At the pinning this weekend of the Class of 1959, the ceremony which marks a class’s entry into the 50 Plus Club, the Head of Schools briefly recounted as she always does the winding life-path of each man in attendance. She touched lightly on their many memberships and professional achievements, and then shared what was written about them by their teachers and Thompson and Vivian Webb when they were boys more than fifty years ago. At this year’s ceremony, as in all that I’ve witnessed in the past 10 years, the men sat and listened and were stunned silent. They were surprised I suppose that the words and thoughts of their teachers and headmaster had survived along with them more than 50 years, and too, by the realization that they were really known here, seen and known when they were boys.

Susan Nelson tells parents at the beginning of every school year that she and the school can make few promises, in fact, she says, mainly just this, “I promise you that your sons and daughters will be known. They will be known and they will be cared for.”  For a long time these words just struck me as old-fashioned, gooey and sentimental. In fact, I often observed parents in the auditorium looking at each other in mild confusion. Is that the job of a school?  Isn’t that the role of parent and family?  Well, of course, yes, in answer to both questions. It is the role of the family to know the son and know the daughter, but strangely it is also the miraculous sum-total of what happens to you here at Webb.

I finally get it. I saw it this weekend on the faces of Webb alumni from the fifth to the fiftieth reunion. Each of them did indeed enter Webb as students, as strangers, but then they became known, known for their character, for their uncommon gifts, for their flaws and frailties, and more. They were known here. They are still known. Distance has not diminished it. Years have not diminished it. This knowing has survived even beyond death as classmates gathered and remembered even those no longer among us.

As I think about it all this morning, I see that beyond the learning and skills and academic achievement, even beyond college placement if you can believe that, of all the things that happen for you and to you at Webb, this is the most powerful and lasting. You were known here. You will always be known.  

In a recent chapel talk, history teacher and Webb alumnus Dave Fawcett described the values that have girded our school since its founding, particularly Thompson Webb's dictum that “a student’s word is his bond.” This statement resonates in our English department, as our teachers cultivate not only the virtues of personal accountability and academic honesty, but also the recognition of the written word’s power to shape the public perception and reputation of a writer.

On its face, a finely wrought piece of writing—rigorous in argument and energetic in style—reflects its author’s nimble intellect, command of the language, and attention to grammatical nuance. More broadly, it reveals the writer’s respect for her audience, her conviction in her ideas, and her willingness to engage in dialogue about those ideas. It is the hallmark of a rigorous and conscientious mind. Good writing, however, requires hard—albeit rewarding—work.

The web and its widgets, from email to Facebook to Twitter and beyond, have been both a boon and a peril to younger writers who, in their enthusiasm to communicate, sacrifice clarity for haste, forgetting that despite the seemingly ephemeral nature of online communiqués, what one commits to a blog, a tweet, or a Facebook wall is strangely permanent: today’s blogspot comma splice may well haunt tomorrow’s Googled reference check.  

Our department began looking for ways to combat a contemporary writing culture that too often eschews rigor, reflection, and revision, and last January we inaugurated Webb’s e-portfolio system: an electronic folder into which a student files every writing assignment she creates throughout her Webb career. The pedagogical benefits of the system abound: using Microsoft Word’s Comment function, teachers can make annotations on the electronic copy of the document—a process further streamlined by an electronic rubric—and quickly return graded assignments to the e-portfolio, allowing students to more effectively revise a work in progress and creating a virtual toolbox of expert suggestions and commentary for students’ future use.

The portfolios also facilitate opportunities for peer editing exercises and class workshops, allowing a piece of writing to transcend the traditionally parochial exchange between student and teacher. An advisor might dip into an advisee’s portfolio to see a snapshot of her current work; a history teacher might peruse his students’ English essays to suss out how well they embed quotations; a tenth-grade teacher might look at the work her students produced as ninth-graders, framing her understanding of their grammatical mastery and needs. As students recognize that they are creating pieces for multiple audiences, they embrace the unglamorous but necessary task of refining their grammar, mechanics, and rhetoric; as those pieces accumulate from one year to the next, students create a body of work reflecting their authorial growth and reminding them that they are accountable for the work they create in their names.

