Tag: inspiration

Categories
Family

The Beauty of Happiness

By Julie Murugen
Lakehill Preparatory School, English Department Chair, K-7

We bought our tickets in June, dreaming for the rest of the year. We would visit Durban, South Africa, my husband’s birthplace and home for forty years. To my surprise, this trip of a lifetime was so much more than sightseeing–it changed the way I see myself.

Durban is a hilly coastal town, where December means summer. The undulant Indian Ocean impresses by day or night, as does the breathtaking Valley of 1,000 Hills on the road to Pietermaritzburg. I especially love the lush tropical vegetation at the Botanic Gardens and elsewhere, especially the red-flowered poinciana, nicknamed the “flamboyant” tree.

But our main purpose was a family visit. We would meet most of them at a big gathering of fifty people or more, aged infant to 84. I expected cordiality, but they opened their arms, hearts, and homes to us with unrestrained enthusiasm and generosity, and I loved them just as instantly and completely. My husband is “marma,” “thatha,” and “nana” while I am “auntie,” “aya,” or “nani” to adult nieces and nephews as well as great and great-great darlings.

In the past, I have avoided having my picture taken, always finding something about my appearance to criticize, but in the many photos the family have shared with us, what I first notice are the big smiles on our faces, especially mine. Where before I saw flaws, now I see only the beauty of happiness.

I can hardly wait to go back again.

Categories
Learning and Leading

Seeing Again with a New Purpose

By Julie Riggs
Lakehill Preparatory School, English Department Chair, K-7

I had so become discouraged with our tiny apartment that my husband agreed to visit some other rentals in the area. They were lovely and spacious, but moving would mean less privacy, higher rent and other expenses, and the enormous disruption of packing and unpacking.  Back at home, taking a newly appreciative look around, we discovered that rearranging a few pieces of furniture and tidying up clutter made our little home feel almost as spacious and charming as the others we had seen.

That’s a tangible example of revision, a skill I try to teach in English classes. To “see again” with a new purpose, to rearrange and tidy up cluttered writing, makes dysfunctional communication work. Even so, students are often reluctant to revise because writers are not only emotionally attached to our first drafts, we can become terribly stuck, believing we have no options.  But we do— all we have to do is take another look.

Categories
Building Relationships

The Courage to Learn

By Victoria John
Lakehill Preparatory School, Middle School Mathematics and Latin

Several years ago, I joined colleagues at a weekend educational retreat, hosted by the Fetzer Institute in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was most exciting for me, as our facilitator, Parker Palmer, noted educator and author of several books, including his seminal work, The Courage to Teach, was someone I had respected for years. He is one of those rare individuals, who instantly puts individuals at ease, while empowering them to trust their intuition. Parker Palmer gave voice to my own intuition with his words, “If students get to know each other as people first, it is easier to share ideas.”

As a child entering school in the 1950s, I was always uncomfortable, afraid of sharing ideas, in a classroom setting. During my undergraduate work at Indiana University, I was drawn to John Holt’s groundbreaking book, How Children Fail. Its premise was that fear in the classroom is the biggest deterrent to learning. Inspired by his thinking, I wrote a paper suggesting a model for reducing fear in the classroom. Children would get to know each other by meeting in small groups and sharing stories about themselves. They would gradually rotate groups until students felt safer with one another in the classroom setting. My professor encouraged me to use this model when I started teaching. I successfully launched this project at Indiana University Middle School, and observed happily that my students gradually became more confident to participate in class discussions without fear of ridicule or judgment.

The original model has morphed into telling my own childhood stories related to learning, followed by my students sharing their experiences. Despite the difference in our ages, at times we all feel uncomfortable about our ability to learn. We spend more time comparing ourselves to others than focusing on our own growth. We realize how we are alike, and in the process of that acceptance, learn to respect differences. Through annual student-written feedback, I discover that students feel at ease in my classroom. This comfort level translates into a sense of community, builds teamwork and results in mutual respect that contributes to learning without fear.

