Working Together for All

“Learning to work together, learning to work as one; learning to work together, that’s how life’s work gets done. ... We are building more than a home, we are building a living school. We are building a brand new world, and our lives are the tools. We are living more than our life, we are living a life for all. We are living the world to come. We are living the ageless call.”

ONE OF THE QUESTIONS we can ask ourselves at the end of a challenging year is how we lived our own values individually, as families, as community members, trying to create a new world for our children. The lyrics quoted in the above school song, “Learning to Work Together,” offer the vision that what we do every day in our school environment ripples into the larger world and can help to change it for the better.

This has been a challenging year, and there have been countless examples of parents, teachers, and administrative staff demonstrating for children what flexibility, creativity, and compassion for all look like. The challenges aren’t over, but this is the time to reflect and appreciate.

Our alumni have told us repeatedly how referring to the lyrics of our school songs has provided inspiration for them as they ride the waves of worldly activity.

Here are a few examples of members of the school community living the universal values at the core of our school mission:

• Teachers and parents constantly responding to changing guidelines with full loving presence and engagement

• Teachers’ love and resilience in the face of threats to their own health

• Teachers remaining calm and finding countless ways to help children learn to calm themselves

• The Parents Steering Committee organizing Outdoor Movie Night and our Spring Dance

• Parents, teachers, and administrative staff working with the Equity & Inclusion Committee to create beautiful hallway exhibits highlighting the rich cultural diversity of our community

• Teachers and parents creating the beautiful, interactive display on mental health, and people of all ages recording acts of kindness they observe on campus, with children offering comments like “When my friend is sad, I try to help.”

• Administrators and parents turning the admin parking lot into a COVID testing site week after week and tracking symptoms and cases daily

• Mark and Guilia Lukach giving a talk expanding our view of mental health – and leaving on time for their son Jonas’s playoff game

• Elementary children creating fundraisers for Ukraine, with everyone participating

• Parents providing months of food trains for ill and injured staff

• Parents working as substitutes in preschool classrooms

• Warren Wallace’s social media postings and “Parenting From the Heart” illustrations, reflecting the beauty, vibrancy, and feeling of unity in all that we do

I Think I Can, I Know I Can!

Free Copies of Book Co-Authored by Susie Kohl and Wendy Ritchey Available to Parents and Teachers

In the early days of the pandemic, we held a Zoom session for parents to help them help their children – and themselves – deal with the daunting challenges of remote learning. One of the participants in the group was a therapist who recommended a book she used in her practice, I Think I Can, I Know I Can! Using Self-Talk to Help Raise Confident, Secure Kids. Imagine her surprise when she learned that the co-authors of that book were the two women co-facilitating the Zoom session, Susie Kohl and Wendy Ritchey. (Susie was writing as Susan Isaacs at the time.)

Wendy recently came across 25 copies of the book that had been provided by the publisher and is making them available for free to Meher Schools parents and teachers.

I Think I Can ... outlines a five-step program that, as the Amazon review explains, “teaches parents how to observe their children’s inner dialogue – the words kids repeat to themselves that reinforce anger, fear, or lack of confidence – and show their children how to change the negative voices into positive ones. ... The authors offer specific advice on using self-talk to control anger, overcome fears, improve school performance, make and strengthen friendships, [and] handle stress.”

The book is as relevant today as it was when it was written, 30 years ago, says Wendy, a retired psychologist and former member of our board of directors. “Readers might notice the similarity to mindfulness concepts. Noticing what is is the basis of mindfulness training. Welcoming mistakes, rather than fearing them or criticizing yourself for making them, is the basis of ‘growth mindset.’ Both popular psychological trends are supported by research and are central to the approach we took in I Think I Can, I Know I Can!”

Signed copies of the book are available on a table outside the Office.

A Child’s Life Story

“WHEN I WAS A BABY, my first word was ‘cookie.’”

A child’s sense of having a life story doesn’t happen automatically as they enter adolescence. It starts to develop at early age, when adults consistently talk about memories and help children form them into a coherent story. “First you learned to walk, then run.” Research shows that in families where talking about events is an ongoing activity, children are more apt to have a stronger sense of self. Having practice discussing their life story also boosts cognitive and language skills.

These last weeks of school provide a vital opportunity for helping to enhance children’s sense of their own autobiography. Reminiscing as a family about the last year’s events and the child’s feelings about them helps them build on their life story, as well as a sense of accomplishment. “When you started school, you didn’t know anyone in your class.” Remembering how far they’ve come enhances children’s self-esteem and helps prepare them for the next steps in their journey.

Children can reflect on their experience in many ways: telling stories about what they’re proud of, creating artwork, or talking about their favorite memories while looking at photos. As children talk about the events they remember and share their likes and dislikes, parents can highlight their unique, positive qualities.