Brooklyn Heights Montessori School: Blog

What a great conference!

Thanks go to the 44 members of the NAIS staff and the Think Tank. It was so apparent how hard they all worked, and it is truly amazing to see the amount of effort, dedication, and expertise that went into stimulating, caring for, and directing nearly 7,000 people over the course of a four-day national conference.

Thank you Kitty, NAIS, and Mike for helping to make this technological journey a pleasure. See you all next year in Chicago.

Chamber Music Sensation

These musicians were the best! I can't believe that Elisabeth Morrow School (NJ) only goes through the eighth grade. . . then again, Sir Ken would say, "Doesn't surprise me."

Visit their website to learn more about their Summer String Festival music program.

In the Pink . . . EEEEEEEE!

Daniel Pink's talk was elegant - that is the word Sir Ken used Thursday, right, to describe something well written? Not having heard of Pink (Why am I admitting that here?), I will most assuredly be buying his book, A Whole New Mind.

I will also admit, I was one of those who raised my hand admitting to drawing the "E" oriented so that I could read it. I am signing up for "Empathy 101" first thing Monday morning.

Sir Ken Robinson a Huge Hit

As far as I'm concerned, Sir Ken knows creativity, although he did have difficulty pronouncing "Renaissance" (renay sance) . . . I guess that is the British way. I hope he pronounces it correctly on July 4.

Clearly, he understands children, adults, bugs, Venice, the brain, and exquisite humor. This is one of those lectures where you had to be there to appreciate the man, his message, and performance. He spoke so well on so many topics: Las Vegas, Americans get the meaning of irony (NCLB), divergent thinking theory and statistics, creativity = hard work, . . .

I was amazed that he spoke for over an hour without notes, quoted statistics and text, stood in one spot, and was clear in his paths and message. Take a minute and download his TED talk (see post below) and share it with the faculty, parents, and trustees, and be sure to get his book Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative.

Did I say, "No lines?"

6,000 people moving from hearing Daniel Pink at RCMH to the Hilton.

Powerful Story

This past weekend, I watched "A Mighty Heart," the story of Daniel and Mariane Pearl. Mark your calendar for Friday 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 when she will speak.

Click on the link to Time magazine's piece "10 Questions for Mariane Pearl."

Better Than the Rockettes

It is hard to see it in this picture, but right under Music Hall and RADIO CITY are the words "NAIS PRESENTS SCHOOLS OF THE FUTURE EMBRACING [light pole] THE . . ." Pretty special to have our first keynote speaker and conference attendees hosted by RCMH. How could we have done better than with our very own Greenwich Academy Madrigal Singers and Sir Ken Robinson - more on him later.

Notes on a Student Performance

Listening to our students sing and perform throughout the conference is a special treat - a treat that keeps us grounded in why we do what we do as educators. Bravo to the Madrigal Singers at Greenwich Academy (CT) for their wonderful musical pieces, which began Thursday's opening session! My favorite was "Adiemus" by Karl Jenkins. You might remember his "Diamond Music" that was made famous several years ago.

Annual Meeting & Pat's GBU Comments

Chair of the NAIS Board, Val Iwashita (Iolani School, HI), presided over the meeting, which culminated with Pat Bassett, Presdient, giving a 2006-07 growth of 37 independent schools over the past year, with a membership, including affiliates, of over 1,500. Did I hear that correctly from Treasurer Aggie Underwood, a $2M operating surplus for the 06-07 budget? Good work NAIS.

Pat framed his address using the 1966 film "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." A movie of the times, he used the title to expound upon five trends:

Trend #1 - Challenges with Demand, Pricing, and Financial Sustainability
Trend #2 - Runaway Costs
Trend #3 - Giving Under Pressure (see great chart)
Trend #4 - The War for Talent
Trend #5 - Global & Environmental Sustainability Gaining Traction

As with all of Pat's talks, you can download this salient rich data from the NAIS website.