My most memorable story reveals that I failed the seventh grade math final exam. I was shocked and ashamed to see a huge red “F” marked at the top of my paper. I felt terrified, not because of what my parents would say, but because of my own doubt in my ability to think. How could I, an “A” math student, fail a math test? My parents trusted me to handle the situation. I made an appointment with the teacher to discuss my performance and requested extra summer math assignments to ensure I understood the material.

I value that experience and the resulting empowerment I felt from focusing on the solution and not the problem. That choice gave me the ability not only to acknowledge my students’ disappointments, but also to guide them through the process of understanding why it happened and taking steps to move forward. They learn that resilience builds courage.

I love teaching middle school and believe in empowering students. I encourage them to trust their intuition and live within their own integrity. I believe in the inherent good in each and am inspired to guide them through the middle school experience. Through stories, my students embody the value of what Parker Palmer noted as “getting to know each other as people first.” They share amazing, humorous, and valuable stories that have a profound effect on their peers, as well as on me. In the process, they are able to focus on learning the subject matter in Latin or math, rather than hiding silently behind a wall of fear. It is a gift to have taught at Lakehill Preparatory School for 19 years. I dedicate this blog to my current eighth grade students who have influenced my life through their willingness to grow by choosing the path of courage.

 

Categories
Giving Uncategorized

Sharing Support and Smiles

By Julie Riggs,
English Chair, Lakehill Preparatory School

I love North Texas Giving Day and look forward to it every year.  There are eight or ten institutions I like to support, including my own dear Lakehill Preparatory School. The bargain-hunter in me enjoys knowing that I can give more than I otherwise might since the Communities Foundation will boost my little gifts, and the occasion gives me a special day to be a philanthropist and patron of the arts in my own small way.

I recently heard a radio report about people who choose not to register because they believe their votes make no difference, and it would be easy to rationalize that my minute contributions make no discernible difference in the vast ledger of need and opportunity– I may personally never see evidence of a single benefit arising from my gifts.

But giving makes a difference to me. My heart sings while I deliberate on how to distribute my support and smiles with contentment when the deed is done. But even more important, giving itself makes a difference. With so much generosity in the air, cynicism and greed themselves must give ground, and the world truly becomes a brighter place.

 

Categories
Retirement

A Fond Farewell

By Kaye Hauschild
Lakehill Preparatory School
Head of Middle School

For a whole lot of years, I have been privileged to work with our Assistant Headmaster, Lara Gajkowski. She is retiring at the end of this month.  

Here are a few of my favorite things about Lara:

  1. She is a true educator, ready to support forward thinking in all disciplines.
  2. She is a problem solver who uses her creativity to address a challenge, whether it is creating a workable schedule or finding staffing for an event.
  3. She is dedicated to working however long it takes to get things right.
  4. She has the ability to envision positive change and then make it into reality.
  5. She opens up her home to all of our middle schoolers so they can experience a day in the country with their friends and teachers.
  6. She is willing to have the difficult conversations when necessary and model and support others as they face difficult conversations of their own.
  7. She listens to opinions that are different than our norm and is amenable to change when it is right and good.
  8. She is a family person at heart, bringing us our tribes and our Grandparents Day celebration.
  9. She cares deeply for the well being of our students, families, teachers and staff.
  10. She loves our school as much as I do.
  11. She is my mentor, cheerleader, and friend, and I will miss her.

Categories
Teaching

Imperfection

By Tamra Badgett
French Teacher, Lakehill Preparatory School

Nelson Mandela said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”

Each year, I like to tell my beginner French students a story, one whose message applies specifically to them and one that proves true Mandela’s wise words. Let me share it with you.

While living in Toulouse, France, I had an experience that transformed my perspective on language learning. One day, I stood in the plaza gazing across at a bank of brick buildings. My GPS had falsely said that the electric company, which I desperately needed, should be exactly where my eyes now found nothing but apartments and store fronts. Helpless, I glanced around at the confident citizens of the town, intimidated at the idea of having to converse with one of them to solve my dilemma.