To underscore the crucial importance of writing in a world beyond the classroom, our English faculty has designed projects and assessments to challenge students to apply their writing in contexts far different from the formal critical essay, encouraging students to write with an awareness of—and obligation to—a broad and diverse audience. Freshmen will write chapel talks; sophomores will author guidebooks for a virtual Renaissance museum; juniors will write and produce radio shows in the style of NPR’s “This American Life.”    

As every frustrated student of literature knows, we only rarely have the luxury of hearing an author explain the intentions of a text: Shakespeare cannot tell us whether Hamlet knows that Polonius is behind the arras; we cannot ask Wallace Stevens for the identity of the emperor of ice cream; T.S. Eliot will never reveal J. Alfred Prufrock’s overwhelming question. Just as great literature stands by itself, so too must our own great writing; we cannot rely on the possibility of being able to offer ex post facto excuses, explanations, or caveats to our readers. Thus, as our students challenge themselves to elevate their written expression, we in turn challenge them to recall Thompson Webb’s charge to our community: that our word is indeed our bond.

During my first few chapel talks of the year, I like to challenge students and faculty to consider what constitutes a really good high school education.  I’m always impressed with what people have to say.  From the most venerable faculty members to our young freshmen, there seems to be a sense of pride in being at a school that values excellence, rigor, and the highest standards of individual and collective behavior. 

Some might say that a really good education prepares a young person to lead a successful life.  I certainly wouldn’t argue with that.   Or, that a good education allows you to reason, to calculate, to think creatively, to understand, and have perspective.  Yes.

But I always try to challenge the community to go one step beyond being a really good educational community.  In my mind, a good education does prepare you for success.  But a great education prepares you for failure—it gives you the strength and the philosophical underpinnings to help you decide what you should do when faced with a major loss, challenge, or set back.  The difference between a really good education and a great education is that a great education equips you to care about the right things, to act upon your empathy, and to struggle toward success whether you reach it or not. 

Webb is a place where we strive to provide a good education and a great education.  Our academic curriculum is grounded in the liberal arts, and provides the historical context to evaluate and detect patterns, to judge and formulate sound self-government.  Our recent growth in the arts allows students to pursue creative interests and to understand more completely the heart of our language and culture.  And our active-learning based math and science experiences expose students to the very foundations of medicine and engineering which of course lead to innovation, product conceptualization, and design. 

So there is little doubt that a good education is vital in many, many respects.  Our small class sizes, fabulous facilities, technology, college counseling – it’s all pretty impressive when you compare Webb to any school in the nation.  But there’s something else at work here – an education that runs far deeper, preparing our students for more.  It comes through in Webb’s core values:  Honor, Single Sex Education, Unbounded Thinking.  It comes through in the multitude of activities we offer, including beginning-of-year retreats, competitive sports, chapel talks, Peccary trips, formal dinners, service projects, club activities, and the list goes on.  And it comes through in just being here - living with friends and teachers – living together on this campus and learning to care for one another.  Somehow, it all comes together every day and every year to create a total experience that is far more than just a really good education. 

As the 2009-2010 year gets underway, I am beginning to see the signs of what makes us great.  The start of year activities were led by a leadership group of over 80 students.  They were well-organized and set the standard of excellence in terms of honor, residential leadership, and student government.  We have already had a number of excellent chapel programs (both from teachers and students) including the Vivian Webb Signing Ceremony, the Webb School of California honor service, and a wonderful Sunday chapel last evening featuring our very own Nina Gilbert who is a nationally recognized expert on the National Anthem.  The service council group is stronger than ever and is already active in the community, and Webb Gaul athletics are off and running – with impressive wins this past weekend by water polo, football, and volleyball. 

Our commitment to being a good school and a great school is a challenging path.  It involves placing a good deal of leadership in the hands of students, so that they can take true ownership for this place, and in doing so, learn some of life’s most important lessons in deep and important ways.  A good school would be satisfied with impressive scores, and college acceptances.  A great school is not.  I’m proud to work at a school which places so much value on scholarship while at the same time seeks to challenge its students in ways that prepare them to lead in what is sure to be a complex world. 

I’ll conclude with a portion of a poem I read to students in chapel.  It was actually found on the body of an unknown soldier after the battle of Gettysburg.   

