Category: Head’s Corner

Head’s Corner: So Much Appreciation

I will start this week’s blog by recognizing and appreciating all the parent love that came onto campus this week via food and gifts. Thank you very much, our hearts and tummies are full.  As I enjoy all the love and gratitude, it makes me think of everything I appreciate about everyone here at Saklan.  Hence, it might be fitting to share some of the things I appreciate about those I work with.

Each person on this team brings something unique and meaningful to our school community. Here’s a snapshot of the qualities I appreciate in each of them:

  • Annette – Brings a 100% can-do attitude, always willing to do more, and is genuinely a Math Guru.
  • Christina – Cares deeply about student growth, both academically and social-emotionally.
  • Dianne – Meets pressure with creativity and calmness, a rare and steady force.
  • Emily – Has a vision for what’s ahead and catches every detail before it’s missed.
  • Erin – Solid, dependable, and incredibly caring—always there when needed.
  • Ester – Brings a breath of calm to every interaction, soothing and grounded.
  • Hector – Infuses fun into everything he does and is always ready to lend a hand.
  • Isaac – Offers a unique and powerful approach to both music and life.
  • Ivonne – Passionate about all things Spanish.
  • Javier – Can fix almost anything, but his true superpower is uplifting spirits.
  • Jennifer – Committed to turning good writers into great ones—one word at a time.
  • John – Helps students solve problems with agency, notices details about students we sometimes miss.
  • Joy – Always calm, always positive, always caring.
  • Kim K – Absolutely dependable and level-headed—our steady anchor.
  • Kim P – Deeply passionate about children and education; dedicated, caring, and always ready to help others.
  • Lauren – Creative and caring, always thinking outside the box.
  • Linda H – A voice of wisdom when it comes to understanding what children truly need.
  • Linda L – Deeply committed and tenacious—takes on the hard stuff with thoughtfulness and care.
  • Lisa – Knows her students through and through; thorough and fully committed to children.
  • Maggie – Takes on challenges with humility, humor, and a healthy attitude.
  • Maria – Brings a deep love and warmth to every interaction.
  • Meredith – Her passion for children and books has made reading a central tenet of Saklan life.
  • Mylesa – Radiates happy energy and an infectious “we got this” attitude.
  • Peta – Her wealth of experience makes every conversation about students a learning experience.
  • Philippa – A hidden talent of excellent writing paired with high creativity.
  • Riva – Brings extraordinary care and attention to every one of our kindergartners.
  • Rob – Models how to deliver high expectations with warmth and genuine care.
  • Saul – Calls himself the Math King (rightfully so!)—he takes students to the deep end of the pool.
  • Shay – Resourceful and adaptable, and keeps us all organized.
  • Vickie – Has a passion not only for science, but for all things learning, kids, and exploration.
  • Victoria – Quiet but deeply helpful and incredibly knowledgeable.
  • Yette – A great sense of humor, task-oriented, and a problem solver.
  • Zuly – Always positive and caring, with just the right dose of humor—and a laugh that lights up the room.

With gratitude and appreciation to everyone, 

David

Head’s Corner: How Life Imitates Project Work (and Vice Versa)

Pop Quiz! Which of the following statements applies to Project Work at Saklan?

 A. At the start of a Project, the end product is unknown
B. Project often takes unexpected twists and turns
C. Project is driven by prior experience and curiosity
D. All of the above

The answer, of course, is D—but you knew that already.

Now, go back and reread A, B, and C. This time, replace the word “Project” with “Life.”

That isn’t just a clever switch—it’s the reason project-based learning prepares students so well for life. Through project work, our students are practicing the very skills they’ll use every day: embracing uncertainty, exploring new ideas, and following their curiosity wherever it leads.

That’s what’s been on my mind lately, especially as we turn our attention to this year’s Fund-a-Need. What began as a straightforward plan to update some of our traditional play structures has grown into something much more meaningful, just like a good project.

The shift started with something small: a water spigot installed near the redwoods. That’s all it took. The kids flocked there, drawn by the natural beauty, the water, and the freedom to imagine. What emerged was an impromptu play zone, rich with storytelling, collaboration, and creativity.

