WEEKLY REFLECTION NUMERO TRES ( THE FINAL ONE)

This week has been the, not the busiest, but the hardest week so far. The second week of senior project I was like a scavenger, collecting HUGE amounts of information, both visually and through interviews. This week was dedicated entirely to looking back through my information, sorting it all out and putting it all back together so it fit into my book like one 35 piece jigsaw puzzle.

This week I learned the importance of patience. I did not particularly  want to sit down for hours at a time and sort through all the information I had gotten, but it was imperative to do so, instead of just copying and pasting. And it was worth the effort. Surprisingly I did like what I was doing, though it was arduous in the beginning, once I had the information all sorted out it was really fun to put it all together and see the final product. Everything pretty much happened as I expected though i was surprised at the speed everything came together. I am the type of person who just has to sit down for HOURS at a time and do a lot, instead of a little work spread out over a longer period of time. So once I got all the info and schools separate it came together, not exactly quickly, but in a timely fashion

I will benefit greatly from this week because it taught me so much the importance of being self-reliant and self-responsible. Since I had no schools to see and appointments to keep, it could have been REALLY to simply lie in the sun all day, and do everything tonight, but I realized i wanted to get it done early so I wouldn't be stressed, and so I did.

I am so glad I decided, albeit very last minute, to do senior project. I have learned a lot and grown a lot and feel that it was definitely benificial to do an independent project rather than just stay in my classes. I won't go into great detail on this blog about everything I have learned and how I have grown because all that delightful information is in my self-evaluation

 I can't really say, "until next time" because this is the last time, so i will simply say this myself with this, 

PEACE+LOVE

ABBIE

May 23rd- Friday on Friday

Today began quite interestingly- off to the doctors i went for TWO shots, which was oh-so delightful and almost brought tears to my eyes...then off to the dentist, where I learned that my wisdom teeth must be pulled out of my mouth ASAP..oh joy. Then back to my house for some work.

I spent many hours looking over my book and paper, and sadly could not find Felipe today so I haven't had a chance to talk with him about my self-evaluation.

 It seems weird that Senior project is almost over, three weeks has gone by SO quickly, I have learned so much during these weeks, and I'm glad I went through the effort to do SP, b/c it was DEFINITELY WORTH IT.. here's a preview of how I plan to defend this on Monday..

 

                                    SELF-EVALUATION

 

         When I first started thinking about senior project it was very late in the process, and I had not put much thought into it. Luckily, I was able to do senior project, and despite the fact it was much harder than I had originally anticipated, I definitely feel as though I have learned a lot and grown as a person. I learned about time management, personal responsibility and accountability, and a great deal about independent schools and the way they work. 

UNTIL NEXT TIME

PEACE+LOVE

ABBIE

MAY 23rd.THURSDAY..ON FRIDAY

Ok so I'm not gonna lie, I simply forgot to do my blog yesterday, strange that it happened so late in the process, but what are you going to do?

The only thing I can say in my defense is I was so worried about getting all my stuff done and printed out that i was not thinking about blogging.

Yesterday was probably my second most productive day to date. I finished up my book, printed her out, wrote my self-evaluation and turned that into my mentor, Felipe, to look at, and finished and printed out my research paper.

Today my big plans are to look through every page of my book, self-eval, and paper and check for typos missed by my computer, and just make sure everything looks alright, and going over my original goals again so I can make sure I can defend my project when I present on Monday.

Here's a bit more preview of my AMAZING ( if I may say so myself) book-

INTRODUCTION

   I decided to do this project because private schools have always been a big part of my life. I was born at an all-boys boarding school in Massachusetts, and since then I have been surrounded by the world of independent schools. I created this book because I don’t think there is enough information out there for people new to Washington DC and the bubble of private schools that is easy for a kid to read and understand.

     Over the week and half I was in Washington DC I visited three very different private high schools in Washington and one boarding school in Virginia.

I spent time at Georgetown day school, Episcopal high school, the Field school and Maret.

     This Book contains information, statistics, interviews with students, teachers, and administration, and my personal review of all the four schools. This book also contains an interview with my dad, who is the head of a small private k-8 school in DC, and an interview with my sponsor, Margie Gottfried, who is the assistant director of admissions and financial aid at Sheridan.

     I hope this book will provide some insight into impendent schools in Washington DC, and private high schools in general

                    Peace+Love, Abbie

UNTIL NEXT TIME

PEACE+LOVE

ABBIE

"CRAM TIME"- Wednesday May 21st

Today was by far my most productive day. This morning I went over to school to catch up with my crazy mentor, Phil and Michele. Then when I got home around noon, I sat down and started creating my book, and I worked and worked, only stopping for food and running. I am stopping now also to write this blog, but after dinner I plan on going back, my goal is to get all the information for the book down, and then tomorrow going back through and fixing typo's and such, so that friday and the weekend will be dedicated to finishing my research paper and writing the self-evaluation. Today, and this is a FACT, i got TWENTY FOUR whopping pages of my book done.

