Last week we closed out our academic work for the year. We completed our final physics lessons and lab reports. We wrapped up our look at Mesoamerican and South American cultures prior to colonization, and we finished our last math concept of the year: the square root algorithm.
Everyone worked so hard this year, and I've been delighted by their interest and enthusiasm for the wide range of topics and subjects that we covered. It is a joy to teach children who are so eager to learn. We covered a tremendous amount of academic material which they mastered with skill and competence, but I'm most proud of the soft skills we acquired and honed this year:
Communication skills - The students were assigned two formal oral presentations and dozens of small, impromptu opportunities to speak this year. The growth and confidence they developed over the course of the year was tremendous. They were able to speak with confidence and clarity and engage their audience. They also became skilled advocates for themselves. When their workload was overwhelming, they could make a reasoned, compelling case for modification which I was happy to accomodate.
Teamwork and interpersonal skills - Despite the emotional turbulence of adolescence and a wide range of personalities and perspectives, the students developed a deep appreciation for each other and would build each other up in their moments of self doubt and insecurity.
Time management - I witnessed so much growth in their ability to manage their projects and their work with minimal supervision.
Perspective and empathy - Perspective was an overarching theme for our school year. We read books, studied historical events, and created art that explored a variety of perspectives. The students quickly developed the ability to analyze events from multiple viewpoints and understand the motivations of the involved parties.
And so much more! They are adaptive and motivated and able to creatively problem solve. I have no doubt that they are well-positioned to succeed in whatever endeavors they undertake.
We had an exciting field day and a beautiful end-of-year ceremony to punctuate our year. Thank you for all of your support this year, and I hope you enjoy a peaceful and relaxing summer with your families!