When I wrote the proposal for Arts & Letters in 2005, the initial name for the school was different, but included in the logo was the phrase: “go public.” It went by the wayside as “too academic,” but found its way back in our fifth year when we began to grow in to this idea of how to be more public with our work, both as educators and as students. Today, we are introducing one more way to invite you into our school, by exploring some “insider” topics here in a bimonthly letter.
To us, “go public” has two important meanings. First, we want to provide many ways to make our students’ learning more public. Too often, the audience for learning is the teacher only. Children learn to do tasks and projects FOR their teachers; our work is to help students learn for themselves, and to share their learning to those they love as well as their larger community. For this reason, we have a variety of ways that we want to bring you into the learning process. One example is the implementation of Richer Picture, our digital portfolio system that Parent Association funds have paid for this year (thank you!). Our lower grades teachers have been discussing which work and which assignments would be most meaningful to upload and to document in our system, and how to build a sustainable structure for doing so (we need you, parent volunteers…). Our upper grades teachers are already uploading tasks and rubrics, and the students themselves are able to upload their work. This system will document student thinking for the whole school, and will help students and families leave here in 8th grade with a portfolio of their work that spans nine years. A second powerful routine is Roundtables, which takes place in January and June. Our middle school students sit with adults in their classrooms and discuss, defend, and present their work. Our lower grades students will also have their own Roundtables where they will share their learning and their progress with our community.
The second important meaning of "go public" is about bringing you in to the real every day work of public schools, and to rally support for public education generally. With all that is said today about public schools and public school educators, it is a risk we take to be this visible, for it means that you will see not only the great triumphs and beauty of the every day, but also the challenges and dilemmas of school. But we know that you came to Arts & Letters to be part of something special, and to work with us to build an incredible institution, one day at a time. This means that we need you to be here, to see us shine, to ask us questions, and to support us and your children when we need help. Quite personally, I am hopeful that one unintended but positive consequence of the de-funding of public education is that communities will become closer through the bonds they share in their children; that in seeking to understand the work we do in schools, our public becomes more educated and knowledgeable about what happens in our public schools, and the consequences of federal and state level decisions on our daily lives and on your children.
We are so thankful that you are on this journey with us, and we look forward to the continued dialogue.
Sincerely, Allison Gaines Pell, Founding Principal/Co-director
