Primary Thoughts
Head of School Blog
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Survey Results I
As you know, we recently conducted a survey of our parents as part of our 10 year accreditation self-study with the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools (AIMS). This piece will be the first of a series that will share survey results. For background, know that we had 83 survey respondents (this out of
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Parents as Mangroves
We have so much to celebrate, be in awe of, and savor as we come to the end of what has been a wonderfully successful school year for Primary Day, its students, and our school as a community. Our teachers have given their best to nurture the growth of our young friends; and we know
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What Makes for a Well-Balanced Child?
Last month I tuned in to a webcast specifically aimed at Parents of PK-2nd graders entitled “The Well-Balanced Child” given by Stanford University’s Challenge Success program. The presenters, two child development and psychology researchers at the center, posited that in our desire to raise children who possess a high degree of well-being, belonging, and engagement,
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Determination
Primary Thoughts Neil Mufson, Head of School “Do your best always.” Years ago, while I was Head at my former school, I saw these simple but powerful words emblazoned on the gates of another school, one with which we did long distance cooperative projects. Located in the poorest neighborhood of Nairobi, the school –
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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