Tag: writing

Staff Spotlight: Coach Rob

For Coach Rob, Physical Education is about much more than sports. It’s an opportunity for students to explore, take risks, build relationships, and discover what they’re capable of.

Now in his third year at Saklan, Coach Rob teaches PE to students in Kindergarten through eighth grade, giving him the unique opportunity to work with students throughout nearly their entire Saklan journey.

Coach Rob draws much of his approach to teaching from his own interests and experiences. Sport, wellness, travel, culture, and exploring new places have always been important parts of his life.

“I try to bring that same sense of curiosity and adventure into PE,” he shares. “I want students to experience new games, sports, challenges, and ways of working with people that they might not always choose on their own.”

For Coach Rob, movement can be a powerful vehicle for learning not just about physical skills, but about ourselves and the world around us.

Learning Through Play

Coach Rob sees play as an essential part of learning.

“Play gives kids the opportunity to explore, problem-solve, communicate, compete, take risks, fail safely, and try again,” he explains. “I don’t see play as something separate from learning. I think it’s one of the ways kids learn best.”

His goal is to create an environment where students can be present, challenge themselves, try new things, and most importantly, enjoy moving.

One of the most rewarding parts of teaching PE is watching students discover that they don’t have to fit a particular definition of an “athlete” to find success.

Coach Rob especially enjoys seeing a student who may not initially consider themselves athletic or have much interest in sports find an activity they genuinely enjoy. That might be a sport, a game, running, an adventure, a team challenge, or simply realizing they can accomplish something they didn’t think they could do.

“I want every student to understand that there is more than one way to be successful in Physical Education,” he says.

Be Willing to Try

If Coach Rob could offer his students one piece of advice, it would be simple: Be willing to try.

“You don’t have to be the best at everything. Be present, give your best effort, try something new, and be willing to be uncomfortable sometimes. That’s usually where growth starts.”

Ultimately, Coach Rob hopes students remember his classes not simply for the games they played or the skills they learned, but for how they felt while learning.

“I hope they remember that we played. We explored. We competed. We laughed. We tried things we weren’t always good at. And we learned how to work with different people.”

More than anything, he hopes students leave PE with healthy habits, healthy relationships, and the confidence to step into whatever comes next.

Democracy in Action: Saklan Students Take the Lead

Another exciting Student Council election cycle came to a close at Saklan last Friday, offering a wonderful reminder of the importance of student voice and civic engagement within the school community.

This year, fifteen out of thirty-three Middle School students submitted their candidacies for Student Council officer positions, and each candidate put forth a strong effort throughout the election process.

The Middle School officer candidates presented lively and engaging speeches at CLAS last Friday. Students in Grades 1–8 then participated in the balloting process in their classrooms, with the results of the Middle School election announced just before the end of the school day.

Earning a seat as a Saklan Student Council officer involves more than simply winning the popular vote. Each candidate had to submit a Letter of Intent, make a campaign poster, sit for an interview conducted by Jennifer Lettieri and Kim Parks, and share slogans and stickers with the Lower School students during lunch recess. The speeches presented at CLAS were the culmination of their campaigning.

Candidates were awarded points for timeliness and quality when carrying out each of these tasks, and the candidates with the most points were the winners.

Lower School Student Council representatives were selected by their classmates and respective homeroom teachers in grades 1-5. This year, two Kindergarten representatives were also selected, and they will join the Lower and Middle School students at regular Student Council meetings every other Wednesday.

Congratulations to our 2026-2027 Student Council members!

Middle School Officers

President– Mae

Vice President– Willow

Treasurer – Makena

Publicity Chair – Roni

Secretary – Elise

Environmental Affairs Chair – Meredith

Lower School Representatives

Kindergarten – Cayden and Graham

Grade 1 – Alina and Noah

Grade 2 – Can and Nora

Grade 3 – Evan and Addys

Grade 4 – Olin and Satya

Grade 5 – Sam and Ruby

Kinder Korner: Building Connections

One of the special traditions Hoot Owls and Kindergartners experience at Saklan is Kinder Korner. These gatherings give Kindergarteners the chance to step into leadership roles as they guide the Hoot Owls through fun, educational activities in math, reading, or science. For the Hoot Owls, it’s an exciting introduction to Kindergarten that fosters meaningful connections between students and teachers across the two grades.

For their first visit of the year, the Kindergarten class celebrated the first day of fall by teaching the Hoot Owls how to make leaf rubbings. The Kindergartners gathered leaves for their younger friends and demonstrated how to place the leaves under the paper, with the veins facing up, before using the side of a crayon to gently rub across the paper and reveal the leaf’s shape and texture.

