junior and senior student senators and sing a cappella alongside their students. Many mentor older students in Independent Study projects, and one or two coach the math team. Nearly everyone chaperones field trips or overnight camping experiences, and all convene for grade level meetings to share and strategize about best practices for individual students. Children love to see their teachers in so many roles; faculty see new dimensions in their students, too; for both, the classroom experience is enhanced.

It's no surprise, then, that the most important touchpoints at any open house begin and end with teachers.

 Touchpoint #1: Take advantage of the open house’s access to teachers.

Meeting teachers at an open house allows the flow of conversation to be as fleeting or deep as you would like. Different from a class day visit (which has its own merits), a weekend open house gives you the flexibility to probe, to linger, to overhear the questions of and responses to others, and to imagine your child interacting with these teachers everyday. In what other context can you spend sufficient time learning about the adults who are so crucial to your children’s academic and personal well-being? Listen for their passion and creativity. Ask them why they like to teach. While our children hear from them each day, plumb how they connect with parents. In examining an independent school, you will discover a vast pride in communication standards. Educating students is a shared priority for Shore’s community of both teachers and families.

Touchpoint #2: Come prepared.

Preparing for an open house could mean combing through the website, reading admissions literature, finally talking to that co-worker whose son attends already. You could evolve a formal list of questions about writing curriculums and 21st century standards. But being prepared need not require either of those investments. An intentionality around Shore need not be well-evolved at all. Open houses invite you to walk on campus as a visitor with deep interest or as a casual look-see. The only preparation you need is to reflect on your child and on your aspirations for your child’s ideal academic experience. Such reflection will give you context for asking questions that are personal to your child’s school experience and for weighing what you see.  

Touchpoint #3: Do everything.

Open House schedules are full of variety and activity. Teachers and classrooms are always priorities, but take advantage of as many different dimensions as possible. Lingering in the Innovation Lab might be fascinating, but don’t let it keep you from the open musical rehearsal in the Theatre. Meeting an administrative division head feels important, but also tap into the perspectives of current parents on hand for conversation. Open houses are designed to be kid-friendly, too. Try to balance your parental agenda with explorations for your child. From music to the science labs to pure play in the Pre-K loft, enjoy everything you can squeeze in. Each interaction will help your consideration of the best choice for your child.

Open houses are welcoming, lively, and fun. They are occasions for discovery. Come visit with Shore teachers; think about the individual nature of your student, and enjoy every minute of an hour (or two!) at Shore.