Although I spoke French, according to my bachelor’s degree, I didn’t. My type A personality had convinced me that I had no business speaking the language if I couldn’t do so with near perfection, so I listened, I read, I wrote, and I avoided speaking whenever possible.

Nearby in the plaza, an older gentlemen stood seemingly waiting for someone to join him. Of all the individuals hurrying this way and that, he looked the most friendly. Tap, tap. “Monsieur, je suis désolée mais pouvez-vous me donner de l’information?” The man looked at me kindly but motioned to his ear and shook his head. I began to repeat myself, more loudly this time. The gentleman stayed my gesturing hands with his own, smiled almost wistfully, and again shook his head. With hesitancy, I bent the fingers of my right hand into the word, “Aidez?” The gentleman’s countenance brightened and his eyes grew round. I had spoken in his own language–not French, but sign language. With my extremely basic ASL, I asked the man if he knew directions to the electric company. To match my basic finger spelling, he answered in simple terms and phrases.

What I learned that day, and the message I share with my beginner French students, is that “the basics” of a language are all that are needed to form a connection and to show compassion and respect for someone. I met the gentlemen in the plaza where he needed with my ASL and he met me where I needed with simple, slow French.

It is my belief that I don’t teach French at Lakehill just so my students can add another skill to their college resumes. No, I teach French so they are equipped with the means to live out our Lakehill mission which states that our students serve with compassion. Armed with just the basics, they can, in fact, form connections and help others in our ever more globalized and diverse society. Visit my beginner French class and you will surely overhear incorrectly conjugated verbs, franglais, anglicismes, and bizarre circumlocation. You will hear the students learning to connect with others, and I think that is a beautiful sound indeed.

Categories
Teaching

New Year, New Paths

By Julie Riggs
English Chair K-7, Lakehill Preparatory School

I’ve always found it odd that the new year begins in midwinter, not spring, but perhaps wintry days are best for reflecting on the past, on the curves and turns in paths that seemed certain, celebrating all the events that brought us to the bright, promising path now stretched before us.

Once, I, who did not learn to swim until I was twenty-three, was sure I would join the Navy as soon as I graduated from high school. Once, I, who can scarcely render a straight line on paper and who am hopeless at sewing anything more complicated than a Christmas stocking, imagined I wanted to study architecture and interior design. I had names picked out for daughters who, despite my certainty, turned out to be sons, and I was sure I would write a sci-fi novel by the time I was twenty-five.

I couldn’t know that teaching would give me more joy and satisfaction than any of those imagined futures, but looking back, it seems that everything in my life was a preparation for being exactly where I belong.

So, no predictions or resolutions for 2018—just anticipation to see where this new path may carry me.

Categories
Learning and Leading

Birthday Reflections

By Julie Riggs
English Chair K-7, Lakehill Preparatory School

Six decades. Sixty years. Somehow my birthday this year seems full of import. More than ever before, I find myself reflecting – and anticipating. My mother lived to be 82, and her younger sister turns 91 the day before I hit my comparatively youthful milestone.

Almost a third of that life has been here at Lakehill, and that’s a rather defining experience. When I began, I was nervous, a bit overwhelmed, and full of resolution to make my classes as meaningful as possible. I’m still overwhelmed sometimes, but nerves have evolved into a reserve of confidence and patience that serves me well.

I am even more eager than I was eighteen years ago to build memories and confidence in my students and to make them feel that time in this classroom– newly remodeled with accents in my signature colors of lime and teal—is well spent.

I hope, as before, that they walk away with some new vocabulary, an awareness of what makes writing effective, the memory of at least one book that touches their hearts or stirs their imaginations, and most of all, the knowledge that they are loved.

Here’s to the next decade!

Categories
Environmental Education

Eco-Friendly Fun: Lakehill Students Educate Others at Earth Day Texas

The 2017 Earth Day Texas was the planet’s largest Earth Day Expo ever. The 130,000 visitors who attended the event, held April 21-23 at Fair Park, were treated to more than 250 speakers and 700 interactive exhibits showcasing leaders in the corporate, academic, and non-profit worlds, including a booth featuring Lakehill Preparatory School.