Then came a visit from a landscape architect. And just like that, our focus shifted—from replacing monkey bars to reimagining our redwood grove as a nature-based play and exploration space, inspired by the children themselves.

This is what happens when we listen to kids, honor their play, and trust in the process. It’s life. It’s Project. It’s learning in motion.

This year’s Fund-a-Need will help bring this vision to life. With your support, we can transform our redwood grove into a place where imaginations continue to bloom.

Let’s build a space worthy of their creativity.

Head’s Corner: Playgrounds that Inspire

The Evolution of Play Structures – This Year’s Fund-A-Need

As a child, my memory of play structures at school is pretty vivid. We can start with the color—predominantly metal gray. Much of the parts looked like they were taken from the hardware store plumbing aisle. During the winter, they were cold to the touch; in the heat of summer—untouchable. How many of you have a memory—seared into your bottom—of speeding down the shiny metal slide on a hot July day?

Most of all, though, they lacked space for imagination.

Play structures have undergone a significant transformation over the decades, reflecting our evolving understanding of child development. It wasn’t until the past 20 years or so that play structures moved from being prescriptive in how children were meant to use them to designs open to a child’s imagination—a place where children could direct their own experiences.

Well-designed equipment becomes a canvas for inventive play, changing its purpose to match the day’s adventure. These structures support not just physical development but also cognitive growth, social skills, and emotional resilience—all through the power of self-directed play.

This evolution reflects a broader shift in how we view childhood—moving from seeing children as passive recipients of instruction to recognizing them as active constructors of their own understanding. Today’s most innovative play structures (and educational approaches) reflect a deep respect for children’s capabilities.

Sound familiar? It should; students’ “meaning making” of what they learn is a foundational tenet of authentic Project-Based Learning.

This year’s Fund-a-Need is more than just playground equipment—it’s an investment in the kind of education we believe in. Your contribution will directly impact how our students play, learn, and grow every day at Saklan. When we give our children thoughtfully designed spaces to play, we give them the tools to become the innovative thinkers our world needs through the simple but profound act of play.

Join us in bringing this vision to life! Your support for this year’s Fund-a-Need will help create dynamic play spaces that foster creativity, collaboration, and exploration—just as we do in the classroom. Every contribution, big or small, makes a lasting impact on our students’ daily experiences. Let’s build playgrounds that inspire the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers. Donate today and be a part of shaping the future of play at Saklan!

Head’s Corner: What Our Parents Are Telling Us

This year, we introduced a new way of listening to our parent community – Parent Pulse surveys that flow throughout the semester, capturing your feedback and insights over time. The results paint a vivid picture that matches what we see daily: engaged learners, strong connections, and a creative, compassionate, courageous community. 

Let me share what we’ve learned.

When 94% of parents see teachers who genuinely love their students, 89% find our curriculum challenging and engaging, and 93% value our approach to learning, it tells us something important. Add to this our Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 75 – far above what’s considered excellent.  These aren’t just numbers to us; they validate how we think all schools should work with children.  

Our commitment shines through in two key ways: making every child feel “seen and heard” (the primary reason 48% of families choose Saklan) and our project-based learning approach that creates meaningful connections between classroom learning and real-world challenges. Walking through our classrooms, you see this dual promise in action – teachers who know each student deeply, partnering with them through learning experiences that spark curiosity and build confidence.

While 91% of parents agree that Saklan welcomes families from all backgrounds, we know there’s more work to be done. Building a diverse, kind, inclusive community requires ongoing commitment and growth.

The type of work we do at Saklan is never finished; the school, like the humans that inhabit it, is always a work in progress. To those who filled in the survey last semester, thank you- your feedback is both validating and instructive. To our faculty and staff, parents, and students, your work making Saklan a model of what education should be is deeply appreciated. 

With gratitude and warmth,

David

PS- Keep an eye out for the next round of surveys.

Head’s Corner: Eating Sushi & Playing Piano

What Do Eating Sushi and Playing Piano Have in Common?

