Luther Conant School Where the Whole Child is the Whole Idea

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Philip Benincasa, Interim Principal
Statement of Educational Philosophy 9-3-06

Director of British Museum: "Prime Minister, we would like you to speak at our next meeting..."
Winston Churchill: "For how long?"
Director of British Museum: "Sir, what difference does it make?"
Winston Churchill: "Well, if you would like me to speak for five minutes, it will take me six months to prepare... If you'd like me to speak for three hours, I'm ready now!"

To fully understand my philosophy of education, I suspect that you would have to work and think with me for some extended period of time. First, let me say there is nothing "elementary" about elementary education. Decisions made during these first six or years influences, in the most fundamental way, the very path a child may follow for the rest of their life. That being the case, those decisions need to be made carefully and with the full participation of family and professionals. In too many school systems, there is anxiety on the part of the parents as they send their child off to kindergarten, because this public and sometimes aloof institution will begin to narrow opportunities for students rather than expand them. These systems make rigid decisions about children, their learning styles, and levels without providing appropriate support and clear, concise "crossover" points that allow for the peaks and valley of a particular youngster's varied development. To follow such a course is a disservice to the child, the school, and our profession.

Each child's "childhood" is a limited edition; time, nature, and the demands of society put an end to it soon enough and I am troubled by what sometimes appears as a plot to shorten it even more. Why the rush? These are unique human beings with an absolute right to the whimsy that is childhood. Demands on the part of government, misled parents, and misled educators to speed them through it for some perceived economic or societal gain, are in my opinion threats to rob these kids of a fundamental right: the right to be a kid. We need to guard against this and speak out against it whenever necessary.

I believe that the goal of an elementary education should be to develop and enhance the capacity of the student to transmit and receive information. This means reading, writing, speaking, and listening. All this needs to be mixed in a broth of critical thinking; it should be tempered by the enlightened understanding that where reading, writing, speaking and listening leave off, mathematics, science, and the arts (both visual and performing) begin, and they are as fundamental to communication skills as those more basic activities.

I suspect that as much of the import to life is learned on the playing fields, in the halls, and in the cafeteria as in the classrooms. It is here that the skill of problem solving, compromise, and making and maintaining friendships are developed; it is here that the value of honesty, loyalty, and compassion begin to pay their first dividends. We should not shorten those opportunities in the name of more and more "classroom work." To do so is to sacrifice precious opportunities for personal growth that can only happen in these less formal settings.

Finally (at least for today...who knows about tomorrow) the school must be an island of safety and respect for every child. If Ted Sizer is correct and "the children are always watching," then we need to ask ourselves what sort of models are we? There is no room in any school for adults who bully children; who use sarcasm to undermine self-respect; who live by the credo "I'm doing this for your own good;" who spend more time finger pointing than thoughtfully analyzing how they may sensitively guide a youngster through difficult times.

And finally, finally...schools are like a milking stool. They have three legs: staff, children, and parents. If any of those fail to live up to their responsibilities, the cow is going to be shocked and no one is going to have the joy of savoring the cream that might have been ours.

Phillip Benincasa
Interim Principal