Are you thinking about the economy? We are.

 

The economy and tomorrow’s election are the two hottest topics nationally, as well as here on Mount Ida. As I indicated in my letter to you, which you received this morning via e-mail (please see http://www.emmawillard.org/about/head_of_school/messages/challenges.html), we are confident that we will weather this financial storm, as we have weathered many challenging times in the past two centuries–to include the closing of the tunnels! Nonetheless, it would be imprudent not to consider ways in which we can best steward our resources. Heavy on my mind is finding creative ways to reduce budgetary strain. If you have suggestions – even unconventional ideas – I invite you to share them with me. Likewise, any thoughts regarding my letter to you are more than welcome. Your wise counsel is greatly appreciated.  Emma Willard School has thrived because our community is comprised of smart, savvy, engaged, and committed people. In times such as these, those attributes will make a grand difference in the ways in which we imagine our future.

How is educating girls in the 21st century different?

I was asked to participate in a plenary session at an upcoming Women’s Studies Conference entitled “Girls’ Culture and Girls’ Studies: Surviving, Reviving Celebrating Girlhood.” Interestingly, the notion of girls’ studies is “in vogue.” The conference includes such broad topics as empowerment, girls’ rights, girls’ play, leadershp, media, sexuality,girls of color, global perspectives, and popular culture. While it is hard to imagine how we will address all these topics in a mere two days, it is far more fascinating to contemplate why there is such interest in girls’ studies at this moment in time.

For my session, I will be partnered with a colleague who is the principal of the Brighter Choice Charter School for Girls in Albany. Her world is not my world to be certain. Still, as we prepared for our session, I marveled that we shared essentially the same message: girls’ education is the story of girls in relationship. The third member of the panel is a co-head of a new girls school in Toronto, one that promotes feminist thinking. She brings an international perspective to the question we were asked to discuss: How is educating girls in the 21st century different?

I gathered some Emma faculty on campus last week to collect some perspectives, but would welcome any and all insights from those who stumble across this blog before October 18th. Is educating girls the same everywhere? How can we make single sex education relevant? What does it mean to educate girls in a global age? Big questions to be sure, but made more interesting when others weigh in. So please do.

This is not the Troy you remember!

On Friday, October 3, I had the privilege of attending the opening festivities for RPI’s new EMPAC (Experimental Media Performing Arts Center). Wow. Stunning. Fabulous. Extraordinary. Phenomenal. Those words do not come close to capturing either the essence of the facility or the quality of the performance now possible because of the acoustics within it. Thanks to the vision of Shirley Jackson, the commitment of her board, and the talent of the team she gathered to create this facility,Troy is going to become a destination. Mark my words. (To learn more about EMPAC and see recent media coverage, click here: http://empac.rpi.edu/) 

The future is looking pretty darn good

Women, Power, and Possibility

I am sleeping much better since Saturday. I had the privilege of witnessing “woman power” in action. Seven amazing, energetic, visionary women led the Emma Willard community in a discussion of women, power and possibility as they inspired us with their can-do approach to social change. The lyrics of the 1972 Helen Reddy song came to mind as I listened to these articulate women explain precisely how they plan to make this world better and what they have done to make their vision real to date: “I am strong; I am invincible….I am woman.” With 800 present to hear the way in which these women had confronted challenge and come away victorious, the room was filled with vibrant possibility. Even better, the room was filled with hope.

In recent weeks as I watch the headlines and note with concern that politics and the media are framing the news in less than helpful ways, I am looking for evidence that we can turn the world in a new direction. I found that evidence in ample amounts on Mount Ida on Saturday morning. Now, the question: how can we as women leverage the power we felt in that moment? If you were in the room with us, lucky you. You know precisely what I am talking about. If you couldn’t join us, watch for a link to the discussion, it will make you sleep better, too.

Most important to me, as I talked with students throughout the rest of the weekend, they, too, were enthralled. They could see a way to be in the years ahead that was not only exciting, but necessary. There are so many reasons why I love the work I do. Experiencing the natural high of smart women collaborating to create constructive responses to complicated, entrenched social problems has to be right at the top of that list. 