During Family Groups last week, students explored the concept of growth mindset – the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning, and persistence. This idea, fundamental to our approach at Saklan, was developed by Stanford researcher Carol Dweck, and contrasts with a “fixed mindset” that sees abilities as static and unchangeable (think “I’m no good at math,” or “I can’t draw.”)

As I listened to their conversations, two insights perfectly captured this concept. One first-grade student shared how “eating sushi” exemplified developing new abilities – from initial resistance to eventual enjoyment. The eighth-grader in the group then remarked, “When I play hard pieces on the piano, I get better,” recognizing how tackling challenges develops skills.

These observations illustrate a growth mindset in action. Whether at the piano bench or the sushi bar, our abilities grow through practice, persistence, and embracing challenges. In our Family Groups, together, our older and younger students discover important social and emotional traits, creating bonds beyond the Family Group.

What makes these monthly gatherings special is how naturally such insights emerge through these peer interactions. While Standford researchers study growth mindset in laboratories, our students discover its power through shared experiences, creating a space where they teach and inspire each other across all grade levels.

#HeadsCorner

Head’s Corner: Teaching How to Think, Not What to Think

As someone who has taught history for a good portion of my professional life, I’ve always felt that how history is taught in the U.S. is a disservice to students. There is an emphasis on students “knowing” the country’s entire history, without understanding it. The curriculum will lean into a simplified version of history that leads students to a particular perspective. Rarely does history teaching slow down and ask students to wrestle with both sides of an issue and develop their own opinions. (Think Moraga Police Chief King reading All American Boys along with our eighth-grade class and then coming in to discuss his take on the novel.)

The other sin of how we approach history teaching in the U.S. is one of omission. We simplify complicated stories into fables that are easy to digest. For example, unpack the popular myth of Rosa Parks and her famous refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus – the story that a meek, tired seamstress was too exhausted to walk to the back of the bus and accidentally started a movement that changed civil rights. There is a romanticism to that story, but it is wrong.

In reality, Rosa Parks had been an activist fighting for racial justice for decades before her bus stand. Though described as “quiet” in most of the obituaries that ran after her 2005 death, she was anything but.

The fable of Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement of the time betrays the reality, pain, and sacrifice of those who fight the good fight. It ignores how resistant Americans worked to challenge the status quo. It is also a disservice to the country.

As educators, we owe it to society to examine the fables and myths we have heard and those we have perpetuated – from Christopher Columbus to American Exceptionalism. We also owe it to our students to help them know less but understand more and reach their own conclusions, not ours.

Peace,

David

Head’s Corner: Power of Agency

Agency- Latin agentia “ability,” and ag(ere) “to do, drive”

Over the Winter Break, I received several emails from parents sharing with me a New York Times opinion piece they felt described Saklan perfectly. The article “Giving Kids Some Autonomy Has Surprising Results” should not be a surprise to anyone familiar with our work at Saklan.

“Agency” is a core value at Saklan. Students having “voice and choice” in their learning is a central tenet of Project Based Learning and our approach to SEL. Student agency honors students’ experiences and curiosities while giving them a locus of control over their lives. In short, it creates “buy-in” to learning. 

According to surveys by the Brooking Institution, very few students feel they have control over what they are learning. “The more time they spend in school, the less they feel like the author of their own lives, so why even try.”

In a majority of classrooms today, teachers introduce a topic and share with students what they will be learning. They have their standards to check off and material to cover. Just looking at those two sentences feels dispiriting.

Why not introduce a topic, ask students what they know about the topic (they know so much more than we often realize), and ask them what they want to investigate next? There are subtle differences between these two approaches, but student engagement is markedly different in the one that gives agency.

Giving agency raises academic standards by requiring students to invest in their own learning, reflect on their progress, and course-correct. If that sounds familiar, it is what we do as adults in our working lives. 

Agency creates a love of learning and a love in learning- and as if that is not enough to convince society that this is the right approach to education then a look at our standardized testing data should convince the doubters. 

