Parents want to provide the best for their children – especially when it comes to their education and their future. As parents search through different education environments to find the best fit, many are turning to independent schools because of their small class sizes, hands-on learning activities, student support resources, and more.Here are just six of the many advantages that an independent school education might offer your child:

“Global education” is an educational phrase that has been used so often, in so many different ways, that it risks losing its impact. This would be a loss, because nothing is more needed in American education, as a reflection of American society, than a global perspective. We are a large country, mostly buffered geographically by big oceans.  However, these historical insulators have less significance, on the human level, today.  In the Information Age, the internet and cell phones allow us to stand side by side, or face to face, virtually, with people around the globe whose life experiences may be radically different from our own.  This has affected the way we do business, our educational systems, and the nature of our conflicts.

The longer days, warmer temperatures, and even the rain reminds us that spring is less than a month away. There is never a bad season for science, but springtime provides us with more opportunities to use natural materials and to see things in a brand new way. The following four experiments are a fun way to welcome in spring, and help your children understand how the world works around them.

Perhaps each generation struggles with how to empower the generations that come after them.  It bothers me that my generation, the “baby boomers,” trips over this.  I was born in 1960, towards the end of the baby boomer generation; I was old enough to witness (if still too young to fully respond to) the calls for local and global social justice, a reawakening of the environmental movement, the expansion of creative expression, and the rebalancing of political power structures that took place during the 60’s and early 70’s.

 Many in my generation have seen ourselves as change agents, advocates, and crusaders.  So why have we, who were so vocal about engaging and changing the world, who sought to wrest the tiller from the hands of our elders, not found better ways to empower the next generations of change agents and leaders?

 Today’s young people have been described as the most anxious and most compliant generation in American history, shouldered with debt, ill-served by their schools, hunkered down in an age of mega-institutions, terrorism, and looming climate change, strung out on social media.  

And yet there is good news - lots of it.  Young people are not waiting around for us to empower them.  They are empowering themselves.  They’re not strung out on social media, they are using new media tools to build community and address the problems they see.   

Here are three counterexamples that make false pervasive pessimism and low expectations:

“How much homework do your students have at night?”  We hear this question frequently at SSFS admissions open houses, and it’s a reasonable question.  It is also a very difficult question to answer given that the amount of time needed to complete readings and assignments varies widely from student to student.  Some parents are trying to gauge what their child’s life will be like attending our school.  Other parents are seeking to gauge how rigorous our academic program is.  It turns out that the amount of homework is not only difficult to generalize, it is also a poor measure of academic rigor.  In fact, the quantity of work a student does in general assumes an overly narrow, and not very helpful, definition of academic rigor, if one is talking about the kind of rigor that has lasting value for students.

Exploring history through the arts is a great way for cultural traditions to come alive for students. It is also a great way for students who normally shy away from the arts to find new meaning in their creation. At Sandy Spring Friends School, our 6^th grade students recently made their studies of the Maori people in their Social Studies classroom come alive by creating colorful art pieces in their arts class.  By drawing self-portraits and Maori style tattoos (known as Ta Moko), the students were able to learn about the meaning of the various patterns used by the Maori while also building upon their understanding of symmetry and color schemes. 

Follow the steps below so you and your children can  create pieces of art that will inspire you to learn more about the Maori people and their culture!

The crisp air and colorful leaves remind us that we are in the midst of a beautiful fall, where teachers at Sandy Spring Friends School are using the campus and our commitment to providing experiential-based learning opportunities to engage students in fun earth science activities. These activities help our students explore the changing world around them, as well as get them outside.  Check out these four great activities for your children (and you) to enjoy!

During a career in independent school education, and over my time at Sandy Spring Friends School (SSFS), I have come to recognize elements of our educational approach that make SSFS a distinct educational choice in the Washington, DC area. I’ll focus on each element in a series of seven blog posts, starting with this one.  These seven characteristics exemplify the special preparation that students receive, and the loving and empowering community that students, teachers, parents, and alumni share at SSFS.

Families considering an independent, college-preparatory school education for their child face a daunting decision.  It’s a big deal to select a school for your child, and a significant financial commitment. Here are six tips to consider when looking for an independent school.

In recent years, conversations around gender and the discrimination of transgender people have received national attention. As awareness grows about this issue, transgender children and youth, as well as those whose identity challenges the gender binary, are gaining greater visibility in their communities and classrooms. As educators, it is our responsibility to create a welcoming space for all our students. The following tips and resources can serve as a starting point to help you achieve the goal of creating this safe space.