“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe” – John Muir

 “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken” – Oscar Wilde

Dear 5th Grade Families,

One of the core tenets of this school is the quest to create a culture of curiosity, one of inquiry. Like learning in general, there is no pinnacle to learning through inquiry. Through regular practice math skills can be mastered, but the deeper questions about life, about oneself and our relationship to others and to the world belong to the pathless road that is inquiry and curiosity. As the 5th grade teacher here at Oak Grove School, I strive to meet the kids with curiosity, love, and patience each day. Co-cultivating an understanding of social and emotional well-being and the wholeness of the students is my first priority. We know that kids cannot tend to their learning when they find themselves in a dysregulated state or when they lack a felt sense of belonging.

This year’s theme at Oak Grove is to be a light unto oneself. This is, of course, an extension of last year’s theme, total responsibility. Each of the themes pulled from Krishnamurti’s teachings is closely related because each of them is inseparably linked to the perennial questions of life. During our year together, we will explore topics of self, how we relate to ourselves and others, how our pre-set ideas of the other influence and often stymie possible connection and any deeper understanding. In our Sexual Health and Wellness curriculum, we discuss changing bodies and minds, the influence of media, the ways we consume cultural messaging, and we keep an empathetic eye on the often mercurial nature of peer relationships as puberty and adolescence unfold. 

Like many teachers and schools throughout the world, I am a teacher who believes and teaches a growth mindset. In 5th grade, we embrace the power of “yet.” For instance, “I don’t know how decimals work…yet.” We know it’s not exactly that practice makes perfect, but that practice makes permanent. Effort, bravery, resiliency, and the courage to try again and again matter. This is as much true in academics as it is in relationships. In this classroom, I ask that the kids show up to try and to try hard, and when we inevitably fail in this or that, we take time to explore the profound learning taking place. And when we inevitably succeed in this or that, we reflect there as well. This habit of trying, of re-visiting and reflecting, offers itself to the building of new and intentional neural pathways, that is, the super highways in our minds that inform our behaviors. 

5th grade is quite a time in one’s life. The kids have one foot in early childhood and one foot moving into late childhood, puberty, and adolescence. This is their final year of elementary school. The kids may sense the end of their early childhood. Many researchers refer to this time in a child’s life as the age of sorrow. We provide space to process this. Simultaneously, it is also a time of possibility, growing skills, and the ability to take on more complex multi-step tasks. Developmentally, they begin to focus more on what other kids are doing and wonder if they are normal. They are, of course, perfectly normal. Generally speaking, this is a time when our kids become less focused on their parents and more focused on their peers. This shifting focus deepens in intensity as they move through middle school. Helping them foster healthy relationships and providing them with the tools to communicate their needs, questions, and concerns is paramount. As parents and teachers, I believe a primary goal of ours is to position ourselves as askable adults. We want our kids and students to come to us with their questions. Armed with accurate and sound information, we can support them in making well-informed and safe decisions. 

Whether we are investigating the Great Depression from various vantages or responding to live conflict taking place here on the playground, 5th grade holds space for reflection and capacity-building, so that we grow our muscles of empathy and understanding. Peaceful and empathetic communication is needed in this world and is possible when we are a light unto ourselves. We explore these themes through Council and guided inquiry, as well as through our curriculum. We will spend time in the garden this year learning how energy moves through ecosystems, and we will calculate how much carbon is being stored in the oak trees here on campus, all while holding room for one another to develop and grow as people. 

In learning and gratitude,

Sage