This may come as a shock, but sometimes politicians say things without really thinking of the impact of their words. That has certainly been the case in this most recent presidential election.  Now I don't want to make this a political post or point out any particular candidate's statements.  What I do want, is to focus on children and how they may need support processing what they hear in the news, through adult conversations or read in headlines.  

Two things happened recently that raised concern for me as a human being and an educator.  A student approached me and commented on his concern for his classmates and that he was scared for them.  I prompted what was causing his fear and he responded, "my friends and neighbors may have to leave Burlington."  This student had been exposed to some recent political discourse on the displacement of muslims from the United States by one of the presidential candidates.  A second incident involved me having lunch with a group of muslim students in my office.  They were talking about how they might have to leave this country.  This conversation again, was based on what was recently heard on the news.  

These experiences were both shocking and sad.  Certainly in the school setting and throughout our community we hope our children feel safe, accepted and empowered.  It is amazing how one statement, by one man, can send shockwaves that significantly reverberate and weigh on the minds and hearts of our youngest community members. 

I felt we needed to do something that created solidarity and showed that IAA supported and cared for its Muslim community members.  It was important to name the problem and discuss it openly.  One small act was to remind staff and families to be sensitive of the impact of these statements and support students around the issue.  Our school diversity and equity committee developed and will present a staff discussion on islamophobia.  Finally, at an entire school town meeting we read the book Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors.  We demonstrated the beauty and rich traditions associated with the Muslim Culture and celebrated them as an important part of our story, culture and community at IAA.  

I think we need to understand that its a pretty scary year for presidential politics, for adults and for children. We don't necessarily need to discuss the political process or issues.  But we do need to ensure that we discuss and nurture the concepts of equity, care, love, support and community.  Part of a strong community is defending and supporting all its members. We need to be sure that students, while maybe not understanding all the context of political discourse, comprehend how much their community; parents, friends, and teachers, loves them and will ensure a safe and nurturing environment.  We all need to feel that! 

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Today we celebrated our beloved art coach, Judy Klima.  We conducted the celebration at our weekly town meeting with a video expressing our love and a flash mob.  We kept the event a secret from Judy.  During the week as I was gathering video footage and asking parents to participate in the festivities many children and adults asked with trepidation, "Is Ms. Judy leaving!?"  Fortunately the answer is no.  But it made me reflect on how we share love and appreciation with those who so positively impact our lives and the work we do.  

In the work environment, as in life, it is important to give and receive love.  It is a unique gift that demonstrates our humanness. Typically, within our personal and family lives, this showing of love comes naturally.  In the workplace it can be challenging to collaborate,  demonstrate deep respect and share love.  We recognize that these are important aspects of our work and contribute to developing a more positive and fulfilling work environment.  However, the love can be quickly forgotten when the pressures and stress, times when we need love the most, of the work day consume us and bring us down. 

IAA is special in this regard.  We recognize that friendship and family are words we often use to describe our colleagues.  We celebrate, that even through the darkest of times we feel we can rely on one another and find solace and comfort in the connections we have.  This translates into a community of tolerance, understanding, caring and love.  It also makes us aware of what we have and that we should appreciate and acknowledge each other more often than when someone leaves.  This level of love and respect is a tangible thing at IAA and often commented on when people new to the building join the community, tour the school or stop by for a visit.  The students develop a sense of comfort as a result of the climate here as well. 

So really it was just another day at IAA.  But what a great way to end a week, to just say, "we love you Judy," for no other reason, than the fact that we do.  

I was blown away today by some IAA dances connected to ecosystems.  The dances left many in the audience in tears. Who knew ecosystems could be so moving?  

The real beauty was in the learning and through the process.  It was palpable that these students grew and connected deeper as a community through this active learning.  They were also able to articulate the connection of the dance to their learning of science standards.  

The engagement was so apparent as well.  It is no wonder that during arts integration and arts experiences we have almost no office discipline referrals over the last 3 years.  The arts engage our students and in turn they are engaged in their learning.  I truly wish we could teach this way every minute of the day.  However, there are pressures to finish curriculums and meet testing benchmarks that push us away from this powerful learning tool.  To have the complete freedom to develop a curriculum based from the bottom up around arts integration is a dream we hope to realize someday.  

Today also made me think about who was engaged.  Everyone!  But at our school that means these arts integration experiences include a vast majority of students with little english skills, students with special learning needs, students impacted by poverty, homelessness and trauma.  I have said many times, Arts Integration is the great classroom differentiation tool.  Every student was involved with the same task, same learning goals and same activity that allowed them to develop meaning for themselves.  Amazing.  

So get your tissue boxes out and enjoy these dances.  

This morning was good.  We started, as we always do, with our community gathering at Monday Morning Meeting.  We shared a story and acknowledged and celebrated our students of the week.  This is always a powerful way to start a week of learning.