I asked for strength that I might achieve. He made me weak that I might obey.

I asked for health that I might do great things. He gave me grace that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy. He gave me poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men. He gave me weakness that I might feel a need for God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. He gave me life that I might enjoy all things.

I received nothing I asked for. He gave me everything I hoped for….

I’d like to hear your thoughts on this poem and how you feel it relates to our focus in providing both a good and a great education for our students. 

Another college admission season begins and we are in full swing at Webb.  Seniors spent the beginning of the school year retreat with my office and their class advisors going over countless details associated with their future college plans.  It was an exciting three days of important information and plenty of good laughs.  We covered many topics together, including interview tips, the pros and cons of early action/decision, protocol for college representative visits, SAT/ACT testing, The Gatekeepers book discussion, the importance of recommendation letters, the role of parents in the process, and setting up personal appointments with me.  We also were fortunate to have an excellent panel of young Webb Alumni who shared their experiences with the seniors and discussed how they "survived" the college admissions process and what college life has been like for them.  The seniors listened carefully, had great questions, and showed every sign that they are not only ready for the college application process but also happy to get started.

The class is already busy meeting with admissions representatives from all over the country who have begun to visit us (and who will continue to visit throughout the fall semester).  We expect another record-breaking year of college visitors to the Webb campus.  It's always my pleasure to show off the outstanding students we have here and make sure our college friends know us as well as we know them. 

Soon, seniors will be asking their teachers for college recommendation letters, taking the SAT/ACT (again), making finishing touches on their college essays, getting their applications together, and setting up their college interviews.  Deadlines will fast approach and every senior will be incredibly busy making sure all details are taken care of and assuring that each college application is the best that it can be. 

Some stress, a bit of anxiety, and some reality checks will be part of the process, but ultimately each senior will find good college matches and gain the confidence to present themselves to their schools in wonderfully successful ways.  Every year we have a few "panicked" souls who fear that they will never get into any college, but I have reassured them all that they will – and not just "any" college but a "good" college!  We have great kids at Webb, why wouldn't good colleges want them?!  

Where will they apply?  Where will they end up? It's still too early to tell, but I have a really good feeling for this class and for the year ahead.  If our successful senior retreat and the interesting conversations I've been having with each senior is any indication, I am confident that the Class of 2010 will be very happy with their college choices.  They have already made a great first impression with me and are certain to do the same with their colleges!  

Please join me in wishing the Class of 2010 good luck and great success with their college plans.  And for the Classes of 2011, 2012, and 2013… watch and learn.  What's happening to the seniors will soon be happening to you.  Great things await you as well!

Any time you make a dramatic shift in pedagogical model there are going to be anxious moments.  On August 31^st we commenced the 2009-10 school year with a new daily schedule, one that features three eighty-minute blocks, allowing each class to meet three times over a seven day rotation, compared to our previous schedule where classes met four times in a week for forty-five-minute blocks – a significant shift in time commitment and frequency. 

In our preparations to teach in these extended class blocks we invited faculty to work in Science/Math and Humanities teams toward the end of last year, offering workshops to generate ideas for mixing modalities and creating lesson plans to fill eighty-minute periods, and to assign work for out of class that is more intentional and purposeful.  We also spent two days as a full faculty in year-end meetings working with a consultant who gave us more ideas with which to work.  Several departments took advantage of the week after faculty meetings in June to further collaborate.

The anxious moment for me came in mid-August when I expected people to come to me in a panic – and no one came.  And as I queried more and more faculty members it became clear that people were, in fact, embracing this opportunity to be able to change the dynamics of their classroom; classroom dynamics that had often seemed rushed and fractured.  And another reality became clear – just about everybody, or at least several members of each department,  had had some experience teaching in extended time, either in other (often public) school settings or in summer school.  The tone that has been set in starting the year has been one of increased collaboration all around – teacher to teacher, teacher to student, student to student – and it has extended, as we had hoped, into the realm of the everyday experiences outside of the classroom. 