As the Hoot Owls created their artwork, Kindergarten students practiced explaining directions, demonstrating techniques, and encouraging their younger classmates.

Through Kinder Korner, students in both grades benefit from the connection. Hoot Owls gain familiarity and confidence as they look ahead to Kindergarten, while Kindergarteners develop leadership, responsibility, and empathy by helping their younger peers learn.

Learn More about Kindergarten at Saklan

Next Thursday, October 8th, Riva will host a Kindergarten at Saklan Information Session in the Humanities Room at 8:45 a.m. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the Kindergarten experience at Saklan and how families can help prepare their children for this important transition.

Riva will share what a typical day looks like, what students learn, and how Kindergarten builds on the skills and experiences developed in Preschool and Pre-K. She’ll also offer practical tips for preparing children academically, socially, and emotionally, and answer your questions.

We would love for you to join us!

Family Groups Begin the Year with Inclusion and Connection

On September 29, Saklan’s Kindergarten through eighth-grade students gathered for their first Family Group meeting of the school year, coming together across grade levels to build connections and explore what it means to be inclusive and accepting.

Family Groups are a Saklan tradition that brings students from different grades together throughout the year. These mixed-age groups create opportunities for students to get to know one another, learn from each other, and build a stronger sense of belonging across the school.

For their first meeting, students began by getting to know the members of their Family Group through introductions and fun activities designed to help them discover new things about one another. Students paired up, asked questions, shared their answers, and looked for connections within the group.

Each group then turned its attention to what it means to be inclusive and accepting at Saklan. Students discussed what inclusion can look like (including others, working with different people, and being kind), and what it means to be accepting (including not judging others, giving people second chances, and allowing others to be themselves).

Students were also invited to reflect on times when they have felt included and accepted at Saklan. They shared examples of classmates being kind, inviting them to join an activity, playing together at recess, or showing genuine interest in getting to know them.

To represent the idea that everyone contributes something unique to the group, each student decorated a paper paw with things they enjoy or qualities that represent them. The individual paws were brought together to create a Family Group poster: a visual reminder that while each student is an individual, everyone has a place within the group.

The meeting set the tone for the year ahead: getting to know one another, celebrating what makes each person unique, and creating a community where everyone feels welcomed, valued, and included.

#SaklanSEL #SaklanCommunity

Head’s Corner: Helping Children Discover the Power of Agency

In my last piece, I wrote about lighthouse parenting: the idea that our children need us to be steady and dependable without constantly steering their course. A lighthouse provides guidance, security, and clear boundaries, but it does not remove every obstacle or determine the path.

That raises an important question: What develops in children when we give them room to navigate?

One answer is agency. AI researcher Andrej Karpathy has observed that agency is “both more powerful and scarcer than intelligence.” Intelligence may help children know what they could do; agency helps them actually do it.

Psychologists describe the belief that our choices can influence outcomes as an internal locus of control. As The Economist recently noted, people with a stronger sense of control tend to act more purposefully—from searching harder for work to saving more and following through on entrepreneurial ambitions. Agency does not guarantee success, but it makes action more likely.

Children develop that belief through experience. We can tell them they are capable, but they also need opportunities to experience themselves being capable. They need to make decisions, attempt solutions, encounter consequences, recover from mistakes, and discover that their efforts can change an outcome.

This is where lighthouse parenting becomes especially important. Rather than immediately solving a problem, we can help children understand it, consider their choices, and decide on a next step.

At Saklan, we want students to have repeated experiences of agency. Project Based Learning asks them to investigate authentic questions, make decisions, revise their thinking, work through uncertainty, and create something that matters. Classroom conversations invite students to share their perspectives, while reflection helps them recognize the connection between their choices and their growth.

Ultimately, the aim of lighthouse parenting is not simply to do less for our children. It is to make room for them to do more for themselves—and, over time, for others.

Perhaps one of the greatest gifts we can give children is not a perfectly cleared path, but the growing conviction that they can help determine where the path leads.

We can provide the steady light. They must gradually learn to navigate.

Warmly,

David

Head’s Corner: Lighthouse Parenting

This blog was inspired by Russell Shaw’s Atlantic essay, “Lighthouse Parents Have More Confident Kids.” Shaw’s description of the lighthouse parent—a steady adult who offers guidance and support without trying to control every part of a child’s journey—gave me a useful way to think about the work we do with children at Saklan.

Parenting did not become a commonly used verb until around 1970.

Before that, people were simply parents.

