Do You Hear What I Hear?

“The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when someone asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.” ~Henry David Thoreau

The art of listening to another person (I mean truly listening) is a something that takes time to develop, but does more for building relationships than anything else.  We often hear what others are saying, but don’t take the time to truly listen.  Listening and asking questions related to what people are saying shows others we are interested in them as whole people, not just for our own interests.

Do you ask your children questions and listen in a way that shows you are truly interested in what they are saying?  Many parents have realized they ask their children questions about things they (the parents) want to know right away, as opposed to what interests their children first.  Do you truly need to know the answer to how your child did on the math test as soon as he/she gets home or can you ask some questions about the parts of the day you know are interesting to your child and truly listen to the answers?  When we ask those questions first, it puts value on the child as a person and our interest in him or her, not on how the child does on a test or assignment.  When individuals feel we are interested in them as humans, they feel more valued. 

Stephen Covey wrote, “To truly listen means to transcend your autobiography, to get out of your own frame of reference, out of your own value system, out of your own history and judging tendencies, and to get deeply into the frame of reference or viewpoint of another person.”  Try listening to your children and others around you in a new way.  You may find it strengthens your relationships with them by showing them how you value human being over human doing. 

First Graders are working on their writing.  With the weather being so cold, they imagined what they would do if they were trapped in a snow globe.  While living in Minnesota may feel like being trapped in a snow globe to adults in the winter, students had some creative ways to escape their globes (and they didn’t involve flying to a warmer climate).  See the pictures below for a few samples.

Have a wonderful week!
Mrs. Baier

Gratitude

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” ~ Melody Beattie

I have often spoken of gratitude.  I truly believe it is what transforms our lives and helps us find the happiness we are always seeking.  At this time of year, gratitude is often acknowledged more and we find those acknowledgements more poignant. However, gratitude is truly important every day the whole year through. 

The beauty of gratitude cannot be denied, especially when it is expressed in the words of a child.  Every year, the School of Grammar students share what they are thankful for with the school community through our “Thankful” wall.  This year the wall is in the Forum by the entrance to the School of Grammar.  If you are in the building, you should take some time to read some of the words of gratitude from our students.  I have posted a few pictures below if you are not able to see it in person.

Have wonderful holiday break!
Mrs. Baier

Developing Virtues

“The greatest virtues are those which are most useful to other persons.” ~ Aristotle

We often speak of virtues at Eagle Ridge Academy.  We try to impart virtuous knowledge upon students.  We know there is more to an education than the acquirement of academic skills and understand to be a truly happy person one must also be a virtuous person.  Being virtuous is within us all.  A virtue has been described as a natural ability trained to a pitch of excellence.  Students at Eagle Ridge Academy not only learn to demonstrate virtuous behaviors, but they learn to identify them in others.  They identify them in other students, figures from history, characters from stories, and adults in their lives.  They are also quite capable of figuring out when virtues/virtuous behavior is lacking in an individual. 

We like to celebrate the expression of virtues in our students with Pillar stickers.  It is a simple recognition of the growth of a virtue for a student.  Once a month I draw five Pillar tickets (the back of the sticker) from the jar outside my office and provide a relational reward to the students.  Last month five School of Grammar students took a fall walk outside the building with me.  We enjoyed our time together!  Mrs. Twetan kindly took a picture of us on our lovely walk.  The adults in the building really look forward to these times to build relationships with students.  As we know relationships are the key component in a true Classical Education. 

Friday (11/11) we will be having our annual Veterans Day programs in the gym.  The schedule is below.  Please feel free to join us for one of the programs.  Students should dress in their formal uniforms that day, as we honor our veterans.

Grades 2-5: 8:25 - 8:50 a.m.
Grades K-1: 9:00 - 9:25 a.m.
Grades 6-8: 9:35 - 10:00 a.m. 
Grades 9-12: 10:10 - 10:35 a.m.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Cultivating Wonder and Awe...

“All this he saw for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered.” ~Kenneth Grahame

Children so often wonder and they are in awe of so many things.  As we grow older we often become more jaded and it seems to take more and more to feel awe.  We forget how to see things through the eyes of children.