And here is a preview..

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

1.                 Introduction

 

2.                 Georgetown Day school ( P. 1-8)

 

3.                 Episcopal high school ( P. 9-15)

 

4.                 Field school (  P. 16-23)

 

5.                 The Maret school (  P. 24-)

 

6.                 Interview with Randy Plummer, head of the Sheridan school

 

7.                 Interview with Margie Gottfried, assistant director of admissions and financial aid at Sheridan

 

8.                 Closing note

 

 

 

                  INTRODUCTION

 

     I decided to do this project because private schools have always been a big part of my life. I was born at an all-boys boarding school in Massachussetts, and since then I have been surrounded by the world of independent schools. I created this book because I don’t think there is enough information out there for people new to Washington DC and the bubble of private schools that is easy for a kid to read and understand.

     Over the week and half I was in Washington DC I visited three very different private high schools in Washington and one boarding school in Virginia.

I spent time at Georgetown day school, Episcopal high school, the Field school and Maret.

     This Book contains information, statistics, interviews with students, teachers, and administration, and my personal review of all the four schools. This book also contains an interview with my dad, who is the head of a small private k-8 school in DC, and an interview with my sponsor, Margie Gottfriend, who is the assistant director of admissions and financial aid at Sheridan.

     I hope this book will provide some insight into indepdent schools in Washington DC, and private high schools in general

                    Peace+Love, Abbie

AND THE REST YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE...

until next time, 

Peace+Love

ABBIE

 

 

MAY 20th- " A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY FOR TOOO LONG"

I arrived at the airport at noon, only to discover that my flight reservation had been erased by some cruel twist of fate. So Alas there I was alone at the airport in NYC, w/o money or credit card. Luckily my sister was able to reserve me a flight, but then it was delayed due to the HURRICANE outside.  I finally did make it home to New Hampshire- (about an hour ago)

Needless to say I did not get a lot of productive work done on my paper, though I did work in the airport since I had my computer, here is my intro and 1st paragraph ( so far)

 We live in a world where stereotypes rule, and people are defined by what they eat, drink, wear and also by where they go to school. There has always been a divide between those who attend private schools and those who attend public schools. This divide becomes increasingly more apparent in high school. So what is the difference between private high school and public high school? Why are private schools considered “better” and often times snobby? Basically what’s all the fuss about private schools?

            A private school is a school that is not federally funded and therefore not subject to laws passed in congress pertaining to education, not including of course compulsory attendance based on age laws. This means that private schools can create their own curriculum uninfluenced by the government. This also means that private schools can choose who they want to attend their schools, and these students must pay tuition, which is one of the monetary sources that keeps private schools up and running. The organization that oversees private education and schools in the United States is the National Association of Independent schools, or NAIS.

            NAIS was founded in 1997, and represents over one thousand independent schools in the United States. Their mission statement reads as follows, “to be the national voice of independent schools and the center for collective action on their behalf.”[1]. NAIS hopes that independent schools foster an environment that aids, “in preparing students to contribute effectively toward a peaceful, prosperous, just, and equitable world. The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) exists to represent and sustain schools that are self-determining in mission and program, free from government control, and governed by independent boards.”1 NAIS is also committed to diversity, and have issued a Antidiscrimination statement which is printed on their website, “All participants are welcome to participate in NAIS programs. NAIS has an institutional commitment to the principles of diversity. In that spirit, NAIS does not discriminate in violation of the law on the basis of race, religion, creed, color, sexual orientation, age, physical challenge, nation of origin, gender, or any other characteristic.” 1 If NAIS is the organization that oversees the majority of independent schools in the country, than AISGW is the organization that oversees independent schools in Washington D.C

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[1] www. NAIS.org (May 11^th, 2008)

1

1

MONDAY MAY 19th-

Today was a pretty productive day, when I woke up this morning I worked on my paper for a nice long time, and now it is basically done, the only thing I need to do is the conclusion. Sometime this week I will probably go into school and bring my paper to my mentor, Phil so he can look over my paper with me, and see what changes need to be made

I also got a talk to talk via email with a student from Field, and here is the interview-

1)   Do you think there is a drug problem at your school?

No.  Sure I bet that some people do them at times, but I don’t think that it’s a serious issue or a “problem.” 

 

2)   How do you think people perceive your school-image wise?

I think that it really depends on who you’re talking to.  I think the stereotype is that Field is an artsy school with lots of students with ADD, ADHD, and “different” learning styles.  While there are students who could fit into these categories, Field is also perceived as a liberal-minded school that provides lots of opportunities for its students and has really unique programs – such as the Winter Internship Program – that you don’t find in most other secondary schools.  Overall, though, I think that Field is seen in a very favorable light.

