It is not
always the same thing to be a good man and a good citizen. ~Aristotle
The Lower
School students have started their brief introductions to the Pillars. Each week they will talk about one of the
pillars and truth, beauty, and goodness.
Starting in November the teachers will focus on one pillar each month
for a more in-depth study appropriate for the grade level they are
teaching. Every grade level has set
aside 15-20 minutes once a week for Pillar time. This is a part of the new Pillar program in the
Lower School.
Last week’s
pillar was citizenship. Citizenship
seems to be one of easiest pillars for students to understand. Examples like, following rules, taking care
of yourself, helping others, and taking care of the school are easy ways to
help students begin to understand citizenship at an elementary level. As they get older, we teach students there
are civic values that bind us all together and we share those commonalities no
matter what religious, ethnic, or cultural ties may divide us.
I would like
to share a bit of history on citizenship, as it helps to know a bit about where
it comes from to understand why it is one of the Eagle Ridge Academy Pillars. Citizenship has historically (based on the classical
tradition of Aristotle and Rousseau) been defined as the highest moral and
political role for humans based on justice, freedom, equality, and
participation. Most people think that
citizenship is something natural (everyone gets and has it) and we often take
it for granted. People born in one
country who have immigrated to another country do not take the idea of
citizenship lightly and tend to understand better than the rest of us the
importance of citizenship (the rights and responsibilities).
The idea of
citizenship in a republic came about during the rise and fall of the Greek city
states. It was developed further in the
Roman Republic. It continued to grow and
develop in Western Europe and America through the 19th century. Living in the United States our founders drew
upon the Graeco-Roman ideals and those of Western Europe. They did make their own contributions to the
idea of democratic citizenship. We seem
to now be in another period where the definition and idea of citizenship is
being adjusted because of the changing world.
When you
study the origin of the idea of citizenship, there are two main thoughts that
come about.
- Citizenship was based on being a member of a political community rather than a family, clan, or tribe.
- Citizenship meant laws were made and carried out by citizens who were both ruled by someone and who may rule others rather than a king or priest who simply made and shared the laws.
These were
big changes from how things had happened in the world at the time and those
changes were slower to come in some areas of the world.
As Aristotle
wrestled with the idea of citizens and citizenship, he shared his definition of
an ideal citizen. He said an ideal
citizen is not someone who just immerses himself in academic studies. He is an orator who knows academics and also
studies rhetoric, logic, political science and ethics. He is devoted to public affairs and accepts
the duties and obligations of citizenship.
You may notice that this definition fits the type of education we embody
at Eagle Ridge Academy. While
citizenship may be easy for students to begin to grasp and understand, it is
actually quite a deep topic that will be revisited and added onto throughout
the classical education process at Eagle Ridge Academy.
Students
have been making some citizenship posters to hang in the halls. Their understanding of citizenship is
generally age appropriate, although we do try to stretch and bring them to a
higher level of understanding and connection as they progress through the Lower
School. Here are a few of the 3rd
grade citizenship posters hanging on Respect Blvd. You may notice a common good or helping
others theme, which fits the progression of understanding. The final picture is the Pillar circle for
citizenship that is hanging outside the Lower School Office for students to see
each day.
Aquila the
eagle flew from Mr. Schloesser’s room to Ms. Hudak’s room on Friday afternoon Livia, from Ms. Hudak's room earned Aquila for her class by
demonstrating both good citizenship and good integrity. She went above and beyond helping a friend at
recess when she skinned her knee and found the owner of a lost sweatshirt on
her own. All students should keep up the
good work in demonstrating Pillar behavior.
The first
Pillar ticket drawing is next Friday (9/20).
Mrs. Baier will personally visit the winners of snack time with Mrs.
Baier on Friday. The winners will be
announced in this blog and in the morning announcements on Monday (9/23).
At Eagle
Ridge Academy safety of students is a top priority. We continually practice various safety drills
and have looked at our procedures and policies.
As parents, we need your assistance with one of our policies in the
Lower School. In order to know who is in
our building at all times, we ask that you sign in at the main or Lower School
office. This includes in the
mornings. Lower School students should
be walking down to their classrooms on their own at this point. We have multiple adults in the hallway to
assist anyone unsure of where to go, but I have not seen any student unsure
this week.
In the mornings if you feel
you need to walk down with your student to drop something off, you still need
to go to the main office and sign in.
Ms. Twetan will call down to make sure the teacher is in the
classroom. At 7:45 teachers are expected
to be attentive to students and while it may seem like a good time to ask a
teacher a quick question or make a request, it takes their attention and focus
away from the students. If you would
like to do this please email or call the teacher to set up a time prior to 7:45
to come down. You will still need to
check in at the main office and Ms. Twetan will let the teacher know you are on
your way down. All of this is for the
benefit of the students. If you come down without a badge, you may be asked by
any staff member to return to the office to get one. While it may be inconvenient at the time, it is
done to ensure the safety and security of all Lower School students. If you have any questions about these
procedures, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you in advance for your support and cooperation.
Thank you to
all of the families who attended the first Lower School Curriculum Night on
Thursday. It is my hope that you found
it informative and enjoyed having the opportunity to interact with and ask
questions of your student(s) teachers.
Since this is the first time we have hosted such an event in the Lower
School, I would love to hear your feedback on the evening. Please email your thoughts or comments to me
at mbaier@eagleridgeacademy.org
As you may
know an exciting event is approaching very quickly. The PTO is once again sponsoring Rockin’ the
Ridge for the Eagle Ridge Academy community.
It is on Saturday, September 21st. In order to make this even happen, they are
in need of many more volunteers. Please
consider volunteering for a couple of hours to make this event a success. You can check out volunteer opportunities at
this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090544ADAF2BA31-rockin1
Have a wonderful week!
Mrs. Baier
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