To those of you who were part of the weekend, I would love to hear your thoughts and reactions as we are already planning our next Women, Power and ? event. What would you like to see us tackle?

How can you tell an Emma girl from all the rest?

A parent of a recent Emma alum sent this anecdote along to Kent Jones, our college counselor. He passed it along, and it was so good I had to share it. Apparently, during this young Emma alum’s first class of History of Medieval Thought at Barnard, the professor asked who had read the first book of Dante’s Divine Comedy, the Inferno?  The only hands raised were the hand of the alum and that of another girl.  The professor asked who had read the second book, the Purgatorio?  Only two students, the same two girls.  The professor asked who had read the third book, the Paradiso?  Same two girls — who, it turns out, are BOTH Emma graduates!  Great small world story. Reminds me of all that we do well at Emma Willard.

A Happening

It was packed. Standing room only. Greg Mortensen was giving a lecture at University of San Francisco; I was in town and Keenan Kelsey, an Emma alumna, had reached out to say, “will you come along?” Our faculty had been asked to read Three Cups of Tea for summer reading, and we have been trying without much success to get this much-too-busy man to spend some time on Mount Ida.

If you haven’t heard him yourself and have an opportunity to do so, I urge you to grab it. It was less a speech, and more a conversation with a well-travelled, passionate, most unusual individual. He is a man on a mission for good, and it is inspiring to see such an individual in action. It was obvious the audience agreed with my perception.

Why is the title of his first chapter Failure? Because there is no such thing as success without failure. Interesting to think about in light of the way we educate our children today. “Promoting peace  fosters hope while fighting terrorism fosters fear. ” Interesting to think about in light of the language we have permitted ourselves to use about war. And my favorite: “if you educate a girl, you educate a community.” His work has enabled him to see first hand that educating girls should become one of our top global priorities. He went on to say with conviction, “if we don’t educate girls, nothing will change.”

Greg Mortensen is my new hero. And it was clear from the warm feeling in the auditorium in San Francisco that many have already joined his fan club and share his vision. While I can’t spend half the year hiking the rocky mountains of Pakistan, I can do all that I am able to make the case for educating girls everywhere. It truly is the most effective way I know to change the way the world is turning. Check out www.girleffect.org for some compelling reasons why.

Friends of a Different Sort

Edith Hammond

Many of you have fond memories of the two old trees at the far end of the athletic fields, the ones that stand guard over the hilltop. Over the summer it became obvious to tree care specialists that there were significant structural issues with these trees. Being very intentional about such big decisions, we decided to call an arborist. One of our instructors knew just the fellow, an arborist certified by the International Society for Arborculture. The short, sad story is that the larger of the two trees must come down and must come down immediately. There are structural cracks which make it unsafe. Very unsafe.  

 

As I knew this news would distress many of you who have come to see these trees as members of the EW extended family, I decided to wait to take the trees down until I could let the campus community know. I did not want them to be surprised—or horrified—when the tree experts came to dismantle it.

 

I know that many others cannot possibly get back to campus, but might like a chance to say good-bye. So, I have posted a photo, taken by Edith Hammond ‘09. Remember the sunrises coming up over that knoll?

 

Photographers: I would be appreciative of any images you have captured or may capture in the next day or so. These fine fellows have seen many an exciting athletic competition, enjoyed many extraordinary sunrise, and have heard thousands of special secrets from the members of the EW community throughout the years. They deserve a place in our photo album!

 

Sharing my mail

I have often told folks that my mail box–email and snail mail–is continually filled with surprises that remind me of the unusual nature of my job as Head of School. As I am just getting started with this blogging business, it made sense to me to share some of more unique pieces of mail I receive for two reasons: 1) it is the only way to demonstrate the range of issues that cross the desk weekly, and 2) some of the ideas that get sent my way demand to be shared more widely.