We have adjusted the schedule to be able to give the students the gift of time, uninterrupted time, to meet with teachers and advisors, time to meet as members of leadership committees, time to meet as club members, and to be constructive and productive in ways that were impossible under the old schedule.  So the advantages we have created for teaching in the new schedule have also allowed us to be able to attend to those things that we deem to be important to us at Webb in the community as well.  The place just seems to be a bit more civil, and the way people are interacting more respectful and reasonable – we seem to be getting closer to achieving the ideal of a true learning community, where you are able to bring great minds together to learn and share on a higher plane – and my only remaining anxiety lies in the knowledge that we can’t settle into a complacency that limits what we do with the time that we have created for ourselves!

When fielding questions from a caller inquiring about our school, it is inevitable that I get, “So, where can I find your ranking among other boarding schools?” Happens all the time. Much to their dismay, I have to tell them that there is no such thing, and happily so. Yes, there have been multiple attempts by various publications hoping to score readers a la U.S News and World Reports College Rankings by getting our independent schools to participate in such studies; but, guided by such organizations as the National Association of Independent Schools, we have rigorously resisted the temptation to jump in.

And why, do you say? What do you all have to hide? Well, of course, nothing. You can learn all about us by visiting our websites, walking our campuses and drawing your own comparisons. But the notion that you can lump all our schools into one pot and then ascribe what are never exacting standards supposedly vetted by the most rigorous research misses the whole point of why our schools exist in the first place. Every independent school was founded on a vision of what education can be or should be for children. Founders of various boarding schools, like our own Thompson Webb, did so because they developed a belief system about the appropriate ends of education and founded a school to put those ideas into place. They did not do so to “compete” with the other boarding or public school down the road. They did not do so to see if their students could get that elusive edge in the college admission process. In the case of The Webb Schools, Mr. Webb was firm in his belief about developing “young men of honor” and that alone has guided our ideas about education for both our boys and girls (Webb, founded in 1922, added a girls’ school in 1981). 

The basic problem with rankings, besides their questionable methodology for collecting data (e.g., College Rankings still depends on colleges self-reporting), is that they create for the less discerning parent a seemingly easy way to make what may be the most important decision of parenthood. Why do the hard work of research when I can open a book, look at a list, find #1 or 2, and apply my child to that school? In addition, they often propose that a particular characteristic of education is most important in defining whether it’s a quality school or not.  My favorite such survey is the one used by a prominent magazine that ranks public schools by taking the number of AP/IB exams written and dividing by the number of graduates.  Supposedly, such data tells us that these are schools with the best programs, but the survey does not report the average test AP/IB test results from these programs because the researcher was afraid the reporting schools would artificially inflate those grades by allowing only the top students to take the tests. O.K., I get his point, but then, what does it matter if the school jams forty students into an AP U.S. History class?  The fact that forty students simply write the exam makes it a quality program?  In defense of the researcher, he admits that evaluating other aspects of a school (e.g. quality of extra-curricular programs – vital to a child’s education) defies statistical analysis.   Ah….that’s my point!

Schools are not a population of automatons who take challenging courses and write exacting exams. Schools should be places where learning transcends standardization; where each child is inspired to learn today and wants to learn more tomorrow. They have classrooms where students ask questions and ponder new ideas and where teachers are coaches, not just givers of knowledge. They are places where every child finds his/her place in the sun; where they are encouraged to stretch; and where as Brown’s Theodore Sizer once wrote, students become “informed skeptics.”  In short, every child has a school in his heart and mind. The joy of independent schools, then, is their essence. They are “independent” and are designed not to appeal to every child’s learning needs, but to have a place for every child who believes it’s the right school for them. And this is where the hard work of searching for schools begins for parents.

It requires thinking through the goals that parents have for their child’s education. Hopefully, this goes deeper than simply getting their child into the celebrity college of their choice (My favorite comment to parents by our head of school recently was, “Remember, there are over 3,000 universities out there, not ten.”). It requires them to research a number of schools, to visit their campuses, and to ask tough questions about the school’s philosophy for classroom teaching or the “why” of its curriculum.  Why does the school embrace the Advanced Courses it does, for example? Is it because the school believes that teaching AP European History is the best way to present that discipline or is it because the school’s parents have demanded more AP’s from the school? And what about the whole issue of character development? What does the school think about the development of emotional intelligence? All of these can be tough questions that every school must be able to answer. From all of this, parents can begin to envision – or not – their child at that school.  

