Rainy and Inspiring Days In Seattle

I am grateful to have attended the National Association of Independent Schools conference in Seattle last week.

It was an amazing opportunity to re-unite (and empathize) with first-year colleagues from the Institute for New Heads, the conference I attended in Atlanta last summer, and to be inspired and educated by great speakers.  

Several friends have been asking me about my experiences so I thought I would share for all.

The theme of the conference was innovation.  As I wrote in my Among Friends' blog last week, it was inspiring to learn about all the incredible innovation that is happening in independent schools across the country.

In a nutshell, I attended talks by: 

Bill Gates (Microsoft), who spent more of his time talking about how his foundation is funding teacher assessment programs - I would have loved to have heard his thoughts on personal innovation.  Too bad - I didn't get close enough to hit him up for a donation!   I thoroughly enjoyed finding a spelling error in one of his slides (learing instead of learning).  Not only that, but I and hundreds of others around me were taking notes on his talk on an Apple computer product.  It’s nice to know that nobody’s perfect.

Pat Bassett (president of NAIS), who highlighted the big shifts on education over the last ten years.  Not just the 5 'C's of 21st century skills (creativity, communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and cross-cultural competency) , but the way the internet has presented amazing ways for teachers to share ideas and use resources.

Amy Chua (The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother), who was far more charming and personable than the media portrays.  She talked a lot about the humor in her book and remains convinced of the importance of holding kids to high standards.

John Hunter (subject of the forthcoming movie World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements) This is a movie that will be shown on PBS in May - and we should all watch it. He's a humble gentle 35 year veteran teacher who has literally invented a superbly complex game for helping kids understand world politics.  He got by far the longest standing O of the conference - minutes longer than Bill Gates!

John Medina (Brain Rules) Many of you know the book.  An amazingly gifted presenter on the latest brain research and what we know about parenting.

Dan Savage (Savage Love and the It Gets Better project), a Seattle humorist, columnist and gay rights activist who's youtube channel has gone viral in helping GLBT teens feel heard and supported.  A sensationally inspiring presenter.

I also attended seminars to help me learn about successful strategies for asking for gifts for my school and for hiring well.

In between, it was wonderful to network with heads of schools and other independent school people from Colorado and across the country, to visit with Jim Bonney (Educators Collaborative, Friends' head of school search firm) whom I had never met in person, even though we have talked on the phone many times, and to sneak in a lovely lunch with my friend and marketing guru Monique Davis.  

All in all, apart from the incessant rain, (c'mon Seattle I was expecting better and did you really have to put your schools on a two hour delay because there was sleet in the air?!) I enjoyed a hugely busy and successful three days.  Great seafood too!

I'm grateful to everyone at Friends' School and Steph Bruno (who's also a great blogger by the way!) for keeping things running so smoothly in my absence. 

It's good to be back!

Published!

A nice inclusion in The Head's Letter.  They picked up a brief article I wrote on the solar array at Friends' School. The Head's Letter is published by Educational Directions Incorporated for the independent school world.  It includes articles by educational leaders that address major issues of school leadership that apply to all independent schools.

More Tales From the Art World - When Dreams Come True

David Choe working on his first mural at Facebook

My Tales From the Art World essay, posted last November, is rising up on the list of most viewed entries on this site. Who knows if it was the surreal nature of the stories that piqued interest of readers or the question of whether life imitates art (or is it the other way around)? 

Since then, I’ve noticed many more fascinating stories from the art world rapping on the knocker of my attention.  Foremost among them is the story of the once homeless David Choe who, with this week’s announcement of the impending initial public offering of Facebook, is set to make a tidy $200 million.  I was also fascinated to learn of an artist in Italy who’s taken the concept of building green to a whole new level.  I love this stuff.

Spray-Paint Artist on Verge of Becoming a Multi-Millionaire

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... .in the social media dark ages of 2005, a young company called Facebook was barely a year old.  Membership was only open to college and high school students, and its founders wanted to spruce up its first offices in Palo Alto.  Then-president Sean Parker hired a 28 year old Korean-American graffiti artist by the name of David Choe to jazz up the office walls with an erotic mural or two. 

When the work was finished, Parker offered Choe the option of cash or shares in the start-up.  The temptation for a young struggling artist to be paid in real money was high.  Even though he is reported at the time to have said that the very idea of a social network was “ridiculous and pointless,” Choe wisely chose the stock option.  He was listed as an ‘adviser’ to Facebook and received 0.1 to 0.25 percent of the company.  If Facebook does as well as is expected in its IPO in the spring, that share could be worth up to $200 million.

Not too shabby.

California artist David Choe

Since that initial mural was completed, Choe has had rising and falling fortunes.  He has been homeless and he also has a painting of Barack Obama that hangs in the White House.  He has been re-hired by the Facebook team to paint two sets of new offices, and his original works in the Palo Alto offices, no longer inhabited by Facebook, have been carefully removed and shipped to various Facebook offices worldwide.

