Caring
Each month, we highlight a particular attribute from the IB Learner Profile. The attribute becomes a source of inspiration for Chapel services, an opportunity to recognize the ways students demonstrate commitment to the attribute, and a spark for reflection. In December, we are turning our attention to what it means to be "caring." The IB identifies caring as an affective attribute (as versus a cognitive one) and defines caring as follows:We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us.We often think of being caring as one of those soft attributes, that caring grows from the warm-and-fuzzy element within a person, but, like inquiry, thinking, communication, and reflection, caring is a complex skill. Empathy, compassion, and respect are not innate or essential qualities of people - they are developed and shaped by myriad experiences and factors from how our brains are wired to how we interact with others at our best and at our worst. An important aspect of being caring is its active, not passive, orientation. One can be passively kind or nice, but care requires demonstration and evidence that an act of care actually effects something for someone else.
As a community, we demonstrated care for people and pets we don't even know through the Pet Food Drive. That drive collected nearly 1,400 lbs. of pet food for the Puget Sound Pet Food Bank. This drive, the second House Cup competition of the year, was organized by the Middle School Student Council. Nadine Gibson, Grade 7 Representative, visited the PSPFB and met with Marge Meyer, President and founder of the food bank (see the picture, right). This was an amazing demonstration of caring! In January, Middle School students will engage in Service Learning Days, in which they will explore the variety of themes of service learning and have a chance to indirectly or directly provide service.Later in the year, we'll have another food drive (this time, food for people) that will be organized by the Upper School for Boys as part of the yearlong House Cup competition. Moving the food drive for people to the spring was intended as an act of caring as well - many food banks, social services agencies, and other non-profit organizations benefit from the generosity inspired by the holiday season, and we wanted our community to be able to make an impact when the need is off of our radar.
Our program has been built to develop empathy and compassion in many ways, but our efforts to "make a positive difference in the lives of others" is not restricted to grand gestures or school-wide programs. Making a positive difference begins in our acknowledgement of each other and her or his inherent dignity as a human being. It continues with the ways we interact and communicate with each other, and it extends into seeking to understand the influences, talents, gifts, motivations, challenges, and burdens of others.
Thich Nhat Hanh's Being Peace provides an introduction to Buddhist philosophy, but it is also an extended reflection on what it means to be a caring presence for others and in the world. For him, "Understanding and love aren't two separate things, they're just one." You cannot truly love someone without understanding her or him; and you cannot help but love someone if you truly understand her or him. For him the source of human suffering is our inability to understand each other...but to be able to understand (and love) each other, we have to be able to understand (and love) ourselves. "If you cannot be compassionate to yourself," he writes, "you will not be able to be compassionate to others." As we move through the winter holiday season in which we hear so many calls to be kind and generous toward others, perhaps this is a timely reminder to be kind and generous toward ourselves. If the coming Winter Break gives students space to be compassionate to themselves, to be able to attend to the physical and emotional exhaustion they might feel, then they will return to school in January better prepared to be kind and generous toward each other, making us an even stronger community.
Grandparents' & Special Friends' Day
We are thrilled to welcome our students' Grandparents and Special Friends on Friday, December 15! The Middle School program will include a special musical performance by students and ensembles, followed by the MS Expo, which will provide a glimpse into the curricular life of the Middle School. Visitors will get a chance to see finished products and works-in-progress from a variety of subjects. The schedule for the day staggers events between the Lower and Middle Schools so that guests visiting students in both Divisions might be able to do it all.Please note that Friday is a noon dismissal for all students. Students leaving before noon (if they are leaving with a grandparent of special guest) must check out with a MS Faculty member at the Front Door, the 10th Street Office, or the Middle School doors.
What we are learning...
Ms. Sedia Bayard, Individuals & Societies and ESL Teacher
What is your favorite color? Blue.
What is your favorite book? Gorilla, My Love by Toni Cade Bambara. Maybe.
What is your favorite movie? One of my favorite movies is "Like Water for Chocolate"
If I hadn't been a teacher, I probably would've been... an NPR correspondent or a lawyer.
Who is your favorite musical artist? Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, and Chris Smither.
If you could travel anywhere in space and time, where and when would you like to visit? I'd share a simple, lovely meal with Mister Rogers and Oprah...on Nantucket.
Where were you born? Kennewick, Washington.
Any interesting trivia about you? I was a varsity cheerleader in high school. In college, I played rugby.
Where did you attend Middle School? Stevens Junior High School in Pasco, WA.
Who was your favorite or most influential teacher? Middle School. Cathy Osborne - intelligent, no nonsense, and she loved us so.
In Individuals and Societies, the seventh graders are currently presenting on the various revolutions they researched. I love seeing them grow as researchers and presenters. What a joy it is to coach them and watch them not only internalize the coaching but also give each other helpful, thoughtful, constructive feedback! Another highlight is engaging the students in conversations around our Statements of Inquiry (SOI): “Circumstances shape identity” and “Change is hard.” What I find most fascinating is how quickly some of the children say, “Ms. Bayard, I don’t know how this SOI applies to [XYZ],” and as soon as I say, “Well, what do you think?,” they answer—and answer well. It is important to me that they know I believe in them and their ability to think and that I trust their brains. Our kiddos are sharp, and it is a complete joy to teach them and laugh and learn with them every day.