Yes, by all means, collect the hard data: test scores, college placement, student-teacher ratio; but, in the end, it’s all about inspiration. An inspired child turns the world on its head. Cold data tells us nothing about how the school expects to achieve that goal; but so many independent schools can do just that, and they don’t need every child to take an Advanced Placement course or receive an International Baccalaureate degree to accomplish that goal. 

Students, parents, teachers, and many staff members read Tony Wagner's Global Achievement Gap this summer, a common experience of fertile ground we can cultivate.  Although his emphasis is on public education in the United States, his premise, "7 Survival Skills," and his call to action apply to any school that aspires to design and deliver an outstanding education.  Although he references heavily interviews with corporate leaders and college professors, Wagner's book isn't only about how to  prepare students for college and the global corporate world.  I find his challenge to schools and parents to prepare today's students to be active, informed, highly effective citizens at least as compelling.   Among his chief concerns: too much testing, too much testing of the wrong skills and knowledge (or very limited skills and knowledge), parents' and schools' avoidance of controversial subjects, and a general lack of urgency regarding school reform. 

Wagner begins with what Jim Collins calls "the brutal facts."  Among them: the current US high school graduation rate is 70%. The comparable numbers  are 92% in Poland, 93% in Japan, 79% in Italy;  only about 1/3 of high school graduates are ready for college;fewer than 50% of US students who enter college complete a degree, placing the US 10th among industrialized nations;  90% of the highest paying jobs now require post-secondary education.  Bottom line posits Wagner, " students are simply not learning the skills that matter in the 21st century . . . our system of public education is hopelessly outdated."  

Around the world, school reform  is making big news whether it's the UK's goal to rebuild its system within the next 15 years, Abu Dhabi's new schools themed around girls' leadership training, Ireland's commitment to integrating technology  through all primary schools, Singapore's "Thinking Schools; Learning Nation" campaign, or our own "No Child Left Behind" legislation.   To this mix, Wagner adds his "7 Survival Skills" for learning, work, and citizenship and focuses on how American schools must fundamentally rethink and reform the education of our children.

I'm interested in sharing some of my thoughts and hearing yours about Wagner's 21st century skills, about his position on content, assessment, schools that work,  what constitutes an outstanding student educational experience, and, of course, what Webb does and how and why we do it.  Each month I'll blog on one of the seven skills, and I hope you'll comment - beginning today.   Click below to view a couple of interviews  and keynote speeches Tony Wagner has given.  If you haven't read the book, they might persuade you to take a look at it.  If you have read the book, they'll refresh your memory quickly.  

http://www.schoolchange.org/videos/ 

I spent 20 years of my 32+ yrs. in education coaching 12-18 yr old students in cross country and track and field.  I still believe it was the happiest time of my life as there is nothing more satisfying than to see youngsters challenge themselves in sport and learn the enormous lessons that can be derived from that experience - provided, of course, the experience isn’t marred by poor coaching, unruly parents, or schools that see sport as a means to an end - the aggrandizement of that school.  I do not believe a school’s success in a sport automatically confers on that school the crown of an exemplary learning institute but I do believe a sound athletic program that is fully integrated with the mission of the school is critical for any child’s development whether talented in athletics or not.

Our school has a fine athletic program, one that is guided by the mission of the school and we do have significant success in sports; but we also understand that success in athletics is transitory at best.  We are dealing with teenagers – not Olympic athletes – and I learned long ago that no coach should weigh his ego on the athletic success of adolescent athletes.  These are still children, after all.   What we then are ethically required to support in our athletic program is hard work towards an achievable goal, responsibility, an appreciation for the lessons learned from crossing the line first or last, and pride in just getting to the starting line in the first place.  It is the way I always approached coaching and, happily, my athletes did find real success.

As an admission director, I do experience parents who seem to place sports before academics, parents whose interests lie in securing a school that will ensure their student-athlete will be noticed by the celebrity college of their choice.  What admission officers have the benefit of knowing, however, is how few of these youngsters really do go on to achieve at the level of a Michael Phelps or even to secure what are fairly elusive athletic scholarships.   Of course, we want to fill our teams with strong athletes, but our first interest is admitting students of high character who do not see sports as a means to an end but, instead,  as an opportunity to participate in an activity that requires real effort and collaboration, one that offers a life lesson.  Not surprisingly, those kinds of students do shine in a sport and are likely the key for that team’s success. 

