Thank you to all the grandparents, special friends, and family members who joined us for our wonderful Grandparents and Special Friends Day last week. What a joy it was to see our students sharing their school, their learning, and their talents with so many of the important people in their lives!
As I mentioned during my “State of the School” comments that morning, the visiting committee was particularly complimentary of how deeply mission-driven Crossroads is during our recent reaccreditation. I think this work is a wonderful example of that mission continuing to evolve. One of the great things about Crossroads Academy is that we know what we want our students to learn. We have this extraordinary Core Knowledge curriculum, rich in history, literature, science, mathematics, music, art, and ideas. And we have our Core Virtues, which help our students develop the character to use all that knowledge well.
Strong minds and kind hearts. Five words. A pretty ambitious undertaking.
But lately, we have been asking ourselves another question: We know what we want students to learn, and we know who we hope they will become. How can we better understand what is actually happening in their brains along the way?
This year, with the help of local experts, a board committee, and two wonderful additions to Crossroads, Dr. Bryan Duff and Cricket Mikheev, we are taking a deeper dive into the science of learning.
As I said last week, our teachers have long understood how children learn. They know when a student needs a challenge, when someone needs another way into the material, when frustration is getting in the way, and when a child simply needs an adult to say, “You’ve got this.”
They know these things through experience, observation, intuition, and the thousands of small interactions that make great teaching an art.
What we are doing now is putting some science behind that art.
And here’s what I find particularly exciting: The more we explore how the brain learns, the more we recognize the natural relationship between Core Knowledge and Core Virtues.
When a student struggles with a difficult math problem, resists the temptation to give up, and tries another approach, that is learning in action. It is also perseverance and self-control.
When a student connects something learned in Ancient Rome to something happening in the world today, prior knowledge helps new understanding take shape.
When a student risks raising a hand to offer an answer, even though it might be wrong, that is courage. When classmates listen respectfully, they create a classroom environment where taking intellectual risks becomes a little easier.
Knowledge builds upon knowledge. Virtue helps us navigate the challenges of acquiring it. And the relationships our teachers cultivate give students the confidence to do both.
The science helps us understand why these things matter and how we can be more intentional about putting them into practice.
We are not replacing the wisdom of our teachers with brain science. We are giving them another set of tools to do what they already do so remarkably well: deliver a rich and challenging curriculum in ways that help every student learn, grow, and thrive.
Core Knowledge tells us that what children know matters. Core Virtues remind us that who they become matters just as much. And understanding the science of learning helps our teachers bring those two commitments together more effectively.
After all, strong minds and kind hearts aren’t two separate educational goals.
They’re two parts of the same remarkable, developing child.
