Holland Hallmarks Articles
Comments and Parent Conferences – A New Approach
Dennis L. Calkins
Head of the Upper School
As the end of the semester approaches in the Upper School, we can look back upon the successful implementation of a new approach to the writing of comments for your sons and daughters and a new emphasis on the importance of parent conferences for every student in the Upper School. I hope you were able to attend a parent conference during early November and that you noticed a difference in how our faculty communicated with you regarding the progress of your son or daughter in their classes. I certainly noticed a difference in what was written about our students and I want to share with you a number of examples of what we are trying to emphasize.
Each course in the Upper School has its own body of knowledge and set of skills and aptitudes that will always remain an important part of what we are trying to accomplish. Above and beyond what is specific to each course in the Upper School, our faculty has identified six traits that we believe are important to the success of every student, not only at Holland Hall, but in life after Holland Hall. We are committed to nurturing these traits and fostering their growth. Following are a few excerpts from comments that illustrate how our faculty members are reporting on each trait.
Character Trait #1 – Perseverance (resilience, tenacity, follow-through)
“I see his resilience first-hand in the aftermath of his mid-term paper. It had a lot of problems, logically and grammatically, and his writing is an area where I have some real concerns. However, the way he responded to my criticism and suggestions says a lot about him. He sought help and his revised essay was much better.”
“I also appreciate the resilience he has shown when his result on a quiz or test has been disappointing. He is good at focusing on seeking help to fix the situation, rather than getting frustrated or discouraged.”
“She is much more resilient now. As a ninth grader, when understanding didn’t come immediately, she became quite anxious and shut down at times. She shows patience now, fully aware that I will help her.”
“The phrase that comes to mind about him as a student is follow-through. He is one of only a handful of students to come by after every test to do corrections with me. He has raised his average to a solid B by coming by so regularly.”
Character Trait #2 – Work Ethic (dependable, self-directed, diligent)
“I wish more students had the work ethic that she possesses. There is no question that she works hard. I can always count on her to attempt to answer the tough questions.”
“His strength is clearly his work ethic. He really hustles all the time. His work is on time every time.”
“She is a self-starter so she gets going on a project quickly and works steadily to complete each stage so she has sufficient time to finish the entire long term assignment.”
“She is willing to put in the time required to do each stage of a project thoroughly and with extreme care. On several occasions she has gone back into the field or lab to either redo or do extra work when she was not satisfied with the results of her initial attempts.”
“Her work ethic is outstanding. She does her daily work with great care, her projects are well done, her essays are thoughtfully put together, and she prepares well for quizzes and tests.”
Character Trait #3 – Attitude/Motivation (open-mindedness, flexibility, optimism)
“I have especially appreciated his self-motivation that drives him to come in before he leaves on an athletic trip to get his homework ahead of time.”
“He is always engaged in our class activities and works very well with his classmates. His positive attitude and enthusiasm are second to none.”
“I appreciate and respect his hard work and conscientious approach to the study of statistics. He has demonstrated a strong motivation to do his best in this course.”
“I appreciate and respect her conscientious approach to her study of Algebra. She comes to class with a positive attitude and is always ready to learn.”
Academic Attribute/Habit #1 – Creativity (takes risks, sees connections, experiments, possesses intellectual curiosity)
“His strength is clearly his willingness to lay his ideas on the table for everyone to see. In that sense, he’s a creative risk-taker. This particular quality is one that we like to see in our students.”
“He is willing to take risks in his statements. If he begins to take these sorts of creative risks in his writing, he may find that his scores improve. He’s a thinker – so he needs to apply the creative energy he shows in class discussions to his work outside of the class.”
“She is a successful student in this course because she is able to think creatively about the connections and relationships between our sources.”
“I can tell that he is a strong critical thinker because he takes intellectual risks by not writing about a passage that we had previously discussed in class.”
Academic Attribute/Habit #2 – Critical Thinking (questions actively, identifies implications, analyzes and synthesizes information)
“He also has demonstrated some good critical thinking skills and is quick to make connections across related concepts.”
“His aptitude for the material allows him to quickly comprehend new ideas and make connections between topics. This talent for analyzing and synthesizing the big picture will serve him well as we begin to tackle the more complicated AP questions.”
“With regard to his higher order thinking skills, he has demonstrated that he can consistently analyze the material at a sophisticated level.”
“She is able to apply her knowledge to the concepts we are studying and make valid connections between topics. She puts forth the extra effort needed to synthesize the material when she is dealing with a difficult concept.”
Academic Attribute/Habit #3 – Collaboration (works well in teams, develops relationships, communicates)
“She collaborated well with her classmates on their group project, creating a great analytical outline and an entertaining and meaningful presentation of their work.”
“She collaborates well with other members of her small group, offering her ideas and opinions on a variety of topics.”
“He is also a leader at his table, actively working with the other students at his table to ensure that they are all involved in the discussion at hand. This has been extremely helpful to all members of the group.”
“The best thing about him in English class is how meaningfully he participates in large group discussions. He seems to always have something thoughtful to say, but never dominates the conversation. He also works diligently in small groups, not getting distracted easily.”
As a faculty, we have pledged to create learning experiences in class that provide your sons and daughters with the opportunity to use and improve upon the traits outlined above. We have also pledged to report on the progress of your child by writing comments that address these traits. A second set of comments for every student in the Upper School will be written in early March. I hope you will take advantage of the next opportunity for parent conferences that will take place on Thursday evening, March 7 and all day Friday, March 8. These conferences are vital in creating and enhancing the home-school partnership that is so crucial the success of your son or daughter in the Upper School.
Archives:
9-4-12 What’s New in the Upper School
12-7-11 Learning About Curriculum From Reading Comments
11-2-11 News from the Upper School
10-4-11 What We Teach, How We Teach, How We Assess
9-6-11 Summer Reading – Raising Cain
8-9-11 The Home-School Partnership
5-3-11 Lessons Learned from Performing and Competing
4-6-11 The Most Important Goals of American (and Japanese) High School Education
3-2-11 Life in the Upper School – What Students Are Saying
2-7-11 How We Raise and Educate our Children- What’s in the News
1-11-11 Want to Know Something Just Google It Now What
12-7-10 Adolescents, Sleep, and Advice for Parents and Students
11-2-10 Excellence in Teaching – My Definition
10-5-10 The Modular Schedule Revisited Again
9-7-10 Thursday Morning: A Snapshot of Life in the Upper School
8-10-10 Musings on Circles and Cycles
5-19-10 What I Tell New Parents About the Upper School
4-20-10 Endings
3-23-10 The A. P. Discussion…Continued
2-23-10 Success in Athletics – What Does it Mean?
1-26-10 Right Brain Thinking
12-15-09 A Whole New Mind
11-17-09 Gifts
10-20-09 Grades and Grading
9-22-09 The Upper School Curriculum – 20 Questions
8-25-09 A Great Beginning Thanks to Outstanding Student Leadership
5-20-09 Endings
4-21-09 What is Art? Who is an Artist?
3-26-09 Enrollment in Courses for 2009-10
2-24-09 Skills for the 21st Century
11-20-08 The Modular Schedule at Holland Hall
10-23-08 A Great Day of Community Service in The Upper School
9-24-08 More About the AP Curriculum at Holland Hall
8-28-08 New Students and New Enthusiasm