My advice, then, to parents seeking a school like ours is simple:  If the student has a talent for athletics, of course, encourage and support them. But when looking at a school’s athletic program, ask first about its philosophy regarding the training and encouragement of its athletes.   Ask if the school encourages an athlete not to focus solely on one sport.  There is significant research out there supporting the notion that athletes who do not “specialize” in a sport tend to have a happier experience in athletics and do excel in their chosen sport years down the road.  Schools that encourage students to diversify their athletic interests are schools that have athletics in perspective.    

I would also ask the school if there are entry-level teams, i.e. teams for the beginners.  Not every incoming high school student may have had the opportunity to play a sport in middle school; but I am convinced that in every student there is potential for participating in athletics and there is a team that matches that student’s talents.  However, I would then ask how the coach of these beginner teams encourages and nurtures that youngster.  This may be the most important coach the school chooses.  How many students build enormous confidence from learning they have that hidden talent and how many have been discouraged by the win-at-all- cost coach? 

Finally, to the surprise of not a few parents with aspirations in athletics for their son/daughter, there is no such thing as an athletic scholarship in schools like ours.  Students are selected for their academic and personal achievements and financial assistance is available but limited to deserving students who otherwise could not afford our school. 

Leo Marshall
Director of Admission  

Thirty years ago, my mother and father and I arrived at a school a lot like Webb in the foothills of western Connecticut.  We had traveled from my hometown of Coronado CA, and as you can imagine, I was in a bit of culture shock.  I remember that electrifying, and frightening day well, as it was the first time I saw my own parents struggle to keep their emotions together.  Once I met some other kids, found out where my dorm room was, and began to get involved in numerous orientation activities, I was fine (though it took some time).

Though I struggled in school at times, I had a fantastic experience overall, and therefore became passionate about the type of transformation a school like this can have on a student.  This is why I’m here, and this is why I’ve been here for over 2 decades – because I truly believe that this school transforms girls and boys into women and men of character, adults who are intelligent, compassionate, independent thinkers and learners who go on to lead fulfilling lives both personally and professionally.   

Like me and my family back in the late 1970’s, you are also in the throes of significant change.  Whether you are a boarding parent or day, a new parent or returning, the first few weeks at a boarding school are a rich mixture of excitement and emotion.  Sometimes we forget that we, as parents, are going through as much transition as our kids are, and it’s important to know that there is a network of parents on which to draw for strength, perspective, experiences and even humor. 

And so my message today is to have faith.  Please know that your child is in a caring, nurturing environment with adults who will care for them, and who have extensive experience working in this type of environment.  Your son or daughter will come to know them as teachers, coaches, advisors, dorm parents, and friends. 

Your role as parent of either a day or boarding student is critical to their educational journey.  We ask that you encourage your child to gain the most out of his or her time here.  Remind them from time to time to take risks, to take full advantage of our program, to go on a Peccary Trip with the museum, to go out for that sport or debate, or to try out for the play.  Of course, we will be encouraging them on this end as well, but your support and enthusiasm for the program is essential.  Another way you can be helpful is to let us know important information that is relevant to their adjustment here.  You’ll soon be meeting your child’s advisor.  This person will be your primary point of contact with the school, and it is important that he or she has any and all information that will help make this transition seamless.  And finally, you can be the greatest asset to your child by letting go a bit, and allowing this school do what it has been doing incredibly well for over 85 years.  

Your child will not always succeed, and not always have fun.  This is a challenging environment, both from an academic and a time management perspective, and it is important to know that your son or daughter is growing as a result of every one of these experiences – big and small.  Of course, we want to hear from you if you sense something is wrong or if you have a question, and certainly if hear something that is important for us to know.  But please know that we are closely monitoring each student’s progression and development, both as scholars and as people, and the only way someone can learn and grow is to be given the freedom to feel that they are in charge, so that they assume real responsibility.  This cannot happen if parents prevent it, and I ask that you consider that line between being helpful, and being too present, thereby preventing this most important education to take place.