Did I say no lines?

Still, no lines! Great job Amy Ahart, Director of Annual Conference, and the entire NAIS Staff for taking care of the nearly 7,000 conference-goers.

No Strangers Here

Imagine a virtual picture of Susanna Jones (Holton-Arms School), Pat Bassett (NAIS), and Kitty Thuermer (NAIS) gathering after Kwame Anthony Appiah's inspiring talk on Cosmopolitanism. [For some reason or another the real picture wouldn't load. . . Bah, technology!]

It was evident, from the attention given by the 750 attendees in the large room with two projection screens, that people were intrigued with his message and approach on how to "dialogue" between countries. If you could not attend, you might want to pick up his book, Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers, in the NAIS bookstore in the Exhibit Hall.

Professional Development = Sustainable Schools

Wednesday afternoon I had the opportunity to sit in on several workshops. "Healthy Governance to Healthy Schools"; "Eloquent Mirrors: Observation, Evaluation, and Professional Feedback"; "Out of the Closet and into the Classroom: LGBTQ Themes in K-12 Curriculum"; and "Vision with Results: Real Learning Technologies for Today's Students" provided breadth and depth to learning about independent schools. More workshops to come on Saturday. Our own professional development: The best avenue to sustainable schools!

Getting There

As I coordinate my conference program with my watch, map, and present location, I reflect on an old cartoon where Daffy Duck slushes his way beyond "sufferin succatash" to say "You never know where you're going 'til you get there." This is a long way to say, plan your day by getting acquainted with the surroundings and great program guide before moving on. Of course, you know that you will be a pro by Friday at 3:00.

Look, no lines . . . today (Wednesday)

Standby! With nearly 7,000 registered, there will be a crush of people tomorrow (Thursday), looking to get their nametag, swag bag, and program - all at the same time. Get here early; registration opens Thursday and Friday at 6:30 a.m.

ReconNAISsance

You know that this year's conference will spread across the Hilton, Sheraton AND Radio City Music Hall. The latter location will be the venue for some of the keynote speakers.

I was on my way back to the city from a weekend away (even we Brooklynites call the Manhattan portion of New York City "the city"), walking out of Grand Central Terminal, and I took a detour up 6th Avenue (aka Avenue of the Americas) to do a reconnaissance of exactly how far Radio City Music Hall (50th Street) is from the Hilton (53rd Street). Both are on on 6th Avenue on opposite sides of the avenue. Not far . . . so long as there is no rain and a frigid wind isn't cutting a path through humans.

Ethics in a Global Society

How timely to read Kwame Anthony Appiah's Experiments in Ethics review in the NYTimes Book Review two Sundays ago. Appiah will present the opening keynote address from 8:45 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. at the third NAIS Global Education Summit, which will be held Wednesday, 2/27 - that's TOMORROW - with further conversations on global issues and the development of global citizens.

The review of his book states "Appiah is probably right when he concludes that we should place less emphasis on 'character education' and focus more on trying to establish situations in which people's better selves can flourish."

As an avid reader of Randy Cohen's, Sunday NYTimes "The Ethicist," I won't miss hearing Appiah.

Speaking of Eating . . .

. . . the 20,000 restaurants throughout the five boroughs are ready to serve you. Give Open Table a click. But, if you are perfectly happy to stay within the confines of the conference on both Thursday and Friday, coffee and tea will be served in the registration area from 6:30 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. and complimentary lunch will be served in the Exhibit Hall on Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and on Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Two Great Bargins - Books and Theater

For me, New York City means good restaurants, good reading, good museums, and good theater. Let me mention two. While you are here, visit the main Strand Book Store; I guarantee you that you won't leave without buying at least one book and staying at least an hour, so plan accordingly. Click on TKTS. It's how you can afford to see lots of shows AND afford to go out to eat in the over 20,000 restaurants in the City.