Since then, parenting has become something we study, measure, and constantly try to improve. There are books, podcasts, experts, courses, apps, and endless advice about how to raise children well.

Developmental psychologist Alison Gopnik suggests that instead of seeing children as people with whom we are in relationship, we can begin to see them as projects whose outcomes we are responsible for producing.

She describes the difference as being like the difference between a carpenter and a gardener.

I do not think she is far off.

Along the way, we have developed all sorts of labels for parents: helicopter parents, snowplow parents, tiger parents, free-range parents, concierge parents, and more. 

But the image that best reflects the kind of parenting we try to encourage at Saklan is the lighthouse parent.

Think of a lighthouse as a steady presence. It offers light, direction, and warning when rocks lie ahead. But it does not pursue the boat, take the wheel, or eliminate the waves.

That is something I fail at regularly.

When my daughter Finn struggles, my instinct is often to fix the problem. A few months ago, I saw a student who was visibly upset and sitting alone. I went over to help. I asked questions about what was wrong and what I could do.

It was not helping. In fact, the tears increased.

Finn was nearby and came over to whisper in my ear, “Daddy, talking does not help. You always do that.” 

She was right.

Sometimes the most helpful thing we can do is not offer a solution immediately. Sometimes (most times?) our children need us to listen, acknowledge what is hard, and give them room to find their way through the experience.

When I am at my best, I ask: “Do you want to be heard, to be hugged, or to be helped?”

That question communicates I hear you, I am here for you, I believe you can handle this.

That does not mean we leave children on their own. Lighthouse parenting is not passive parenting. Lighthouses still warn us about danger. They provide guidance and boundaries. They shine a light when the way forward is unclear.

But they do not calm the waves or move the rocks- nor should they.

At Saklan, we believe children are capable. We believe mistakes are part of learning. We believe clear boundaries express care. And we believe that struggle is healthy.

We cannot make the water perfectly calm for our children. Nor should we want to. Children need opportunities to face challenges, take risks, recover from mistakes, repair relationships, and discover that they are more capable than they realized.

Our work is to provide the steady light they need to find their way.

Warmly, 

David 

What Is Democracy?

What is the meaning of the word “democracy”?

That was the question Saklan’s eighth graders explored as they launched their 2026 Midterm Elections study. Before diving into the details of elections and the political process, students first took a step back to consider the meaning of one of the central ideas behind them: democracy.

To begin, the class read and discussed a series of quotes about democracy. Students considered different perspectives, shared their interpretations, and began thinking about what ideas and values are at the heart of a democratic society.

Defining Democracy Through Words and Images

Next, students were invited to contribute to a classroom display by choosing one of two creative responses.

They could create a sketch in response to the question, “What image or symbol might we use to represent democracy?” Or, they could write their own definition of democracy.

The different responses allowed students to explore the concept from both visual and written perspectives. What symbols represent democracy? What values are essential to it? What does democracy look like in practice?

Finally, the class came together for a group brainstorm. Students shared their ideas and identified the concepts they felt were most important to include in a collective definition of democracy.

Their ideas were brought together into a final list that is on display in the Saklan Library, creating a student-generated definition that will serve as a starting point for their continued exploration throughout the elections unit.

By beginning with a question rather than a predetermined definition, our eighth graders are learning that understanding democracy requires more than memorizing a word. It requires asking questions, considering different perspectives, listening to others, and thinking critically about the ideas that shape our communities and our world.

Head’s Corner: Making Space for the Fire

This morning, Saklan families gathered around a campfire to begin our first “Discussions with David.” It was a time carved out to slow down and build community.

The center of our morning was Judy Brown’s poem “Fire.” The poem describes how a fire needs space between the logs to breathe and grow. Too much wood packed too tightly can extinguish a fire just as surely as a lack of fuel.

That image stayed with me.

In our lives, we spend much of our time thinking about the logs: the email inbox, projects, schedules, events, routines, getting kids here or there, planning dinner, responsibilities, and activities that fill our days. All of those things matter. 

But “Fire” reminded me that the spaces in between are meant to let the fire breathe, and are as important as the logs. The moment we pause to really listen. The conversation that continues around the dinner table after a child shares something that happened at school. The time families spend getting to know one another at CLAS, culminations, or over a weekend playdate. The invitation that helps someone feel included and welcomed in the life of our community. The willingness to ask a question, share a perspective, or just listen with intention—even when family schedules are full, mornings are rushed, and everyone is carrying the ordinary joys and challenges of daily life.

Those spaces are where relationships grow.

