Gratitude

Today started with a parade of first grade authors in my office reading their adventure stories. After studying what it means to be an "adventurer," and learning how stories are constructed, each student wrote their own adventure story. Their stories were amazing - filled with spaceships and volcanoes and submarines exploring the Mariana Trench. The absolute joy in their faces as they shared what they had created nearly brought me to tears. They got to experience the thrill of being a storyteller, author, and illustrator, and it was beautiful!

This morning was a stark contrast to a recent prospective kindergarten visitor whom when I asked him what he loves learning about quickly looked at his mom and said, “Not at school, right?” He then proceeded to tell me all about the things he loves learning on his own at home. At only 5 years old, he had already come to see school as a place where he spent time, but not as a place where learning happened for him. In admissions, we often see kids who have hidden their abilities from their classmates because they don’t want their peers to feel bad that they can’t read yet, or because their classmates just don’t care as much about dinosaurs or the solar system or animals of the sea as they do. We see students who struggle to find anyone but the adult in the classroom who understands their sense of humor, or who frustrates their teachers with their endless questions.

At Seabury, our kids find their people. We see them finally do work that is matched to their ability and get to learn what it is like to feel good about trying something hard and accomplishing it. We see kids drop the mask they have worn at school previously and learn what it is to truly be themselves with their peers. It isn’t always easy, because true learning isn’t easy. Stretching ourselves to try something we’re not sure we can do, especially when we’re used to things coming easily, is difficult and can be frustrating. That’s why it’s so important to create a trusting and supportive community for our students where they can take risks, experience failures, and celebrate their accomplishments.

In this month of gratitude, I am grateful for Seabury. I am grateful for our amazing staff who take great pains to meet each and every child where they are, to discover and develop their strengths, and to support them as they take on new challenges. I am grateful for our administrative staff who keep things running smoothly and who support our teachers and families. I’m grateful for our families who trust us with their precious children and partner with us in overcoming the obstacles that are inevitable as a child learns and grows. I am especially grateful for our children; for their unique ideas and huge imaginations; for their out-of-the-box creations and their endless questions, and for their ability to see possibilities that none of us could otherwise imagine. Our children inspire me every day.

Seabury is a place where kids truly can learn something new at school every day in the company of others who get them and support them. What a gift it is to be part of doing this immensely important work!

Sandi Wollum

Head of School