N.B. Be sure to see the movie "Once"; it's simple and elegant with beautiful music. Take 4 minutes to listen to the Oscar nominated song "Falling Slowly," and while you're listening, read today's Style section piece "Life Imitating Film" on the song-writer actors.

Education and Democracy

Hot off the press, the spring issue of Independent School magazine will be available at the conference. The first 1,000 conference-goers who stop by the NAIS bookstore at the Exhibit Hall will receive a free copy. (BTW, we're at an all-time record: 6,200 registered and counting!)

This issue is sure to win awards. "Education and Democracy, Today," the theme of the issue, will explore different approaches to education and "the new generation of progressive schools."

IS editor, Michael Brosnan says "At the start of the last century, John Dewey's notions about education and democracy sealed the link between the two. But that link between education and democracy has been stretched and bent and tested intensely in recent decades."

Authors Alfie Kohen, Amy Purcell Vorenberg, Al Adams, and others explore a cut across our traditional independent school roots and look at education in a democratic nation, public policy and independent school education, equity and justice, and the steady tension between the individual and society.

NiceYSAIS Notes

All 180 member schools in the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) are getting ready to welcome independent school educators from across the country to this year's NAIS annual conference. Roughly 80 of the 180 member schools are located in the city. So, many of the people you see - teachers, trustees, administrators - will be in their own backyard.

Take the 'A' Train

Outtatowners might not be familiar with the NYC subway, but it has provided many writers with fodder for fact, fiction, and imagination. In December of 1984 Bernard Goetz unknowingly helped to turn the high crime tide in the city when he entered a downtown No. 2 express train at 14th Street and subsequently fired his gun at four suspected assailants. And, composer Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington made the A train famous with their popular, 1941 piece "Take the 'A' Train." You will recognize it as soon as you hear it.

So, while you are here attending the conference, make sure you take at least one ride on the subway.

Rob Evans

So many of us have been touched by Rob Evans over the years. His most recent article in the fall issue of Independent School magazine "The Case Against Strategic Planning" is an unusual take on the process many of our schools regularly undertake. His books Family Matters and The Human Side of School Change are on all of our bookshelves. Rob will be speaking at the Families First Networking breakfast on Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. You need a ticket for that event.

Homecoming

How many of you have worked at a NYC school at one point in your career? I suspect that there are a few of you who will be experiencing a kind of homecoming coming to New York to attend this year's NAIS annual conference. You may know that there are two homecomings that are big in the city right now. Harold Pinter's "The Homecoming" is at the Cort Theater celebrating its 40th anniversary. The other homecoming is Bernhard Schlink's newest novel "Homecoming" which was recently reviewed in the NY Times Book Review. You may remember his other book "The Reader"; it is excellent. If you are flying to the conference, or taking a train, or will be in the car (with your iPod), find a good book to enjoy while you attend the conference. Be sure to stop by the NAIS bookstore in the exhibit hall while you are here.

Looking for a Wake-up Call?

You'll get one when you hear Simran Sithi, who will present a featured workshop Friday at 8:00 a.m. As described in the conference program, she is "an award winning journalist who reports on issues of economic sustainability, environmental stewardship, and social justice."

Click on "The Green Online." In this alarming video about cities, Simran let's us know urine trouble . . . literally. Her podcasts from treehugger.com enlighten us about sustaining our planet.

Another Kind of Network

The NYC subway system is akin to the network of colleagues and friends we assemble over the course of our careers. It may come as no surprise that the real purpose of this conference - actually, any conference - for me and many educators is the opportunity to foster the network, reconnect with friends, confer with mentors and proteges, and welcome new colleagues into the network.

A,B,Cs and 1,2,3s of NYC Subways

For $2 you can experience a different kind of global, demographic, and financial sustainability in the bowels of New York City. Pick a line, any line, and walk downstairs, through the turnstile, down another set of stairs, and sidle on to a subway car. Take a seat - if one is available - and gaze at the posters, people, and subterrainian culture; depending on which line you choose, distinct impressions will form immediately. Bowling Green, Lefferts Blvd., 42nd St., and Delancy stations take on a look of their own. Notice the lighting, walls, smells, sounds, people, and pace.

