Observations

Dear Campus School Families,

One of the goals of an elementary education is to help children internalize and then act on certain values. We encourage our students to go from talking and thinking about these values to living them; this shift from the abstract to the concrete signifies a genuine evolution in the life of a child.

I was reminded of this when I was standing on the portico during morning arrival. It was a Wednesday and students were carrying their musical instruments and ski gear. Some younger students were struggling and our safety duty team rushed in to help these students carry their things. These acts of kindness were much appreciated and an example of values being made concrete.

A school that emphasizes the importance of certain values, like kindness, creates an environment where children can safely and confidently internalize and process how and why these values are important to them. We do not try to coerce students into behaving a certain way; that is like trying to coerce a plant to grow. We simply supply the right conditions for reflection and action, and more times than not students naturally choose the path of positive values and actions. This is all part of their maturation and development, and it is one reason why it was so gratifying to see our older students helping their younger friends that cold day on the portico.

Warmly,

Chris