| MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR Katy C. Merrell, MEd. |
| September 2009 Keeping the Magic of Learning Alive at NCS |
We are off to a wonderful start and we
appreciate all your cooperation with paperwork,
dropping off and picking up on time, sharing
important information with us, bringing in donations
etc., etc. It was great to see so many parents at our
Parent Orientation night. I’d like to share some of
what I spoke about that night, for those who missed
orientation, and relate some more interesting
details for those who were present.
Over the summer, I heard Dr. Lisa Sanders being
interviewed on National Public Radio. The popular T.
V. show “House” is based on her New York Magazine
column; “Diagnosis”, and she continues to be the
program's medical advisor. She teaches at Yale
Medical School and has written a new book entitled,
“Every Patient Tells A Story”. The parallels
between her concerns about the practice of
medicine, and many educators’ concerns about the
direction of education were very striking to me.
“Every Child Tells a Story” would be an excellent
title for a book about how we are increasingly failing
our children because of the pressures around high
stakes testing, overuse of drill and practice methods,
appreciate all your cooperation with paperwork,
dropping off and picking up on time, sharing
important information with us, bringing in donations
etc., etc. It was great to see so many parents at our
Parent Orientation night. I’d like to share some of
what I spoke about that night, for those who missed
orientation, and relate some more interesting
details for those who were present.
Over the summer, I heard Dr. Lisa Sanders being
interviewed on National Public Radio. The popular T.
V. show “House” is based on her New York Magazine
column; “Diagnosis”, and she continues to be the
program's medical advisor. She teaches at Yale
Medical School and has written a new book entitled,
“Every Patient Tells A Story”. The parallels
between her concerns about the practice of
medicine, and many educators’ concerns about the
direction of education were very striking to me.
“Every Child Tells a Story” would be an excellent
title for a book about how we are increasingly failing
our children because of the pressures around high
stakes testing, overuse of drill and practice methods,
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| “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us” Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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NORFOLK CHILDREN'S SCHOOL, 23 Union St., Norfolk, MA 02056 508-528-1970
Copyright 2010 Norfolk Children's School
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Website Design by Karma Communications
and the incredible amount of time (at school and at home) that children spend in front of
screens; T.V., computers, video games, supposed “educational” games, etc.
In short Dr. Sanders has real concerns that many doctors are losing the “ART” of
practicing medicine. They are very well educated, well trained, and able to access an
incredible array of hi-tech tests, in short, quite adept at the “science” of medicine. When
it comes to diagnosing patients, however, Dr. Sanders points to the importance of the
“art” of medicine, i.e. taking a thorough medical history, doing a complete physical exam,
and really LISTENING to all the clues a patient may be giving. She stresses the
importance of PAYING ATTENTION, LISTENING to, and COMMUNICATING well with
one’s patients. She shared the findings of one study, which found that, on average,
doctors interrupt patients after just 20 seconds!! Another study they found that when
interviewing both a doctor and his or her patient after an appointment- 50% of the time
the two had completely different ideas concerning the central reason for the visit! That’
s frightening!!!
In medicine, the real discovery (i.e. the diagnosis) happens in the “space between” a
doctor and a patient. The science and the art must come together to consider the unique
“history” and symptoms each patient presents. In a similar way real DISCOVERY and
LEARNING happens in the space between a teacher and a child, when the teacher truly
PAYS ATTENTION and LISTENS to what makes each child unique. Teachers can then
use their knowledge, skills, experience, and interests to shape curriculum in a way that
will make learning meaningful and exciting for the each child. Standards, “canned
curriculums”, and tests, will always be part of the “science” of education, but without
teachers being able to practice the ART of teaching we might as well be teaching robots.
One parent reported to me last year that during a tour of one of the “corporate”
preschool centers a director actually said, quite proudly, that the curriculum was already
planned for the whole year (regardless of the children enrolled there). It’s the same at
every school they run and the teachers don’t even have to think!!! Is that what we want in
a teacher? Do we want that for our children? We don’t at NCS and we believe strongly in
the “MAGIC” that can happen in all the spaces in between a teacher who cares and a
child who is curious to learn. Here’s to a year filled with lots of magic!!
Sincerely,
Katy Carrese Merrell MEd
screens; T.V., computers, video games, supposed “educational” games, etc.
In short Dr. Sanders has real concerns that many doctors are losing the “ART” of
practicing medicine. They are very well educated, well trained, and able to access an
incredible array of hi-tech tests, in short, quite adept at the “science” of medicine. When
it comes to diagnosing patients, however, Dr. Sanders points to the importance of the
“art” of medicine, i.e. taking a thorough medical history, doing a complete physical exam,
and really LISTENING to all the clues a patient may be giving. She stresses the
importance of PAYING ATTENTION, LISTENING to, and COMMUNICATING well with
one’s patients. She shared the findings of one study, which found that, on average,
doctors interrupt patients after just 20 seconds!! Another study they found that when
interviewing both a doctor and his or her patient after an appointment- 50% of the time
the two had completely different ideas concerning the central reason for the visit! That’
s frightening!!!
In medicine, the real discovery (i.e. the diagnosis) happens in the “space between” a
doctor and a patient. The science and the art must come together to consider the unique
“history” and symptoms each patient presents. In a similar way real DISCOVERY and
LEARNING happens in the space between a teacher and a child, when the teacher truly
PAYS ATTENTION and LISTENS to what makes each child unique. Teachers can then
use their knowledge, skills, experience, and interests to shape curriculum in a way that
will make learning meaningful and exciting for the each child. Standards, “canned
curriculums”, and tests, will always be part of the “science” of education, but without
teachers being able to practice the ART of teaching we might as well be teaching robots.
One parent reported to me last year that during a tour of one of the “corporate”
preschool centers a director actually said, quite proudly, that the curriculum was already
planned for the whole year (regardless of the children enrolled there). It’s the same at
every school they run and the teachers don’t even have to think!!! Is that what we want in
a teacher? Do we want that for our children? We don’t at NCS and we believe strongly in
the “MAGIC” that can happen in all the spaces in between a teacher who cares and a
child who is curious to learn. Here’s to a year filled with lots of magic!!
Sincerely,
Katy Carrese Merrell MEd