On the Importance of Balance - Private Elementary Schools in Montgomery County MD

Photo by A. Fisher

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter’s classmates from last year had a reunion of sorts, and got together to ride the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. Although we were a group of close to 30 kids and parents all in one car, and the atmosphere was therefore rambunctious and loud, for me it was actually a relaxing and leisurely trip. These are not words I typically use to describe my days!! The train ride from Cumberland to Frostburg was about 45 minutes, through mountainous, rural, western Maryland. It was a gorgeous day, with the autumn leaves just beginning to show. Not only was it picturesque, I was a captive audience. After about an hour walking around Frostburg, we got back on the train for our return trip. As I was driving to and from this excursion (2 hours each way- more leisure time), I reflected on my family, my work, my goals, and my relationships. Without the normal pressures of time commitments, appointments, schedules, and other expectations, I was able to think deeply and creatively about a variety of things. During this very productive “down time,” I was reminded how important it is for busy people to regularly change their routine in order to build in time for rest and reflection. In my definition of “busy people” I automatically include parents! How often do we schedule time for ourselves to just stop, think and reflect?

At Seneca Academy, we promote balance as one of our IB/PYP attributes, and teach this concept to our students. We ask them to balance academic time with active time, reading time, creative time, social time, technology time, etc. We ask them to balance their focus on learning about math with learning about social science, language, music, writing, etc. But are we, as adults, practicing what we preach? By balancing the busy, hectic times in our lives with restful and reflective times, we allow ourselves to move from reacting to reflecting; from focusing on details to focusing on the big picture. The most important aspects of our lives can then become clear. And we model what we expect from our children. By taking the time to drive out west for a fun activity with my daughter, I was reminded, once again, of the need for balance in my own life as well.

Seneca Academy
15601 Germantown Road
Darnestown, Maryland 20874
Phone: (301) 869-3728
Fax: (301) 869-3348

Thoughts About Learning in Private Preschools in Maryland

One of our alert, engaged, and knowledgeable teachers shared this blog post with me recently. These thoughts, written by a former preschool teacher, are so articulately written and so perfectly consistent with what we believe at Seneca Academy, that I wanted to share them with everyone! The author is Alicia Bayer and her blog is called A Magical Childhood. I think this is a wonderful reminder of what is important in a young child's life for optimal development!

What Should a 4 Year Old Know?

Seneca Academy
15601 Germantown Road
Darnestown, Maryland 20874
Phone: (301) 869-3728
Fax: (301) 869-3348

The Best Job in the World | Head of a Private School In Montgomery County MD

I have the best job in the world!! In my role as Head of School, I am able to see excellent teachers engage eager students in meaningful work. I observe happy children interacting with peers whom they trust and respect. I witness caring young people who translate their studies into action, aimed at helping others.

My gratitude for this opportunity was heightened recently when I accompanied the 5^th grade class on a field trip. We went on an Underground Railroad hike to support their unit of inquiry on conflict and the U.S. Civil War. I was struck by how many of our IB learner profile attributes the students displayed on our trip. I loved seeing the expression on our conductor’s face as our students provided extremely knowledgeable responses to his questions (e.g. C:“Why was it called the Underground Railroad?” S:“Well, a man named Tyce Anderson was crossing from Kentucky to Ohio…”). They were very principled as they went through the

2-hour, 3-mile hike, needing no discipline or behavior management at all! They were excellent inquirers with their insightful questions, and independent thinkers as they came up with solutions to the conductor’s problem scenarios depicting what runaway slaves encountered. They were caring of each other throughout the trip, but especially after our picnic lunch when they were asking one another who wanted to be part of a tag game. Finally, they were reflective on the bus ride home when Ms. Luk asked them to discuss what they had experienced and learned.

The best part is that I could write paragraphs about each class of students in our school like the one above! I see our students demonstrate these character traits every day. Thanks to parents, teachers and students for giving me such a wonderful work environment!!

Seneca Academy
15601 Germantown Road
Darnestown, Maryland 20874
Phone: (301) 869-3728
Fax: (301) 869-3348