There must have been something in the water today, but I had a slew of parents, 6 or 7 come share their perceptions about what we are doing as a school and the type of community we are developing.    

One parent had recently attended an equity conference in another part of the state.  This conference addressed how schools can build community and create a welcoming safe environment.  She reported the strategies and environment readily apparent at IAA. are the same that were demonstrated and discussed at this conference.  A teacher at IAA recently attended a diversity and equity training as well.  While many other educators were concerned at their school's focus on this work, the IAA teacher was sharing a different story.  She felt confident in her understanding of the issues and proud that many of these issues had already been addressed and continuously worked on at IAA.

Then I spoke with a couple parents of middleschoolers.  They are reporting that teachers at the middle school can tell what students are from IAA.  They can tell because they are reacting more maturely in social situations, they are avoiding the troubles associated with cliques and they are advocates for both their own learning and the learning environment of others.  10 years ago, teachers at the middle school identified our students for very different reasons.  

I guess the largest takeaway from these conversations, is something I often come back to, we are working tremendously hard to create not only an arts based environment, but an environment of inclusiveness, safety and joy, and when you are so close to something, you sometimes lose sight.  The staff in this community is amazing.  They work so collaboratively with one another and they are willing to focus on student needs beyond just academics.  Sometimes when you are mired in the work you are not aware of the impact of the efforts.  It is reaffirming and reassuring to know that when students leave this building they are taking skills that we talk about and work on continuously.  

Thank you parents for sharing these stories.  They sustain the work we do.  It demonstrates the impact of our direction and commitment as a community.  We deal with myriad issues of heartache, difficulties and adversity in our school each day.  Just like the larger world community, there are troubling events and environments that we can not control nor completely shelter our students from.  However, when we focus on what's truly important in school communities (the social, emotional and mental health of our students) we can exemplify what community truly is and the skills necessary to contribute to and sustain a safe and inclusive environment for all.  

Artfully, 
Mr. Bobby 

"Stories are powerful because they transport us into other people’s worlds but, in doing that, they change the way our brains work and potentially change our brain chemistry — and that’s what it means to be a social creature."
                             -Jonathan Gottschall’s The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human.

Why do we do Monday Morning Meetings?  It is a crazy time of the week. Monday morning, we all are tired. Students are transitioning from the excitement or trepidation that the weekend experiences may have brought and teachers and staff are anxious to get the week's activities and learning off to a strong start. With all this, we still take the time to come together as a community.  

Throughout history the oral tradition and story have been powerful aspects of passing on values and deepening community.  Knowing this, we take the time to tell a story every Monday morning.  There are skills taught through the storytelling process; visualization is enhanced, the process promotes listening, the art of public speaking, acquisition of language skills, to name a few.  Most importantly, the stories give us focus and a common experience.   Many of the stories, skits, acts and books we share as a community have a social message that help bring us closer together and create a more emphatic environment.  We make a conscious effort to connect the precepts of the story with our ROAR rules (Respect Yourself, Respect Others, Respect All Learning, Respect Property) and use the stories as springboards when interpersonal conflicts arise between students.  These stories provide a reference and an opportunity for reflection around other choices we could make when solving problems. 

Storytelling is an easy and fun way to share literacy with students at home as well.  Reading a book, collaboratively telling a story or retelling of a classic tale, a family memory or making something up, can be an awesome shared experience with your children.  Here is a link for some ideas around sharing stories with children.  

​The above video was taken this Monday morning.  While I enjoy reading a book or telling a story to the student body, nothing is more magical than when a group of IAA staff come together to deliver the storytelling experience. 

​Students at IAA are cared for. They are loved and honored for the people they are.  We know this about our school.  IAA is especially adept at meeting the needs of the whole child.  I think we really understand that.  We meet children where they are and develop a nurturing support system around them, both academically and socially.  Often, when we see our children flourish, we look toward the classroom teacher.  As we should.  The classroom teachers at IAA understand the needs and the developmental approaches required to truly care for our students.  They make IAA a safe and comforting place, a second home.  We also have an amazing supporting cast.  These folks, our lunchroom staff, custodians, paraeducators, office staff, student teachers and learners from the local colleges and after school care, are often in the background but contribute mightily to this caring and formative environment. One such person, Louise Mongeon, IAA’s school Nurse, was recently honored as the Vermont School Nurse of the Year.  We’ve known this for well over a decade and are glad she is receiving the recognition.  However, regardless of accolades, she will continue to advocate for children and assist them in developing healthy life choices.  We are proud to have Nurse Mongeon as part of our community and enjoyed honoring here is a small way for her large contributions at IAA over the years.  Thanks Louise!  We love you!  

Check out below our recent performance by some IAA Players to celebrate all the Ms. Mongeon does for us.