The following is a message from Dean of Faculty and Academics Pete Bonds to the School community, parents, and supporters about the state of Blue Ridge School’s academic program at the onset of the new academic year.
Greetings from St. George, where I am happy to report that after what felt like an eternity, our classes have resumed on campus, and in-person. Students and teachers are all in class this week and following a modified schedule that allows them to practice physical distancing. Some students are going to class in the mornings, while others take their classes in the late afternoons and early evenings. Other students who are in China, Vietnam, Uganda, and the Dominican Republic, have begun their school year online as they wait for travel to Virginia to become possible again. While their presence on campus is missed tremendously, we are grateful that they’re able to continue their academic journeys through Blue Ridge.
Teacher performance is too often judged by the amount of content that they manage to march through, and as a result, learning, understanding, and the application of new knowledge become secondary concerns. I am proud to say that Blue Ridge is not one of those schools.
Keeping track of this new schedule has been a challenge, but our teachers are universally happy to be back in front of classrooms doing what they love and what they are so good at. Among the many things which make them so effective is that each teacher designs his or her class with a clear mission in mind. Every trimester, unit, and daily lesson plan is carefully crafted to be in alignment with that class mission.
These missions were a topic of our back to school faculty meetings (which happened entirely online this year!) and I felt inspired as we all shared the missions of our classes and for our students. Among my favorites were, “To help each student to improve his curiosity and ability to be an independent and flexible math student.” (Geometry); “For students to develop the essential skills of a scientist by learning about, and proposing solutions to, critical biological problems and phenomena that are relevant to their lives and communities” (Biology); “To equip students with the essential skills of historical research and analysis, and a firm grasp of the fundamental themes of history so that they can comprehend past eras, events and peoples” (History); “For students to gain confidence in their mathematical abilities as they move into more complicated mathematical concepts” (Calculus).
These are just a few of the inspiring missions Blue Ridge teachers have for their students. Unfortunately, this kind of “mission driven” teaching is not something one finds at many schools. Too often teachers are expected to adhere to rather trivial missions like “Cover chapters 1-6 of the textbook.” Teacher performance is too often judged by the amount of content that they manage to march through, and as a result, learning, understanding, and the application of new knowledge become secondary concerns. I am proud to say that Blue Ridge is not one of those schools.
In the pursuit of achieving our class missions, Blue Ridge teachers craft “essential questions” to guide each unit of study. These open ended and engaging questions drive learning, and the answers to them are what we want students to take away from our classes. In our online faculty meetings a couple of weeks ago, teachers also shared their favorite essential questions from the first unit they are covering this year. Some of my favorites included: “How can we better understand different cultures and the roles that individuals play within those cultures as a way to increase our acceptance and appreciation of others?” (Grade 10 English); “How does fear of failure impact our dreams?” (Grade 11 English) “What are forces and what do they do?” (Physics); “What biases might I have about how the Americas were settled?” (US History); “How can we collect evidence and use it to support scientific claims?” (Chemistry): “Why is art important?” (Studio Art); Have I demonstrated improvement in mastering learning objectives that will increase my likelihood of success in college? (Learning Center). Again, this is just a small sampling of the many questions with which our students are grappling as the new school year gets underway, but I hope they illustrate how our teachers approach structuring their classes.
Another highlight of these first few weeks of school has been to welcome three new members of “Team Baron” to our classrooms; what a time to launch a career in education! In a way, they are the luckiest among us because this is the only way to begin a school year at Blue Ridge that they know. Ms. Emily Mitchell is teaching physics and Algebra II, Mr. Sheriff Twerefour teaches statistics and precalculus, and Mr. Cole O’Connor is teaching a section of our 11th grade US History and Government course.
Undoubtedly the 2020-2021 school year will throw some more challenges at us, but whatever they may be, we are prepared to tackle them confidently, and to deliver the Blue Ridge educational experience that makes this school truly one of a kind.
Sincerely,
Pete Bonds
Dean of Faculty and Academics