Choe's pay for that original mural could be worth more money than Sotheby's raised for its record-breaking $200.7 million sale for a collection of work by artist Damien Hirst. On his blog, Choe reflects on his good fortune, or perhaps his destiny, as the rags to riches story of the century so far:

"Have you had the dream where you ARE this guy?!? And then some kind of happy accident happens, and as you're in the middle of this glorious car crash, you stop to realize, that there is actually no such thing as an accident, and no chance encounters, and that everything has a direct purpose?"

Yes, I’ve had that dream.  Have you?

Taking Built-Green to a Whole New Level

“La Cattedrale Vegetale"

In the Alpine hills of the Lombardy region of northern Italy, outside the town of Bergamo about 40 kilometers northeast of Milano, local artist Giuliano Mauri has created a stunning display of natural architecture – an entire cathedral made only out of trees.  Designing his cathedral in 2001, Mauri envisioned a unique organic building designed in such a way that the branches of the trees forming its pillars would extend and arch to become its roof and walls.

The frame of the tree cathedral of Bergamo, or as Mauri called it “La Cattedrale Vegetale" consists of 42 columns made with spruce trunks and branches of chestnuts and hazelnuts forming supporting structures around the young firs. The 42 columns constitute a basilica of five aisles. With time, they will grow stronger and the wooden structures will slowly wither away and eventually be dismantled, offering a seamless transition from a man-made structure to a completely natural creation.

 “La Cattedrale” is more than 90 feet long, nearly 80 feet wide, and ranges in height from about 16 feet to nearly 70 feet. The project makes use of 1,800 spruce trunks and 600 chestnut tree branches which are bound together by over 6,000 meters of hazelnut twigs, utilizing local traditional methods of intertwining and weaving. As the beeches grow they will form a natural roof across the Cathedral.

Mauri unexpectedly passed away in 2009, and the artist never got to see his grand plan come to life.  However as an homage to his life’s work, the project was initiated in 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity, and is well on its way to fruition.

The natural cathedral in winter - also "not too shabby"

Let That Boy Boogie-Woogie, It's In Him, And It Got To Come Out

Earlier this week, I was at Graland Country Day School in Denver to witness the treat that is Wendy Mogel. Best known for her two best-selling books on parenting young children and teenagers, Blessings of a Skinned Knee and Blessings of a B Minus, Mogel proved her worth as a presenter.  She was hilarious, poignant, thought-provoking, and wise.

Among the audience of 500+, I recognized many faces.  Friends and colleagues from around the independent schools of Denver.  A few folks from my own school in Boulder and lots of people from Stanley.  All gathered to think about our children – those we teach and those we tuck into bed at night.

As parents we could all use a little guidance every now and then. I cannot hope to convey all of Mogel’s ideas and perspectives in these few words (you’ll have to go buy the books for that!), but I am able to share a few nuggets that might get you thinking….

I’m a good parent, I think, and I believe you are too.  We love our kids and would do anything for them. And we’re all a little guilty of over-parenting, over-scheduling, and over-protecting them.  Faced with a barrage of the 24-hour news cycle, we have every reason to be fearful for our children in this crazy world, yet we need to be careful and we should examine how much our creative imagination may lead us to an eensy-weensy bit of paranoia.

Our kids need to learn to swim in the river of life – not just when the weather’s great and the water’s perfect, but when there are rocks or fast currents or ice cold water making life hard.  Our kids need the time to play, to foster their natural curiosity, to go on adventures, and sometimes they just need time to goof off. 

Mogel told one story of a father she saw in a park who prevented his young daughter from touching the snow on the ground until she had her mittens on.  She suggested that the child needed to figure out for herself about the cold, and the dad would have done better asking the child about what would happen if she held snow between her fingers, or looking at the flakes on her sleeve, or throwing it up in the air and seeing what would happen.  We can lead by example by being naturally curious ourselves and giving ourselves permission to play and to goof off.

When our kids come home from school, we ask them about their day, the good and the bad. Mogel advises that we shouldn’t always take everything our children say at face value. “Their job is to cover their butts!”  There is certainly another side to the story and it would be in our best interest not to get too caught up in the drama. Our kids will have great days at school and not so good ones.  We must be careful not to mistake the snapshot of a child’s single day with the movie that is their whole childhood.

It’s okay that our children experience disappointment.  In fact, it’s essential.  They’re hard-wired for competence and they’ll be just fine, in most circumstances.  We can guide them by asking questions like, “Have you ever experienced something like this before?  How did you handle it?  What do you think might be a good idea to try this time?”  Trust them to handle it.  The benefits are endless.