A letter from Leigh Dean, an alum from the Class of 55 falls into the latter category. An excerpt follows. Would love to hear what ideas and reactions it prompts:

“As I went through my most modest baubles-n-bangles, there where it had rested for 50+ years was my EW class of ‘55 ring. And I got to pondering: What has happened to all those class rings of 50, 60, 70, 80, 100 years? Do alumnae wear them to their grave? Do the rings get passed along to daughters, grand-daughters, great-grand-daughters? Do they get sold, along with other items for their gold content? Or do most of our class rings end up in estate sales, dispersed like dandelion seeds throughout the world? This question of what becomes of our EW class rings led to thoughts of our growing need in our own lives and in the life of this planet for a Less-is-More policy. Recycling is one way to address the growing glut of stuff, and what better way to recycle an EW class ring but back to its source.”

The letter goes on to suggest that all returned rings could be called “legacy” rings. Each ring would come with a short bio from the original wearer. This creative alumna included her ring and a spirited bio of her days at Emma. Her thought was that such rings would be handed down, a “worthy reminder to today’s girls of the girls that went before them.” What say you to such an idea? Perhaps you have another more compelling idea? Perhaps you have a story about an EW that deserves to be told.

Emma Willard women are ever so proud of their unique ring. True? If so, why? If not, what is the future of this tradition, or, in your opinion, what should it be?

I know our current students would be interested in your thoughts. Their head of school would be as well.

A Partial Inventory of International Offerings

 

Thank you, Katharine and Leslie, for your thoughtful comments. It might help you to know that we have current endowed funds designated to support initiatives that give students broad exposure to issues that affect and concern women around the world. We also have a student opportunity fund that, among other things, supports student spring break travel with faculty members. Recent trips have been to Austria, Mexico, and Italy.  Some of these will be repeated next year; in addition, trips to England and Ethiopia are being planned. The Easterling Endowed Travel Fund supports faculty travel, as does a small fund given in memory of Solange Dispas. We have also recently established a relationship with Christel House International.  I visited their school in South Africa in November, and Trudy Hanmer taught English for a few weeks this summer at their school in Bangalore, India. We are hopeful of starting a teacher exchange with the five schools in this network. We would be thrilled if donors wanted to enhance these programs or create new travel opportunities.

 

In addition to the language classes we offer, students, faculty, and staff are able to access Rosetta Stone online language instruction in a wide variety of languages, and our practicum program affords ample opportunity for students to pursue instruction in languages that may not be offered as part of the curriculum. As you have learned from Julile Fontana, several of our international students use practicum to offer instruction in their native languages to fellow students. They are very hard task masters!

 

Students seeking an international exchange can travel abroad for one or both semesters junior or senior year and have great flexibility in choosing the program and countries in which they would like to study. Depending on the type of program they choose, their tuition dollars may follow them. In other cases, there are limited funds available through an application process. We also have both a student and a teacher exchange with the Red Maids School in England, and of course, we still send girls to the U.K. as part of the English-Speaking Union Exchange.

 

I hope this information is helpful. Thank you again for taking time to write.

 

Bringing the World to Mount Ida

If you read my “Headlines” in the summer bulletin (click here to read the full text http://www.emmawillard.org/about/head_of_school/messages/summer08.php), you know that I am thinking about some big ideas. Emma Willard’s landscape has changed over the years. For many years, we claimed diversity because our students came from as far as California and we boasted an international population you could count on one hand. Today, we have girls from 22 states, China, the European Union, Viet Nam, Bolivia, Croatia, and many places in between. As we venture forth to educate girls from all over the world, how do our responsibilities change and what does an education that embraces the world look like?

 

I ask you to consider how we can best ensure that our students develop a deeper understanding of other ways of life and other viewpoints. What is the right balance between classroom and experiential learning? What should a “global curriculum” look like? How can we better engage and utilize our alumnae around the world? 

 

I look forward to your comments. Rest assured if I do not reply to each one, I am reading them with great interest. This is our chance to connect on this issue, but equally important to me is watching you exchange ideas with each other. I am eager to see what unfolds. Thank you for your thoughts. TEH