School of Thought

The school calendar is often a topic of discussion here at Tesseract School. Over the years we have gathered parent feedback about the school calendar—some parents want shorter summers and others prefer, and appreciate, the longer summers that we currently enjoy.

I feel that long summers are not in the students’ best interests as we must spend the first few weeks of school reviewing and finding our feet after being away all summer, which essentially shortens the amount of time we have to work with the students on new concepts during an already relatively short school year.

This issue of school calendars is not only a topic of conversation at Tesseract—all around us in the metropolitan Phoenix area, schools are trying a variety of calendars. Only last Friday I read an article in the Arizona Republic, which explained that the Scottsdale schools, through their time task force, are exploring a variety of options.

I am often asked for my opinion about the standardized testing movement and the direction of education in the United States. It has always been my feeling that, while I understand the need for and reasoning behind it, standardized testing is not the best gauge—nor is it necessarily a true reflection—of a students’ aptitude or understanding of a subject. I also believe that an environment that enables students to acquire and hone skills critical for success in the 21st century as well as develop an interest in and love of learning lead students to greater success than the rote memorization and “Sage on the Stage” models found in traditional education. Recently, I finished reading a book written by Yong Zhao entitled “Catching Up or Leading the Way—American Education in the Age of Globalization,” which speaks to these very thoughts and to the desired change in Asia’s educational system.

An excellent school is a place where the faculty, administration and parents are all working together for the benefit of each student. I believe there are four criteria to creating an excellent school—committed faculty, small class sizes, a relevant, well-rounded curriculum and safety. So, as a parent, how do you determine what school is right for your child? There are many choices out there–charter schools, private schools, public schools—but in which environment will your child thrive? Finding the right school for your children will take time, but having them in the right school, where they can thrive and reach their full potential, is an investment you can’t afford not to make.