March 15, 2019
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are roughly three-quarters of the way through the school year, and I am enjoying the opportunity to take a bit of a breath. I am also enjoying the opportunity to reflect on what has been accomplished and to think about what is to come. With only a few weeks left, I feel increasing pressure to help our students make real and meaningful progress towards our communal definition of a successful person at Taft — namely the Taft Portrait of a Graduate (PoG).
While the tenets of the PoG aren’t ranked, they are listed and I want to draw attention to the bottom of the list. The final tenet states that:
Taft graduates have exhibited that they reflect regularly upon their learning and themselves as learners, leading to greater awareness of themselves as individuals and of their place in the world in which they live.
Adolescents (people?) often simply go from one experience to the next, failing to take stock in all that has happened and to reflect on what they have learned as they face new and varied challenges. Spring break is a wonderful time to do some of that important reflecting, and the adults in a student’s life can play a critical role in facilitating that reflection.
Having personally faced the stone wall of adolescent silence, I stand with you in our challenge as parents and teachers as we work to draw insight from our students and children. All I can suggest is that we continually look for new and varied ways to help your child use their time with you to reflect.
For those parents who are fortunate enough to have children excited to share the most miniscule of details, enjoy that privilege. For all of us, intentionally helping the reflective process of learning has an outsized and positive impact. Stay strong and enjoy the much-deserved time with your children.
All the best,
