What the World Needs Now

Community is the human glue that binds us in good times and bad. It is never too early to invest in its cultivation. Even better is when it is worked into the curriculum, paying educational and socio-emotional dividends.

Our kindergartners delve into a 360-degree exploration of community. They study themselves, their families, their school, and its surrounding community.

On a tour of their school, they are introduced to the various departments, their functions and the "village" of people who "make it happen" for all of us at Saint David's. The boys travel beyond the walls of Saint David's during visits to Central Park, St. Thomas More Church, the Guggenheim, a Fire Station, and a pizza parlor. At each stop, they come to know the people and shared purpose behind the organizations and their contributions to their community.

They also master new vocabulary, learn historical facts about the sites they visit, and draw real-world connections to their own lives.

During their culminating event yesterday, the boys presented a show for their parents celebrating their learning. They were so happy and self-assured onstage, sharing tidbits of knowledge and little-known facts about their New York City neighborhood and singing related songs, like Sesame Street's "Sing" (during which they revealed that the original Big Bird - the late Bob McGrath - was once a music teacher at Saint David's.)

On the surface, the community unit is simple. The boys are getting to know their neighborhood. Look deeper, and its complexity is apparent. Boys are learning facts, drawing connections, recognizing the contributions of everyone in society, reinforcing values, building confidence. When they put on their show, they also are experiencing the interrelation between "art" and "life."

Most importantly, interwoven with their learning is this essential value of connection. Research tells us that boys thrive when they are connected to their families, their school, each other. At Saint David's we seize every opportunity to deepen academic experiences in ways that augment and spotlight the good in a society of caring individuals. It's what they world needs now. Ut viri boni sint.

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

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

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

David O'Halloran, Headmaster - Saint David's School, New York City

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