Click here to listen to this week’s JAM – Process AND Product
Two recent highlights from Monday affirmed for me the importance of the type of education we provide at Hillbrook.
Toward the end of the day, Scott Center Director Annie Makela came into my office buzzing with excitement. She had just watched the 4th grade production of Greta & the Giants, written and directed by 8th grader Addy Crisco for her 8th grade Social Impact & Leadership project. As I mentioned in episode 29, Addy teamed up with 4th grade teacher Sam Butler and her students to recount the story of a young girl who tries to fight against the Giants who are cutting down all of the trees. Addy also partnered with Ms. Mendez’s Kindergarten class to help in the creation of props, a partnership inspired by a changemaker unit in Kindergarten led by Scott Center Research & Program Lead Vanessa Fernandez.
So Annie shared with me that the big performance brought out parents from both Kindergarten and 4th grade, adults who showed up to see what was happening. She pointed out, “community is built in both big and small moments and Monday was a beautiful example of how supporting a collaborative and creative mindset in students and faculty alike can lead to joyful moments of learning and leadership for children of all ages.” And, she mentioned VanNessa Hulme Silbermann, Performing Arts teacher and Addy’s mentor, told the assembled students at the end, “every single one of you has the power to make change and you have a lot to look forward to in your 8th grade year. Start thinking now about what your project will be because the possibilities are endless!” What a powerful message to our younger children.
And let’s not lose sight of the academic value of this experience. Addy determined what she cared about, explored possibilities and coalesced around an idea with the support of several adult mentors, wrote and produced a short play, collaborated with a group of adults to lead two different groups of younger students, and oversaw a performance for an audience of children and adults. Not bad for a 14 year old.
So while this was happening on campus, I also learned that our entrepreneur-in-residence, Aaron Schorn, had just published a piece about the work we are doing in “Getting Smart,” an organization that works with “impact-oriented partners who are committed to doing work that accelerates the future of teaching, leading and learning.” Aaron’s case study explored how the 8th grade Social Impact & Leadership project placed a premium on process and documentation in helping students gain deeper learning. He also highlighted how the school’s hyper-focus on process does not occur at the expense of product. It matters what students create in the end, it’s just not the only thing that matters – and, in many cases, schools desire to hyper-focus on product comes at the expense of process. I encourage you to read his piece and to gain a deeper insight into how the work we are doing through Social Impact & Leadership and through our robust reach beyond programming is placing Hillbrook at the leading edge of schools across the country and the world. And, most importantly, it is providing meaningful and engaging learning for students, who in turn are finding extraordinary ways to reach beyond and make a difference in the world.