Telling the Truth about Students

I spent most of last week at a National Association of Independent Schools conference in Denver. Although I missed the daily hustle and bustle that swirls around my Lake Tahoe School office - the giggling students, the hurrying teachers, the proud parents - the conference was a valuable opportunity to remove myself from the day-to-day triumphs and tribulations, to renew old acquaintances, to trade war stories, and to learn from my colleagues.

Independent school educators flew in from all around the country, and I had the chance to catch up with former high school teachers of mine who were now school heads as well as with former high school students of mine who were now school teachers.

Most of all, my time in Denver was a time for reflections and for realizations. One thing that struck me about my fellow educators was that they would be tough to pick out of a crowd: they dress in ties and in tie- dyes, in Anne Taylor skirts and in Annie Oakley shirts; they come in all shapes and in all sizes, all colors and all ages; and they are all part messianic idealists and part pragmatists, part altruists and part masochists.

The second, and more important, thing that struck me about my colleagues I met in Denver was that they all tended to share the one trait that I believe is essential to the success of independent schools: they tell the truth about their students. They may censor it slightly - it may not be entirely naked - but it will be the truth.

For every family who says to me, "For the money I'm paying Lake Tahoe School, I expect ___________" (fill in the blank with the dissatisfaction du jour), my first thought is "For the money you are paying us, you can expect the truth about your child."

You can expect the truth because we know your child, we know what kind of learner she is, we know his level of achievement, we know how hard she works, we know what he's apprehensive about, we know how to motivate her. In short, we know your children because they are our passion.

And while I'm not suggesting that independent schools are the only ones capable of telling the truth about your children (all exceptional schools do), I do believe that independent schools are better suited to knowing the truth about your children because we are in a better position to know your children - we value intimate classes, we practice differentiated instruction, we nurture personal relationships, we welcome family participation, and we respect the integrity of each and every individual child.

We challenge students to thrive and support them to take risks; we celebrate creativity, compassion, and courage; but, most of all, we honor the truth.

We share with students the search for the truth just as we share with you the truth about them . . . for truth is the foundation of the community we share.

--Steve McKibben
3/11/07