 

When I heard the kindergarten wanted to take a field trip to Gale Woods farm, at first I thought “sure, why not.”  I was thinking as an adult who had already experienced farm life as a child (sometimes too much of it).  I wasn’t thinking from the viewpoint of a child that has never seen or visited a farm before.  When our students returned from Gale Woods and shared their stories of amazement, I stopped to reflect on this.  The wonder and awe that comes from seeing and interacting with new animals and seeing the plants they have studied in pictures in real life is priceless on the face of a kindergarten student. 

All of this reminds me that once I had such awe of farm animals and plants.  The reasons for that initial wonder and awe has not changed, but taking for granted the miracle of animal and plant growth has.  How can we become less cynical and more awed by the simple things in life?  I think it has a lot to do with gratitude.  When you live your life with gratitude, you see the simple things much differently. Today, I’m grateful the kindergarten students have reminded me of how wonderful it is to see sheep, chickens, and plants.  Looking and listening with the eyes and heart of a kindergartner has made me grateful and awed by the workings of a farm, once again.   I hope you are able to cultivate your own wonder and awe in those simple things once again as you see the joy and gratefulness in these pictures of our kindergarten students on their field trip.

Friday is a Spirit Wear Day!

Have a great week!

Mrs. Baier

Gift of Responsibility

“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.” ~ Denis Waitley

As parents, you are used to your children being dependent on you.  As your children grow older, their dependence on you should naturally decrease.  When children start school, they should take a huge leap in learning responsibility and gaining independence.  I say “should” because it is the tendency of many parents to want their children to still be dependent on them.  It is difficult to let them spread their wings and try things on their own.  You worry they will make mistakes and struggle.  They will do both of those things and should do both of those things.  Letting your children make mistakes and struggle are some of the best gifts you can give them.  They will never learn to be responsible for themselves, if you do not let them try.  The tendency to save your children from difficult things is a struggle that shows you, too will continue to grow and learn throughout life.  We can all work together to create an environment where children can learn to be responsible and independent, where mistakes are embraced and learning from those mistakes is supported.

One way to help your children develop the “roots of responsibility” is to give them things to be responsible for and not save them when they forget to be responsible.  For example, when you bring your child a forgotten item from home (water bottle, lunch, homework, shoes for physical education, etc.) you are not allowing them to learn how to be responsible for that item.  If someone will always bring it to me, why would I learn to not forget it.  Responsibility for simple items is just the first step in the journey toward independence, but an easy one to try in the beginning.

There are many wonderful articles on helping raise responsible, independent children.  Here are a few resources for you to peruse. 

http://www.parents.com/kids/responsibility/teaching/raise-independent-child/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mehdi-toozhy/secrets-to-raising-independent-children_b_6769952.html

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201011/parenting-raise-independent-children

As you may have heard there are a few changes to drop-off and pick-up coming on Monday.  Door 7 in the back of the building will now be closed to drop-off and pick-up.  All drop-off and pick-up will occur in the front of the building at door 2.  If you choose to walk your child into the building you will not be able to go past the School of Grammar doors in the lunchroom without a visitor badge and an appointment with your child’s teacher.  We ask that teachers concentrate on greeting their students and making connections with them in the mornings and they are unable to do that with drop-ins to the classroom.  Teachers are happy to arrange appointments with you ahead of time (before 7:45), if you need to speak to them. 

Thanks for the wonderful attendance at Curriculum Night this week.  We are excited to share what your children will be doing this year and the specifics for each classroom.  Nights such as last night help us create those common understandings that allow for such wonderful teamwork in growth of your children!  Thank you for attending!

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

New Beginnings....

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” ~ Walt Disney

Welcome to the beginning of the new school year.  I want to thank you for being curious and joining us on the journey in our new building.  I can’t tell you how much we all appreciate your patience as we learn new routines and procedures here in our new location.  The best of things can test your mettle.  I can tell you that while the parking lot, lunch, and recess are all new adventures, what is going on in the classrooms is tried and true Eagle Ridge Academy Classical Education.  The teachers and students are settling right into the joy of learning and development of wonder and awe each day.  Students are smiling (although tired) and excited to be here. Check out the classroom pictures below.

