Skip to main content

Doing Good

Our seventh graders have a longstanding tradition of participating in weekly visits to the Carnegie East House assisted living facility as part of our program of studies. Placed on hold during the pandemic, we received the green light to resume the trips this school year. Each Monday afternoon, the boys and their homeroom teachers walk over to Carnegie East House, where, in small groups, they engage with residents in a variety of activities. This past week's visit featured a trivia quiz game, "Name that Tune," and "Guess the Sport" charades.

The boys and residents look forward to these experiences and, because they occur over a sustained period of time rather than as a one-off event, they are able to have more meaningful interactions as both groups get to know each other. At times, engaging with different people--some of whom may be experiencing challenges--is not easy for young people, but it leads to greater maturity, empathy, respect and, ultimately, that deep sense of joy that comes from knowing you have done something good.

As one of the boys put it, "I love getting to know the residents, it feels good and I will miss it when our visits are over."  

At Saint David's, the question, "Where does the good lie?" guides everything that we do across each of our school's four pillars: academics, arts, athletics, and spirituality.

For spirituality, the answer is clear: it doesn't lie in following any particular creed, but rather in the actions we take, the good that we do in trying to be a better person today than we were yesterday.



Popular posts from this blog

Resilience in the Teaching of Languages

Above: The Nerf microphone ball enables boys learning remotely to hear their classmates well. The pandemic has challenged educators to reinvent and reimagine units of study to keep learning engaging, regardless of how it is delivered. The following article, written for Saint David’s Magazine by our Modern Languages Chair Dr. Victoria Gilbert and Lower School Spanish teacher Flor Berman, addresses how this was done in the Spanish immersion language program at Saint David's. Ms. Berman and Dr. Gilbert, recipient of the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers' Ruth E. Wasley Distinguished Teacher Award, presented on the topic at NYSAIS’s Flexible Classroom Conference last summer. How Spanish Classes Have Bounced Back Resiliency implies an ability to bounce back, but as teachers working with the youngest learners in the school, we would reframe resiliency as the opportunity to reimagine. Whether boys are learning through a face-to-face experience or through the med
Read more

The Role of Faith in Social-Emotional Learning and Psychological Well-Being

The following article by our School Psychologist, Dr. Michael Schwartzman, appears in the current issue of Saint David's Magazine : During one of my first observations in a Saint David’s classroom 15 years ago, I witnessed two first grade boys in a verbal altercation. Although it was contained just between the two boys, their observant teacher had them talk it through and then shake hands on being in a better place for having done so. I was very impressed, and still am, with this approach that the school takes many times throughout the day.  It helps establish a firm idea of how to behave, especially in social situations where emotions can be stirred and run high. Through this experience repeated consistently day in and day out, better, more productive ways of engaging become increasingly integrated by the boys as they develop socially and emotionally in interaction with each other.  As the School Psychologist, I spend a lot of time thinking about the touch points for student and t
Read more

Storytelling Demonstrates Understanding

Their time had arrived. As the lights dimmed in our Otto-Bernstein Theatre, the astrophysicists, a mix of jitters and excitement, awaited their opportunity to share insights and stories about the workings of the universe. Which planets might support life? Is there water on Mars? What are Dwarf Planets?    "Let's take a look at our closest neighbor, Venus," invited one presenter, before revealing that the planet - while ideal in proximity - has surface temperatures of 900 degrees F: "Imagine - standing on the surface would be like being burned alive!"  Later that same day, in our Graham lunchroom, early 20th century immigrants of all ages from Italy, China, Ireland, Russia, among other countries, waited, with hope and determination, their turn to be interviewed for admittance to America. It wasn't going to be easy. They would be asked pointed, potentially life-altering questions by various processors. "What's that cough? It doesn't sound good,&qu
Read more