 

3)   And what is the biggest stereotype about your school?

See answer to above question: students are artsy, etc.

 

4)   What is your school’s “big thing- why should people come to your school over the others?

The student-teacher relationship/dynamic at Field is truly awesome.  Most Field teachers are recent college graduates.  They are really fresh with the material they teach and are very approachable both in and out of class.  Furthermore, Field teachers are incredibly supportive and have the capacity to become your friend in addition to your teacher (I do not mean this in a weird, sketchy way – it’s merely that they are truly friendly and really want to help you).

I also think that Field’s Internship Program is pretty “big.”  I had many valuable internship experiences which not only were fun and great learning experiences but also gave me a leg up when searching for summer jobs and internships and when applying to college.

 

5)   Do you have cliques at your school/bullying, if so how do you deal with them?

I would say that Field does not have any cliques or bullying.  People definitely have their own groups of friends that they hang out with, but overall, these groups are not exclusive and most everyone is open to accepting others.

After being at Field for 6 years, I have never been a victim of nor witnessed any bullying.

 

6)   What is the experience of most of the teachers, do you like them?

The vast majority of Field teachers really want to be there and students consequently feel more inclined to like them.  I have liked and had great relationships with nearly all my teachers.

 

7)   Do you have a lot of disciplinary problems, how are disciplinary issues handled?

I don’t think Field has too many major disciplinary problems.  People are very seldom expelled or suspended from school for bad conduct.  Field approaches handling disciplinary problems on a very individual and personal basis/level involving regular conversations between the students and teachers, grade heads, and parents.  But really, I think the biggest disciplinary problem at Field is getting some students to do their homework on time.  This is mainly addressed by sending students to Lunch Study Hall – a study hall that begins part-way through lunch and continues into the post-lunch study hall period where students work to complete outstanding work.  If a student still doesn’t finish his/her work there, then the conversation method is applied and things go from there.

 

8)   In two or three words describe your school’s culture

Relaxed, non-traditional, individualized.

 

9)   Who is “popular” at your school, who fits in the best?

It’s hard to judge popularity at Field.  It depends more on who’s the most sociable rather than on factors like personal style, background, etc.  The school’s so small anyway that everyone knows practially everyone else so it’s not like there’s a select group of “popular” kids known above everyone else.

I think that the people who fit in the best at Field are people who are extremely open to and willing to accept everyone else, people who have a high respect for the individual.

 

10)                 On that note, what type of kid does your school tend to attract?

Field tends to attract students that either don’t like or don’t learn well from more traditional teaching styles.  Field also tends to attract students with strong senses of self and lots of creativity.

 

11)  Why do choose not to have a uniform? Do think the freedom of what to wear leads to unfair competition?

Field has a huge focus on the individual and being one’s own self.  This philosophy, I think, directly relates to Field’s not having a uniform.  People at Field wear what they like because they want to, because it’s part of what makes them, not to compete with others; so I don’t think the lack of uniforms leads to unfair competition.

until next time...

PEACE + LOVE

ABBIE

 

WEEKLY REflection: Week NUMERO DOS

Another week gone by on this journey called Senior project. Whereas last week I spent my time juggling studies and Senior project, this week I was able to give all of my time, effort and energy to senior project.

Monday I spent the morning at Georgetown Day School, or GDS, where i met with Elaine Scott and was given an excellent 2-hr tour of the entire school, which was recently renovated. Tuesday I  got to work on my paper and interview my dad for a nice long chat. Wednesday I spent half the day at the oh-so beautiful prep school called Episcopal in Virginia, where I got to meet with lots of different people and get an extensive tour of the school from three freshman. Thursday i was off to the funky Field school, which I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. And finally friday I ended at the Maret school, which also surprised me with their progressiveness. 

I learned this week that appearances not only can be deceiving but usually are. Almost all of the schools I visited appeared a whole lot different than they actually were.I loved what I was doing, I was shocked to see how fun it was to sit down and talk about admissions and education, until I realized that this is what I talk about with my family most of the time anyways. Things didn't really happen as I expected, but this was good, I got so much more from all the schools and all the people than I had ever hoped. The amount of information I received was pretty much out of control-but in a good way. Now the tricky part will be sorting through the copious amount of info to find the "good stuff". I will benefit greatly from this week's activities because I finally got to really see the schools and talk with the people who run them behind the scenes.

Next week will be dedicated to putting all of the information that i gathered together, finishing my research paper, writing my reflection and of course creating my brochure. I almost wish that I had taken a video of all the schools because there was so much funky and cool info from each of the schools that i wanted to write down and remember but simply couldn't type all of it down fast enough.

Until next time..

peace+love

Abbie