As we begin this school year, I hope we can continue creating more of those spaces at Saklan. Our children benefit when the adults around them are connected and working together. Partnership does not mean that we will always agree or see things in exactly the same way. It means that we communicate, listen, and remember that we are all here because we care deeply about our children and this community.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the morning so special. I left feeling grateful for the community we are building together—and reminded that sometimes the most important work begins when we slow down and make a little more space.

Our next “Discussions with David” will be a Drumming Edition on Friday, October 2. Isaac, Saklan’s African drumming teacher, will join us to share how drumming helps develop listening, communication, and collaboration skills—and, yes, we will all have a chance to drum. 

I hope you’ll join us.

Warmly, 

David

#SaklanCommunity #HeadsCorner

Second Graders Become Published Authors

Saklan’s second graders recently celebrated the culmination of their Project Based Learning unit, The Secret Life of Seeds, by becoming published authors and sharing their work with younger students across campus.

Centered around the driving question, If a seed could talk, what story would it tell about how it travels?, the project invited students to combine scientific inquiry with imagination and storytelling. Throughout the unit, students explored the many ways seeds travel, survive, and grow, studying methods of seed dispersal such as wind, water, and animals. Each student selected a specific seed to research before creating an original narrative that followed the seed’s unique journey.

As students moved through the writing process, they experienced firsthand how ideas develop and strengthen over time. Early brainstorming and planning sessions helped students organize both the scientific concepts they wanted to teach and the creative elements they hoped to include in their stories. During drafting, students experimented with voice, dialogue, and storytelling techniques as they transformed seeds into characters with adventures, challenges, and destinations.

Revision became one of the most meaningful parts of the project. Students carefully reread their work to strengthen descriptions, clarify scientific explanations, and make their stories more engaging for readers. Peer feedback conversations encouraged students to think about their writing in new ways and reinforced the idea that strong writing develops through reflection, collaboration, and persistence.

The project culminated in a series of “Meet the Author” events held in the library with ECE, Kindergarten, and First Grade classes. During these special visits, second graders proudly read their published books aloud, answered questions about their stories and scientific research, and stepped into the role of confident authors and experts. Sharing their work with younger students gave second graders an authentic audience and highlighted the meaningful connections between literacy, science, and community.

The Secret Life of Seeds beautifully reflected the inquiry, creativity, and communication that are central to Saklan’s Project Based Learning approach. Most importantly, students experienced the joy and power of using their voices and ideas to teach, inspire, and connect with others.

#SaklanProjectWork

Head’s Corner: What Kind of Childhood Are We Trying to Protect?

When I was a child, I routinely got into trouble. (Hard to believe, right?)

I grew up in a Detroit neighborhood with lots of friends and neighbors around. Most of the trouble we got into could best be described as “good trouble.” Staying out past the time the streetlights came on. Using the entire city block to play tag, running through neighbors’ backyards with friends, cutting across lawns. Nothing serious. Nothing mean-spirited. Just the ordinary trouble of childhood: testing boundaries, losing track of time, and discovering the world beyond adult eyes.

Looking back, I am struck by how much learning was tucked inside those moments. We were practicing judgment, negotiating with friends, taking small risks, and discovering what it felt like to be trusted.

I have been thinking about this because of two things I have been reading: The Amazing Generation and a new report from the Institute for Family Studies, High Tech, Low Play: The Life of American Children. Together, they point to something many of us sense: children need more than protection from the virtual world. They need more opportunities to experience the real one.

What struck me most in the report was a simple but unsettling idea: many children today are highly protected in the physical world, yet relatively unprotected in the digital one. They have access to screens earlier and more often, while having fewer opportunities to roam, play, take small risks, and build independence with friends.

That imbalance gives me pause.

Many children today can wander widely online before they are trusted to wander very far in real life. They may have access to enormous digital worlds before they have had enough practice navigating the physical one.

This is not to say we should simply recreate the childhoods we remember. The world has changed. But children still need opportunities to stretch, explore, decide, negotiate, and discover their own capabilities.

That is one reason I am drawn to The Amazing Generation, by Jonathan Haidt. Its invitation is not simply for children to put down their screens, but to imagine what they might pick up instead: more freedom, more friendship, more movement, more play, more responsibility, and more real-life adventure.

So what kind of childhood are we trying to protect?

One with enough safety to feel held, and enough freedom to grow. One with adults close enough to guide, but not so close that children never get to practice. One with room for play, movement, friendship, responsibility, and the small, good trouble that helps children discover their capacity.

And maybe that is the real invitation — not just to give children fewer screens, but to give them more childhood.

Sincerely,

David