Professional Development Feedback

Dear Nursery Families,

In past school years, a standard form went to all families to provide feedback to your child's teacher(s).  Because a nursery teacher is very different from a Spanish teacher from a 6th grade teacher, we are looking at making this feedback process more flexible with the goal of improving teaching and the experience for your children.  Some teachers may give you forms; others may seek feedback during a parent meeting.  All teachers will be summarizing what they have received to present to our college of teachers (our group of teachers which oversees professional development).

In our meeting in March, many of you already gave me feedback about home visits, start time, the transition to kindergarten.  Some of you also provided written feedback at this time.  Please do not take your time to write about these thoughts again, but if you have a new inspiration to share with me to include in my summary, feel free to email me.  If you want to remain anonymous, you could submit any thoughts in writing in the "Dolde" parent folder.

If you do have time before next Wednesday, I would value your observations and insights about the following 2 topics.

A)  I have devoted a lot of attention to integrating music and early childhood teaching this year, toward making music into meaningful work to nourish the children; playing far more music than I have in past years while your children play, dance, watch, and work.  I've played a much wider range of instruments (e.g., cello and viola, too) and many styles beyond traditional early childhood songs.  At school, I have observed children making orchestras and bands in the woods, using sticks to create magical instruments.  Please share if you have any observations at home--whether your child seems to play imaginatively with music or not; my goal is not necessarily to inspire all children to be musicians, but rather to surround them with joyful work so that they can play and work with attention, engagement, and joy.

B)  Next year I am considering devoting a good deal of time, professional development funds, and perhaps my money into taking singing lessons with the goal of making my singing voice more worthy of imitation by the young children.  Here I am not seeking your feedback or reassurance or condemnation about my singing voice, but rather what you may have observed this year about the way your child sings at home.  Although comparisons among teachers can be really dangerous (we all have our strengths, and I would be a poor teacher if I tried to be exactly like Kim or Dyanne or Vanessa or Karol White or Eckhart Tolle or Kim John Payne rather than witnessing the children and trying to call forth in myself that which can meet the children in my care each day), if you have children (older siblings) who have had experiences with teachers with beautiful singing voices (such as my colleagues) and you notice a difference in the way your child(ren) sings and think you can relate it to the quality (or perhaps gender) of your child's teacher's singing voice, those observations would be helpful in my professional development planning.

Do feel free but not obligated to share feedback about any other observations you might have.  Specific insights, appreciations, or recommendations tend to be more helpful to me than global statements of praise or criticism (though I do appreciate the literary value of really stinging insults if you want to throw one my way).

With thanks,

William Geoffrey Dolde


p.s.  below are the topics I solicited your thoughts about in March

 1)  Your thoughts on home visits.
2)  Your thoughts on the morning ritual and our expeditious departure to the teepee.
3)  Your thoughts about next year, the transition to kindergarten, the 4 and 5 day options, and looking forward, your thoughts on how my nursery class might evolve.
4)  Your thoughts on start time--does it work for me to be outside at 8:15am?  Would it be better for me to come out at 8:30?