Primary Thoughts
Head of School Blog
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A Merle-Smith Holiday
As our children put the finishing touches on this week’s Seasons of Light Beako, I was reminded of the light that was embodied by a formative figure in my career, Mike Merle-Smith, whom I met when I was a young teacher at Princeton Day School – my first PDS! Bright, patient, creative, and encouraging, he
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Instilling Responsibility
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School I still remember that telescope — the first thing I saved up for on my own — and the outing my father and I took to Boston to purchase it once I had stashed enough of my allowance and birthday money into an old Christmas card box. I
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PDS’ Countercultural Stance Making Respect the Norm
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School One of the key challenges in teaching children about respect, The Primary Day value for February, is encapsulated in a fundamental tension. On the one hand, we need to lead children to understand that all people should be treated with respect because they are part of the human family,
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Cooperation and Connection
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School While mulling over the state of the world as 2023 closed and 2024 dawned, I thought about how disconnected people have become from one another and how cooperation, our Primary Day value for January, can only be fostered once people connect on some level. Ongoing global conflicts;
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Hope
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School Each year at about this time, I am reminded of a small, eye-catching collage-like creation that the beloved art teacher at one of my earlier schools made for me and my family. It became a touchstone that I gazed at frequently during the holiday season and that
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The Gift of Gratitude
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School What is the most memorable way that someone has ever showed you they cared about you? Think about it for a minute. That was one of the questions raised during a talk presented at the Elementary School Heads Association annual meeting I attended in DC on Friday
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“How America Got Mean” vs. PDS Values
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School From time to time I come across evidence that what we do at Primary Day has larger implications than I perceived. This weekend I had such an experience as I read a complex piece from the September issue of The Atlantic that at its heart validates the creation of our
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Striving Towards a Growth Mindset & Savoring
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School Cooler days with dew on the grass, the scent of fresh mowing aloft, and the need to close windows at night signaled the start of a new year when I was an elementary student and walked with my sister and our friends to our school in our
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Practicing PDS Values Over the Summer
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School In a few days you will receive a link to a PDS webpage that will host a wealth of summer academic learning resources, from math activities to reading suggestions, for each of our grade levels. Our classroom teachers and resource team have gathered these resources because we know
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The Lure and Language of Nature
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School As summer nears, one of its draws for me is the chance to spend unhurried time in nature. The lure of the island 12 miles off the coast of Maine that I have visited each summer for almost 4 decades becomes palpable once Graduation passes. Writers, poets,