Our kids are wonderful, but they’re also ordinary.  We should let them do ordinary as well as extraordinary things.  They are like seeds that we’ve been given.  We don’t know when they’re going to bloom, or what kind of flower we’ve got, but if we feed them, water them, and love them – and pull away the really big weeds once in a while – we’ll soon enough see what kind of seed and flower we’ve been given.

In the immortal words of blues singer-songwriter John Lee Hooker:

One night I was layin' down,

I heard papa tell mama,

let that boy boogie-woogie,
it's in him,

and it got to come out.

And I felt so good,

went on boogie'n just the same

Thanks Wendy Mogel for an inspiring evening.  My kids are very grateful.

"de Beer settles in as Friends' head of school"

A big thanks to writer Michelle LeJeune and photographer Peter Wayne from Boulder County Business Report for the great article on Friends' School and my role as Head of School.

Michelle and I talked for an hour and I thought her questions were interesting and well thought out.  She had taken the time to read parts of this site, as well as Among Friends', and we had an enjoyable conversation.

Peter and I could not work out our schedules within the deadline to photograph me with students, which was my preference.  Instead, I donned the coat and tie and drove up to Boulder over winter break. This photo was taken in the school library, overlooking the playground.

The article is reprinted with permission here.

Thank You!

A Collection of Essays on Life, Teaching, Parenting and Finding the Good in this Crazy World passed a milestone today.  One of you out there was the 10,000th visitor.  Thanks for dropping by.

I posted my first essay Tradition on October 23, 2008.  In just under three years, up until August 2011, there were 5,000 visitors to this site.  Since the beginning of August, in the last five months, another 5,000 people have swung by.  

My hope and goal is that you've lingered a while, read a few words which may make you think, laugh, reflect, smile, offer a different perspective, and perhaps you've even shared with others.

Thanks for visiting.  You are appreciated.

Steve

Now Who Went And Put New Year Here?

Hello again.  First blog of 2012.  Thanks for stopping by.  It’s good to be back. Happy New Year.

New Year.  Capitalized. I find this an interesting concept here in the depths of winter.

While I am a great believer in goal setting, I am not particularly one for making New Year’s resolutions. January first is an odd choice, I believe, for us to celebrate our New Year, but here it is. The calendar tells me so. The ball in Times Square definitely dropped last Sunday night. We’re in the middle of short days and dark, cold evenings. Snow remains firmly on the Colorado ground. Nothing is growing.  January first seems to me like a political division of time that has no reference to any event, astronomical, astrological, seasonal, or geological.

Wouldn’t New Year be better off at a different time?

Say, springtime? The earth is re-born. I shake off the winter blues and turn my head to the sun. My markers are the first daffodils blooming, new buds on the maple outside my window, the first bike rides of the season. It’s the most exciting time of the year.

New beginnings, new hope, endless possibility.

Or how about the first day back to school in the fall? I’ve celebrated more than twenty of them as an educator. A freshly painted classroom, empty walls, blank writing notebooks, fresh faces, new clothes, green grass on the playground. A year of discovery ahead. I turn to my eager young charges and feel the privilege of embarking on this journey alongside them.

New beginnings, new hope, endless possibility.

Yet, there is still something intriguing when the calendar flips over to a new number.  Here we are. 2012. An Olympic year in the country of my birth.  A year in which the Queen gets to celebrate a full sixty years on the throne (which makes me think that’s a seriously long time to be sitting on one chair anywhere, no matter how impressive the chair.) A presidential election year in the country that I call home.  A leap year around the world.

And, if you’re a parent or a teacher (and most of my friends are one or the other – or both), big things are about to happen.  This I know from experience.  Every January, children and teachers return to school refreshed and ready.  Amazing learning happens in these next few weeks.  Kids hit the ground running and grow in leaps and bounds.  Some of them might even learn to fly.

New beginnings, new hope, endless possibility. Just you watch. 

Happy New Year!

Corrections, Bagels and the Future of Amerika

An early morning stop at a bagel shop near my work brought such delight recently.  And not just for the good grains bagel, toasted with cream cheese.

For I have been known to be curmudgeonly, particularly around poor grammar, and these corrections pleased me no end.  This note, pictured here, had been taped onto the cash register at the bagel store. Someone in management clearly lacked either a good education or at least a good editor – two essentials in life as far as I’m concerned – and I was happy to see these correction marks.  My hope is that a customer, perhaps curmudgeonly like myself, someone waiting to pay, had whipped out a pen and set management straight.

I have been known to get irked, driving through town, when seeing signs at Kwik Kopy Printing and the Dun Rite Construction Company.  In college, I once went door to door in a misguided attempt to make money for both myself and Kleeneze Cleaning Supplies.  There’s a Kwik Kar Lube not far from my house that I boycott on principal.

