Dear Parents,

Wow! A winter concert, snow, elective classes, preparations for a learner exhibition... could it get any more exciting? For some reason it always surprises me that January is so full of interesting events and special activities. I'm not sure why this frequently catches me so off guard; nearly everything is right there on my calendar or to-do list.

Well, here it is the end of the month already and it seems as if I am only part way through my list! In fact, having just checked "The List," I find that I have a number of must-do items that have been on it since August, OUCH! It looks like I've found my new year's resolution; finish "The List" before it collects any more dust. Hey, there's something I can check off, "make a new year's resolution!" One thing down and I won't mention how many more to go.

The only problem with "The List" is that it just keeps growing. As soon as I've checked something off, there is at least one more thing (highest priority of course) to take its place. I gets me to wondering if that is how children experience learning. As soon as they've mastered writing their name they begin learning to write words and sentences. When they're proud of having read their first chapter book, they soon dive into another longer one; and then are asked to determine the most important sections while inferring why the author wrote the story in the first place. If you think about it, children truly are amazing. They learn so much and do it so quickly. I know that when I am learning something along with them I can never keep up! A mentor of mine told me during my first year in the classroom that teachers often slow down the education of their own students by inadvertently putting up roadblocks to their learning, that it is important for teachers not to get in their students' way. Since then, although I have always given guidance, I have also tried my best to let children grow without my getting in their way. But I also know that there's a balance that needs to be held onto. During our last "snow day" when my list was seemingly miles long, I simply set it aside for the day, pulled out a novel and read it non-stop until I was done. It was my own brief side trip, a needed little mini vacation, a chance to do something that wasn't on "The List." And it helped me keep some balance in my life.

At Swan School, we all strive to help children grow without inadvertently getting in their way. Although each student follows an academic continuum, an individual list of things to learn, we also help children keep things balanced in their lives. We embrace such things as music, art, and frequent recesses at school because we know them to be essential for every child's growth. We set aside large chunks of time for students to work with others on in-depth projects, parents and community members are invited in to share their passions and areas of expertise, choice is an important component of each child's day, and venturing away from school to experience the many things our area has to offer is integral to each student's experience. Balance and happily walking along life's path of learning; I believe that's the experience a good school can provide, and that is exactly what is at the heart of the student experience at Swan School.

Well, to get back to the other part of my balancing act, I'd better get to the next thing on "The List."

Russ