Head’s Corner: Saklan Tuition Assistance

At Saklan, we strive to make education available to families who share what matters most to us: a love of learning and love in learning. Our tuition assistance program is part of that commitment, helping to create a vibrant community that strengthens our school.

Families are often surprised to learn that tuition assistance isn’t just for families with a below-average income. Our tuition assistance supports a wide range of family circumstances and income levels. Whether you’re managing multiple children’s educational needs, working to support your parents, or experiencing an unusual financial event, we encourage you to explore your options. While we can’t guarantee assistance to every family that applies, we work diligently to support as many qualified applicants as possible.

Moreover, we understand the sensitive nature of financial discussions. All aspects of tuition assistance applications are handled with confidentiality. Only our financial aid committee has access to your information, and all applications and decisions are kept private.

We are dedicated to growing and fostering our community. Applications for Tuition Assistance for the 2025-26 school year are now available through Clarity. If you have any questions concerning your eligibility for tuition assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact Mylesa, Saklan’s Director of Admissions, at admissions@saklan.org.

Head’s Corner: Activating Oxytocin

Recently, I shared a blog about how emotions drive high academic achievement. In short, when students feel emotionally connected to what they’re learning and who they’re learning with, strong academics follow. This month, I’d like to dive a little deeper into the science behind this connection and explore the role oxytocin plays in academic success.

Oxytocin, often called the “love hormone,” is released in the brain in response to positive social interactions. It plays a powerful role in learning by deepening connection, trust, and emotional well-being—all of which help students thrive academically. When oxytocin levels rise, students feel more connected and supported, lowering anxiety and creating a sense of security. This emotional safety is essential: it allows students to focus, think creatively, and remember what they’ve learned.

But Oxytocin does even more. It strengthens emotional memory, meaning lessons tied to positive, supportive experiences are more likely to stay with students. It also boosts empathy, fostering teamwork and cooperation that strengthens learning. Oxytocin makes learning meaningful and rewarding—values that lie at the very heart of the Saklan Approach. By creating an environment where students feel truly connected and supported, we’re nurturing not only their academic success but also their sense of belonging and purpose, setting them up to thrive both in school and beyond.

Warmly,

David  

Head’s Corner: The Importance of Risk

Think back to your favorite childhood play memory. Where were you? What were you doing? Was there an adult supervising you?

This past weekend, I took my daughter to the Adventure Playground in Berkeley. For those of you who have not been there, the best way to describe it would be a playground built by kids and made out of items found in a scrapheap. It is also a playground in constant transition; kids are given saws, hammers, nails and paint in order to “make improvements” to current structures. Adults are around, keeping an eye out, but are also encouraged to keep suggestions and advice to themselves. To my adult eyes, the place looked like a liability lawyer’s dream. To my daughter, it was the best playground ever, splinter and all. To Marioni Brussoni, the author of Why Children Need Risk, Fear and Excitement in Play it likely strikes an ideal balance between risk and a safety net. As she puts it, “Children should be kept as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible.”

Brussoni writes, that like all mammals, children are wired for risky play, as it provides opportunities to develop physically and cognitively and face new and unusual challenges. It helps them overcome fears, enhances creativity, and scratches the itch of curiosity. Often, though, our own fears and modern societal expectations get in the way of a child’s opportunity to learn. Since the 1970’s children have seen a significant decline in unstructured free time and outdoor play.  Too often kids’ experiences are curated, and supervised. While independent playtime, freedom, and opportunity for adventure have dropped, screen time has increased.  

As parents and educators, we must strike a balance between safety and individual growth.  Allowing children to experience risk and fear, does not mean parents are neglecting their duty of care; but in fact, fulfilling a crucial part of it. We are giving them the tools they need to navigate life’s uncertainties with resilience and creativity.

Oh, and one of my favorite childhood memories. Ten-year-old me, during winter in Michigan, trying to cross an iced-over creek with my friends.  I clearly remember the sound of cracking ice, trying to scurry to safety, plunging in the cold water, and the freezing walk home. 

Warmly, 

David

P.S.  If you have time, the linked article is worth a read.

P.P.S. If you attended this morning’s SEL session, you can access the slide deck here.