Noble yet erroneous attempts to spell necessary or definitely can be forgiven.  I am not a fan of lite beer or saying good nite.  When texting first came on the scene a few years ago, I knew I would eventually succumb.  I swore I would take no shortcuts.  Alas, I kid u not, I have to admit I have. 

Yet a curmudgeon I do not want to be.  I prefer to be amused.  So, to bring a smile to your day, I offer the following photos of protestors, deeply concerned about the future of America.  

We should all begin to worry, deeply.

Tales from the Art World: Decadence, Oscar Wilde, and Wal-Mart

The old adage asserts that life imitates art.  Three separate stories from the art world crept onto my radar this week, all of which highlighted the tremendous irony in that axiom. Does art imitate life – do artists attempt to re-create whatever they perceive in their conscious or unconscious worlds – or does life imitate art?

The great wit Oscar Wilde wrote that the concept of life imitating art “results not merely from Life's imitative instinct, but from the fact that the self-conscious aim of Life is to find expression, and that Art offers it certain beautiful forms through which it may realize that energy.”

Let’s explore.

Story #1:  $1,000,000 Artwork Damaged by Cleaner

An art installation, housed in Dortmund, Germany’s Ostwall Museum, valued at over a million dollars, was damaged by an overzealous cleaner who scrubbed away at a deliberate patina.  Artist Martin Kippenberger's “When It Starts Dripping From the Ceiling” remains on display in the museum, where the damage occurred.  The patina was meant to look like a puddle beneath a rubber trough placed under a stacked tower of wooden slats.  The private collector who owns the installation has agreed that it remain on display despite the incident.  The cleaner, who had been instructed to steer clear of the piece by at least 8 inches, must have thought she knew better. I can imagine her thinking “Mein Gott, I know dirt ven I see it, and it must be obliterated.”

Needless to say, the work no longer resembles its title’s claim.  I have to wonder who would value a puddle of patina and accompanying erection of rubber and sticks at over a million U.S. dollars and what is it worth now without the all-important pool of goop?

Story #2: France Bans British Owned Painting from Leaving the Country 

French master Nicolas Tournier painted his “The Carrying of the Cross” in 1632.  It once hung in a chapel in Toulouse in the south of France, but it went missing during the French Revolution. Its location, even its very existence, remained unknown for almost 200 years - until two years ago when it showed up in Florence, Italy during the sale of an estate of an art collector.  It was bought for 400,000 euros by the Weiss Gallery of London.  The Gallery brought the painting to Paris in a goodwill gesture, to an art show for old Masters. But the French Culture Ministry is demanding the return of this long-lost work of art and is refusing to let it out of France. "This was the property of the French state that was deposited at the Augustins Museum in Toulouse and was stolen in 1818. It is a non-transferable work," the ministry said in a statement.  They added, "We are claiming this painting as the property of the state and it will not leave the country,"

It brings up reminders of not only the ongoing squabbles about the Elgin Marbles of the Acropolis, but centuries of animosity between the English and the French.  For me it raises questions. Did the French government have a perfectly good opportunity to buy the painting fair and square at auction, and could they afford it? Do they have jurisdiction over a legal sale outside of France (the painting was actually bought by the English from an Italian at an art auction in the Netherlands)? Why are the French perpetually petty around issues of culture?  Didn’t they leap into the economic and monetary union of the EU with both feet?  Shall we examine how that is working out?

Let it be.

Story #3:  Wal-Mart Heiress Brings Art Museum to the Ozarks

            Yes, Bentonville, Arkansas to be exact, the birthplace of the giant discount store chain.  In what critics are calling the biggest event in decades on the American art scene, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opened this week to great acclaim. The art world is in no doubt that Crystal Bridges houses one of the most important and impressive collections in the country.

While some are calling it the Wal-Mart museum, very little of the company’s money has been given directly to the museum.  Alice Walton, the daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, has donated $1.2 billion, yes billion, to endow the project.  In comparison the Wal-Mart Foundation, the philanthropic branch of the mighty empire, has given a trifling $20 million to ensure free admission for all.  So if you go, your ticket is in effect being picked up by the profits at your local Wal-Mart store.

Of course, Miss Alice’s massive fortune has been created solely by her stock in and relationship with the retail company.  One way or another, it’s Wal-Mart money. There is irony indeed in the notion that one of the finest collections of American art has been built by the glorification of cheap Chinese goods and at the expense of the mom-and-pop storekeepers of small-town America.

Far from art imitating life, Wilde holds that art sets the aesthetic principles by which people perceive life. What is found in life and nature is not what is really there, but is that which artists have taught people to find there, through art.

Old Oscar also wrote: “America is the only country in the world that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.” While the ancient civilizations of Europe continue to struggle under their massive debt crisis, while the puritanical Germans continue to clean fastidiously, and the cantankerous French continue to quarrel endlessly, the Americans of Wal-Mart continue to prove Mr. Wilde right.  Barbarism right to decadence.