Program Icons

Look for these icons in the conference program. Each published workshop and session will have one or two next to its respective description. Provided to help you in your conference planning, these icons will indicate threads you may be interested in. For example, development and business will have the "dollar sign" icon and communications and teacher topics will have the "check mark" icon. It's pretty ingenious.

5,800 registered and counting!

Walk on Rye

In between conference sessions, make sure that you walk around Radio City Music Hall. Within a few-block radius you will see some of the most popular midtown sites. Madison Avenue stores, St. Patrick's Cathedral, NBC Studios, Atlas, the Apple Store, and the Rockefeller Center skating rink are all within a few minute's walk.

Also, from the Hilton walk North on 6th Avenue (aka Avenue of the Americas); this will take you to Central Park. If it's not too cold or wet, grab a sandwich and walk into the Park and find a bench. (Hot tip: Walk into the Park a ways to avoid the nasty aroma from the cavalcade of hansom horses . . . do you remember that famous Seinfeld episode, "The Rye," where Kramer is a hansom driver? Refresh your memory by clicking on the title to read the script. It is pretty hilarious).

Global Sustainability

NAIS's Sustainable Schools for the 21st Century is divided into five categorizes - Programmatic, Demographic, Environmental, Financial, and Global; you will see these themes throughout the conference.

For an exceptional look at Global Sustainability (becoming more networked internationally and less provincial in outlook) stop by the NAIS Global Education Summit (GES), which will be held
Wednesday, February 27 from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Here, there will be conversations on global issues and the development of global citizens. Hear internationally renowned speakers discuss current global problems - challenges that will soon be inherited by students in your classrooms.

Really?

My sources tell me that the registration for this conference is at an all time high (when compared to this time in previous years) - it just broke 5,000 attendees! (Right now there are 5,027 registrants.) The largest NAIS Annual Conference on record was 5,462 in 2003 in New York City, so NAIS is on track to beat that number and then some.

For any of the 5,027 registrants who do not live in New York City, erase all of those nasty images you have conjured up about our fair city. You know what I'm talking about - those urban legends that fascinate, pull you here, and cause you to ask "Are there really subway muggings, corrupt politicians, pickpockets, and rats?" "The city really goes beyond Times Square?"

There are eight million stories, each with its own unbelievable images and adjectives. Well, I'm a suburban-changed-to-urban resident of this exciting and enchanting city; and while, yes, the speed of the city accelerates our lives, you have to live here to feel the excitement and appreciate the constant opportunities. Artists, hedge fund financiers, street vendors, waitresses, ambassadors, students, sanitation workers, and heads of school are the pied pipers that keep the world moving along at a quickened pace to support the demands of world banking, education, entertainment, commerce, and five bustling boroughs. I can't wait for you to come see it.

BTW, my friend pictured here is not real. It is what unions use to picket and intimidate companies who do not use their people.

Gladwell to Present

I am a huge fan of Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and Blink. He is slated to speak Thursday at 12:30. In true Gladwellian fashion, his most recent New Yorker article "None of the Above" is a fascinating look into the world of rising intelligence scores. Click to it and see for yourself.

Super City

We're manning matters here in New York to make this the best annual conference ever. 4,500 have registered to date to see and hear Marianne Pearl, Malcolm Gladwell, Simran Sethi, and more. For now, click over to the NAIS website to see the entire list of speakers and workshops. Mike Downs and I will blog your way through the conference. Stay tuned.