Earth Day Texas strives to increase environmental awareness through education. Thousands of educators and students from more than 100 schools attended the three-day event.

Students in Jeremy Holman’s AP Environmental Science class showcased a variety of environmentally friendly projects. Their exhibits included art works made from paper waste, an experiment on how plants help reduce soil erosion, and an activity to learn what types of materials can and cannot be recycled.

Lakehill’s Director of Environmental Education, Daniel Bracken, helped visitors paint silicone fish and leaves that they rolled paint onto and used to create colorful prints. “Many visitors were also interested in the types of classes that are held at the ESC,” Bracken said. “I showed off the student created herbarium and insect collections that were created by second and third grade students.”

Bryna Thomson’s Middle School student volunteers in fifth and eighth grade showed visitors the ESC’s worm compost bin and taught them about the benefits of worm composting. They also engaged visitors in a fun matching game to teach about the amount of time it takes different materials to break down in a landfill.

“Visitors especially appreciated the worm farm,” said Head of Lower School John Trout. “The courageous held the wriggling creatures in their hands as they learned why farmers love to have worms in their gardens while the timid cringed from afar.”

Earth Day Texas is an annual festival seeking to elevate environmental awareness and change the way North Texans think, live, and work. This is the sixth year that Lakehill has been featured.

Categories
Teaching

A Witness to History

By Elizabeth Schmitt
English Teacher, Lakehill Preparatory School

As a teacher, I am committed to bringing history and literature to life for my students. I have organized field trips to museums and plays, but find it most effective when I bring in an expert speaker to share their experiences. This week, I had the privilege to introduce Max Glauben, a Holocaust survivor, to an assembly of the sixth through twelfth grade students. We all sat rapt listening to his testimony.

At Lakehill, our study of the Holocaust begins in sixth grade with the Diary of Anne Frank. It is often difficult for an eleven-year-old to imagine that such persecution could have happened, that people would have to go into hiding. In ninth grade, our freshmen read  Night, Elie Wiesel’s brief, but powerful memoir of his experience in the concentration camps. With Wiesel’s death last year, I was spurred with the urgency of having a survivor speak to our students. As my freshmen read the text and watched Schindler’s List this January and February, a spike in Anti-Semitic threats and desecration of Jewish cemeteries occurred across the United States. I proposed that we have Glauben speak to our students, and it was arranged through the Dallas Holocaust Museum.

Glauben was 11 when the Nazis invaded his homeland of Poland; 13 during the Warsaw Ghetto uprising; and 15 when the war ended. He told his story without embellishments or visual aids. This simplicity made his words all the more vivid. I was struck by his matter-of-fact description of how his father was one of 100 prisoners taken as hostages because 10 others did not return from a work detail. He spoke of last seeing his father lying face down on the ground. The next morning all that remained were his father’s shoes. Glauben knew that his father had been killed, and that he was now an orphan at 13.

His perseverance and will to survive were driven by a phrase in the Talmud, the ancient Jewish legal text: “He who saves one life saves the world entire.” If Glauben could save himself, he would be able to make a difference, sharing his story and speaking for the more than 1,000,000 children who were killed during the Holocaust, including his younger brother.

At 89, he is preparing to make his twelfth trip back to Poland for the March of the Living. (Lakehill senior Zac Aron will be a part of this trip.) He and his wife Frieda have three children, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. One of his sons, Barry, attended Lakehill.

This assembly was a highlight of my 16 years at Lakehill for many reasons. My connection to the subject matter is personal. My family is Jewish. My father was a radar operator with the 781st Bomb Squadron of the Army Air Corps during World War II. I remember sitting at the dining room table, listening to him describe flying with two sets of dog tags: one identified him as Jewish, the other did not. He was shot down three times over Eastern Europe. I wouldn’t be here without that second set of tags.

Glauben’s presence transformed an abstract into reality for those assembled. The image of the KL tattooed on his arm will live in all of our memories. His story serves as a powerful reminder that every voice matters.