Next week, we ask that you help us begin teaching your students responsibility.  It is time for them to start finding their own way to class in the mornings.  We have staff stationed throughout the building that can help point the way, but they need to start learning their way.  Parents will no longer be able to walk their children to the classroom starting on Monday.  I was amazed at how well students did on their own this morning.  Most of them were showing me the way.  If you have been bringing your student in through door 7, I would encourage you to start dropping them off at door 2 in the mornings.  Door 7 will not be a door we use for drop-off or pick-up once the parking lot is complete.  It is so helpful to teach students the correct routines from the beginning, so they don’t have to re-learn new routines in a few weeks. 

The playground has started to be assembled in the playground area.  While the current play area is not ideal, we know it is only temporary.  We look forward to watching the playground grow over the next week.  Students will be playing on it before we know it!

Next Tuesday (9/13) is Lower School Picture Day.  You will be receiving your order forms today.  Please don’t forget to have your student in formal dress for pictures.  You can find formal dress guidelines at this link. Formal UniformsFormal Uniforms

Here’s to another great week!

Mrs. Baier

Empathy vs. Sympathy

“No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” ~Theodore Roosevelt

Empathy and sympathy are two very different concepts.  As humans, we often confuse one with the other.  When we are trying to help students learn to be resilient, we (as adults) must offer empathy, not sympathy.  What is the difference, you may ask.  Empathy is essentially understanding and caring offered when we truly know or try to understand what the child is going through.  Sympathy on the other hand is that feeling of care and concern that accompanies trying to make someone feel better.  Empathetic adults understand and may have experienced the same thing the child is going through, but the child has to learn how to make him/herself feel better.  Sometimes, for example, that comes through having consequences or making amends.  We have a tendency to want to lessen the consequences of poor decisions by children (that’s sympathy). 

Children who have loving, empathetic adults in their lives learn to take risks and struggle successfully, but children with only sympathetic adults learn to feel helpless and struggle without success.  Empathy is caring in a powerful way and children want the adults in their lives to be loving and powerful people.  We should all take stock in our responses to children to see how much empathy we offer, as opposed to sympathy.  Making that shift from sympathy to empathy is one sure way to help develop resiliency in children. 

If you are interested in the science of empathy there are some interesting perspectives at:

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/empathy/definition

Have a great week!

Mrs. Baier

All 3rd grade roads lead to Rome...

“How is it possible to say an unkind or irreverential word of Rome?  The city of all time, and of all the world!” ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

If you recall one of the key components of Classical Education is making connections and from time to time I like to highlight those connections in our curriculum.  Third graders at Eagle Ridge Academy spend a good amount of time studying Roman history and mythology.  The third grade teaching team is very purposeful in integrating this study in other subjects.  Students see and use Roman numerals, create their own ancient Roman newspapers, and draw classic Roman architecture in art.  These are just a few things to done to make those connections. Enjoy the pictures below and maybe learn a little about ancient Rome!

Have a great week!

Mrs. Baier

The Power of Words

“Raise your words, not your voice.  It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” ~Rumi

I have a number of friends who have done a plant growing experiment with their children, recently.  It is not your typical grow a plant from a seed experiment.  It has a dual purpose.  The idea of the experiment is to show children the power of words and actions.  You plant one set of seeds (green bean seeds grow quickly) and have your children talk to the plants with encouraging and loving words.  You plant another set of seeds and have your children talk meanly to them, yell at them, or ignore them.  Make sure to make it scientifically valid by using same type of container, equal number of seeds, water the same, same temperature, same sunlight, etc…  Below are pictures from the experiment (yellow=kind words, blue=mean words).  You may be amazed at the results.  It helps kids realize how powerful words are and that they cannot be taken back once said.  It is also a great way to have the dialogue as a family!  Consider doing it this spring to bring the conversation into your house!

Due to lack of participation, we will not have the final parent coffee/book study for the school year.  We had no one show up for the last get-together.  If you have ideas for parent coffees or other parent/principal get-togethers, please send them to me (mbaier@eagleridgeacademy.org).  I would like to revamp the concept for 16-17 and am eager for suggestions.

Attention School of Grammar Students!
Mr. Anderson is issuing a special Spring Break Drawing Challenge. This optional challenge is a great way to practice your drawing skills and have some fun making art over break. Each student that turns in all nine complete drawings to Mr. Anderson by Friday, April 9^th will receive a certificate of completion. ONE lucky winner will be drawn to receive an additional prize! You can find and download the Spring Break Drawing Challenge form at Mr. Anderson’s website. Happy drawing!