The Best Magazine

If you have followed Independent School magazine over the past 30 years as I have, you will have noticed a good magazine get great. The most recent issue on reading and writing in our schools is excellent. I get a copy for each of my administrators and board executive committee along with multiple copies for the library and faculty and staff lounge. It's the best - and cheapest - professional development you can offer your school community. To prove my point, click over to the online version and read "Brainology" by Carol Dwek. Every educator AND parent should read this salient piece on child development and intelligence.

How Do You Settle in For a Conference?

Whenever I enter my room to settle in for a conference, I get a bead on the radio. Can I plug my iPod into it? Will it get the local NPR station? Does it work?

When you arrive at your hotel in the city and before you walk to the conference, tune your radio to 93.9 FM or 820 AM. WNYC is our public radio station. There are some things you can leave home without, but it isn't public radio. WNYC listeners wake to Soterius Johnson's voice. He provides the weather, local news, whether alternate-side-of-the-street parking is in effect, and is a resonant segue to Morning Edition, Carl Kasell, Renee Montagne, Steve Inskeep, and all of the well-known NPR journalists.

Good Planning

The NAIS bookstore at the conference is always stocked with the latest resources. My school is currently building a strategic plan and in spite of what Rob Evans wrote in the Fall 2007 issue of Independent School "The Case Against Strategic Planning" (which by the way is terrific), our Strategic Planning Task Force is making great progress. One publication we are using as a crystal ball is the NAIS Opinion Leaders Survey: Forecasting Independent Education to 2025. Don't tell NAIS, but members can download it very free . . . at least until they read this blog. Click on the title to get to it.

Keynote Speaker - Sir Ken Robinson

The keynote speaker on Thursday, 2/28 at 9:30 a.m. is Sir Ken Robinson. You won't want to miss this session. Take 19 minutes to view this wonderful talk by Sir Ken Robinson speaking at the 2006 TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference. It's inspirational AND very entertaining.

And, while you are at the TED site, noodle around to see the rich library of "Talks" that they have for easy viewing.

Who is Dane?

I thought that it might be helpful to introduce myself to you.

I am head of Brooklyn Heights Montessori School and a frequent contributor to and big fan of the award wining "Independent School" magazine. I hope you have a chance to stop by the NAIS bookstore in the exhibitor area when you make your way through the Conference.

Getting Ready for New York

What makes this year's Conference special is that it is in the greatest city in the world (Do you think I come from New York?). There's so much to see, hear, and experience here. Writers like Pete Hamill and Jimmy Breslin, longtime reporters for New York publications, have captured the City in all of its grandeur. Be sure to read about them and their urban legends. Whether your stories and imagination take you to the subway, Lincoln Center, Chinatown, Times Square, Phantom of the Opera, Greenwich Village, Central Park, 20,000 restaurants, the Brooklyn Bridge . . . speaking of the Brooklyn Bridge, it's not to be missed; it is good exercise and cheap with breathtaking views, and the hike will take you to the borough of Brooklyn - the best of the five boroughs (There I go again).

More New York tips along the way. Please share your favorite New York stories.

Getting Ready for the NAIS Annual Conference

Welcome to an experiment!

This year NAIS has asked Mike Downs from Mounds Park Academy and me to blog the Annual Conference.

If you are not quite sure what a blog is (although if you have gotten this far, you probably understand blogging), you might click to this excellent video. Essentially, Mike and I will share our experiences at the Conference, and we hope that you will respond with your impressions, thoughts, and experiences.

The first NAIS Annual Conference was held in New York City in 1963 with 3,000 participants, representing 600 member schools. As of this post, 3,500 have registered and there are over 1,200 member schools. Here's a link to the Conference Preview page in case you have not seen it yet, and here is quick link to the fabulous speakers slated to present throughout the Conference.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Friday, February 29, 2008

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Monday, February 25, 2008

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Friday, February 22, 2008

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Friday, February 15, 2008

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Friday, February 8, 2008

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Monday, February 4, 2008

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Friday, February 1, 2008

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Monday, January 21, 2008

Sunday, January 20, 2008

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