Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate. –Albert Schweitzer
James River Families,
In our opening faculty meetings, I challenged our faculty to examine our character education programming to ensure we are always meeting the changing needs of our students and families. Informed by our faculty read of Thrivers, one of the first changes we made was to adopt a Word of the Month (as opposed to a Word of the Week) to allow for more time to discuss and practice character traits. The word for September will be “Honesty.” If you are following along in Thrivers, this word corresponds with Chapter 4–Integrity.
When I was seeking a school to lead, I often articulated to the search consultants that I needed to be a part of a school that has a strong moral compass. A recent article in The Atlantic, “How America Got Mean” by David Brooks, explored this idea of moral education by stating, “Some moral skills can be taught the way academic subjects are imparted, through books and lectures. But we learn most virtues the way we learn crafts, through the repetition of many small habits and practices, all within a coherent moral culture—a community of common values, whose members aspire to earn one another’s respect.” I am continually in awe of James River’s dedication to teaching citizenship while protecting the sanctity of childhood. I am proud of our faculty’s commitment to engage in deep conversations and guide our students of all ages to be the best version of themselves always.
I hope the upcoming four-day weekend is a welcome break as your family transitions back to the usual school routine.
Let’s Fly!
Jenn