Have a wonderful spring break!

Mrs. Baier

Exploring the World

“Everyone is an explorer.  How could you possibly live your life looking at a door and not open it?” ~Unknown

First graders have been exploring different habitats and the animals that live in those habitats this year in science.  They have learned about forests, meadows, oceans, freshwater ponds and lakes, tundra, and underground habitats.  Most recently, they have been studying the savanna.  They have connected their science study to writing, reading, and even classroom art.  Below you will see writing projects and elephants made using those important cutting and drawing skills.  Just another example of integration at its finest at Eagle Ridge Academy.

Friday is Historical Character Day at Eagle Ridge Academy.  Your child’s classroom teacher should have sent home specifics about the day for your child’s grade level.  It is a great way to have students live as some of the historical characters they study in our Core Knowledge curriculum!

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Working Together

“Coming together is a beginning.  Keeping together is progress.  Working together is success.”            ~ Henry Ford

What a wonderful turn out for parent/teacher conferences last Friday.  I am so appreciative of the teaming parents and teachers do at Eagle Ridge Academy for the success of the students.  Supporting each other to help your children grow in all areas is the key to our community.  I hope these conversations continue well beyond your conferences.  What child cannot succeed when the adults in his/her life are dedicated to working together to support his/her needs.  I appreciate the work you do together on a daily basis (not just at conference time), and hope you realize the possibilities are endless for your child when you develop those collaborative relationships.  Thank you for fostering those relationships by attending conferences!

Mr. Anderson has been decorating the Lower School office again!  This time we have some fantastic first grade Aztec Sun Calendars.  Students have learned about the Aztec Sun Calendars, as well as symmetry and texture in art class.  Here are some of their finished products.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Observations

“It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure.” ~ Albert Einstein

A Classical Education values deeply curiosity and wonder in students, particularly in the School of Grammar.  One of the easiest places to encourage curiosity is in science.  While students are exposed to the truths of science, they also continue to develop their powers of observation.  Giving them opportunities to observe nature and other truths of science is key at a young age.  We want them to be able to describe things scientifically, but we also want them to connect the power of language to describe the truth, beauty, and goodness they discover in science.

Recently, our kindergarten students have been using their powers of observation and description in science.  Each classroom has been hosting a habitat of earthworms.  Once students put on their scientist hats, they had to use their science vocabulary (not gross, icky, or eww…).  It was a chance for them many of them to challenge themselves in handling their scientific specimens and a chance to develop new words for description.

Last Saturday was the annual Lower School Variety Show.  It was a wonderful time for our students to show off some of their talents and build confidence in performing in front of others.  We had songs, dances, magic tricks, and speeches, just to name a few.  Thank you to Mrs. Nimchuk and Mrs. Ortgies for organizing such a wonderful community event!

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Age and Wisdom

“In Western Civilization, our elders are books.” ~ Gary Snyder

We have all heard the talk about age bringing wisdom and I fully believe this is true.  In society we do need to honor our elders and learn from them.  Bringing the young and old together is a way to start to make those connections.  Our kindergarten teachers have taken a step in this by having students visit The Colony (an assisted living facility in Eden Prairie) each year.  The students take this trip in February to connect the kindness and love associated with valentines.  It is a delightful time of sharing cards, stories, and songs.  Much is gained by the senior citizens and our students!  If you know of an elder who would be interested in volunteering at our school, please make the connection.  It is another way for our students to learn, connect, and receive their wisdom.

Next week is Pillar week.  The schedule for days in the Lower School has been sent home by your child’s teacher and is available  here.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Lighting the Fire

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” ~ W.B. Yeats

Last Saturday fourth grade teachers and students continued stoking their education fire with “A Day in Sherwood Forest.”  Students participated in events and made items specially designed to develop wonder and awe of the time of Robin Hood.  They made their own archer’s caps and practiced being archers, among other things.  Not only was it a fun activity, but money raised will be donated to purchasing books for the new library.  A great time was had by all and wonder and awe fostered by the fourth grade teachers was priceless!

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier