At the Lycée Chateaubriand de Rome, where I had the pleasure of teaching for three years, there is a slang that is spoken only by those who have passed through its walls: Chateaubriannais.* At The École, we seem to be going down the same path–we will soon need to compile our own glossary of untranslatable terms that only The École insiders understand. After last week’s “Les afters schools” come, quite naturally, “Les curriculome nights.” A great many of you attended, and I know that the teachers put a lot of time and effort into preparing their presentations, which managed to be concise yet informative and will enable you to confidently navigate the school year ahead.**
That confidence is essential. It is not something that can be declared; it must be built. The objectives of the communication tools that we are sharing with you are threefold: to strengthen the school-home connection, to put the children at the heart of all of our conversations, and to ensure our focus is on the students’ work, their creations and their progress. I am convinced that meetings like this week’s Curriculum Nights and next week’s Google Classroom and Seesaw parent information meetings will contribute greatly to building home-school confidence.
I can’t help but think of my own mom and dad every time I drop into a meeting between teachers and parents. I think of all the trust they placed in school, of all the support they gave me, and of all the teachers they met. It’s probably my dad that I think of the most in these moments. I think of my dad because school wasn’t an easy ride for him. I think of him because school didn’t do him any favors. And I think of him because he did so well in life regardless. And yet, despite his own experience, he has always held school and teachers in the highest regard. He always pushed me, encouraged me, and at the end of the day, left me no other choice but to do well at school. That I have become a head of school and was awarded the Academic Palms for my services to education are sources of enormous pride for him. I’m talking to you about my father today because he celebrated his 76th birthday yesterday, and I haven’t seen him in person for almost two years. I’m talking to you about him because I miss him. To him, I owe, among many things, the fact that I know how to ride a bike, the fact that my eyes are blue, the fact that I have a penchant for clothes, and a genetic inability to take myself too seriously.
I am one of the privileged few who got through the pandemic relatively unscathed: I didn’t lose a loved one, my life wasn’t turned upside down, I was able to continue working, I didn’t get sick, and my parents are in good health. Believe you me, I am extremely grateful for my unbelievable good fortune, just as I am grateful for having spent every day of the past 18 months in the company of my wife, Andria. And yet, I have to admit, it hasn’t always been easy. I am writing to you about it today because I know I am not the only one in this situation, that many of you also miss your loved ones. I wanted to share my experience with you in the hope that it will give us some of that strength in numbers I’ve heard talk of.
I would like to thank all the parents for their attention and studiousness during “Les curriculome nights: and for the support that you give to The École on a daily basis. I know that in the future, your children will be very grateful.
Wishing you all an excellent weekend!
*See section entitled À savoir