Strunk and White, Eurythmy Performance, Conferences

Dear Families,

An enthusiastic group of parents, including a nursery parent, were quite responsive and offered great insights and experiences during yesterday's Strunk and White Speak to Children talk. From the positive response I have received, I intend to offer this talk again in the fall--perhaps with a different title so more parents will be inspired to attend (we discussed that one of my gifts was decidedly not coming up with catchy titles). I hope to make more of these talks next year of interest to nursery and kindergarten parents: some titles for next school year may include, "An Apology for Self-Esteem," "Making Choices about Choices," "Here, Eat a Carrot Instead: Apparently Crazy Discipline Ideas that Actually Work," and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?: Coming Up with Imaginative Pictures to Guide Children's Behavior."

During Sunday's talk, I spoke about the articles describing the research on the inverse power of praise--that too much global praise (good job, good girl, great job, you're so smart) can make a child risk averse and less likely to prosper academically, emotionally, and socially. I have published links to these articles before, but I offer them again here to make them easy to find.

This article from New York Magazine offers a parent's perspective on the research.


This article from Scientific American Mind is by Professor Carol Dweck (the researcher mentioned in the previous article) and is a bit more formal in nature.

This Wednesday at 10am, our nursery class will join the rest of the school to watch a Eurythmy performance at Thomas Berry Hall. The children seem ready for a longer walk to the hall, and Kim and I have plans to arrive early, let children use the bathrooms near the Sanctuary, and to provide fruit, nuts, and bread outside before the performance. We will return and eat the soup waiting for us (unless Goldilocks eats it all). On this day it will be especially important for children to arrive by 9am and to feel in good health for two longer walks.

Thank you for signing up for conferences on-line. I will print out the sign-up form as it stands now and post it outside the classroom.

There have been creative play themes and new play groups emerging in the classroom. An elaborate house was built by a number of children; a boy and girl who I had not observed playing together before pretended to sleep inside while 5 Santa Clauses (with perhaps some elves) brought toys to their roof and slid the toys down an ornate series of chimneys. Outside some beavers have begun chewing up furniture to fashion beaver furniture (which may or may not be for sale at next year's auction).

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde