I recently attended an event which featured David Lawrence of Miami, FL. Mr. Lawrence is the visionary and guiding force behind the successful Children’s Movement of Florida working toward ensuring that children are at the heart of all policy and budget decisions in their state. During his presentation he described how he evolved from a highly successful career in newspaper publishing to, as he described, a late in life epiphany about how vital it is to society that we care for our youngest. The purpose of the Movement is “to educate political, business and civic leaders -- and all parents of the state -- about the urgent need to substantially improve the way we care for our children.” His is a compellingly simple, clear, emotional invitation to put children first. I was taken back in time to more than 30 years ago when I had accepted my first principalship and was eagerly preparing for my new role. Full of enthusiasm unfettered by the rigors of politics or policy, I recall the most powerful advice I was given at the time: “Ed, no matter what, always keep the kids first.” It seemed too basic, too broad, too bumper stickery at the time, especially on a scale of dreams of making a huge difference. I eventually discovered, however, that making a huge difference really did mean always keeping the kids first. That veteran administrator so many years ago and David Lawrence last week both had the right idea.

Last week the Stern Center hosted the 9th Annual Charles M. Poser, M.D. Lecture bringing together educators, medical professionals, and parents to learn more about learning and the brain. Dr. Poser, a former chief of Neurology at the University of Vermont, valued and promoted collaborations between educators and the medical profession. This year’s lecture was the first since his death last November, and the private dinner the evening prior was a poignant but lively opportunity for dear friends, colleagues, and family to share the power of their mutual affection and respect. As a member of the Stern Center’s leadership team, I am honored to be part of this annual reunion, but as such I have come far too late to the party to fully grasp what Dr. Poser created among his wide ranging assembly of colleagues/friends. I am able, however, to feel the palpable power of his intellect, appreciate the impressive range of his social interests and talents, and envy the personal passion of the many and enduring friendships he nurtured. The Poser Lecture brings new learning to all those attending, provokes new thinking, and instills an increased sense of hope for the work shared by medical professionals, educators, and parents. The Poser Dinner allows a window into an intimate community drawn together by Dr. Poser and now sustained by the private memories of how he touched their lives.

Opening Day of trout season in Vermont is as fickle as any other notion of spring in our glorious state. Eliot was correct; April is indeed the cruelest month! On this year’s opening Saturday, after nearly 15 years of hiatus from the vagaries of the day, I was with three friends dragging two canoes across knee deep snow down a logging road to a pond. Dragging in was at least down hill; for the way out we chose to drag across level, snow-covered swampland portaging by sections of the outlet brook. Drag, sink to above boots, drag, drag, drag, sink. And so it went. Bookends to our day, a day which yielded only two fish to one guy. Nice brookies, but still; we all worked pretty hard!

Even so, at the end of the day, cold, a bit wet, no fish for supper, and snow in my boots, I realized I’d had fun. Lots of laughs. Exercising the muscle memory of tying tackle, casting line, packing the canoe. The familiarity of rituals and friendships. Opening Day means all that, even with the snow. Next time out there’ll be less snow and more fish, but the same friends.

One month. Thirty-one days. Mom died March 5. Since then, Dad has given me her art supplies, paints, brushes, knives, and palettes. Since then, I’ve completed one new painting using some of her things. Since then, I’ve collected a number of her books and read one. Since then, a few times I’ve forgotten that she has died, especially while working at my easel, thinking I need her feedback before moving on with the piece. Since then, Dad and I have met for dinner and chess each week; although “dinner” is a bit fancy for what is most typically burgers and fries at Als. Since then, I’ve read and re-read the cards from friends and colleagues. Since then, I still get to work each day at 7:30, attend meetings, complete projects, joke with team members. Since then, I realize I left too much unsaid and undone and have resolved not to let that continue. Since then, I’m more tired but at the same time calmer. Since then, the snow has melted, the robins have returned, and the crocuses have bloomed. One month.

Plungers and perspective. Late yesterday I was approached by a group of four 11 year olds and their Social Understanding coach. The guys are members of the Stern Center’s Social Understanding and Communication program (the second largest such program in the nation) and participate in weekly small group activities designed to help develop, among other things, greater capacity for “perspective taking.” Perspective taking is an essential social tool that not everyone acquires without explicit, contextual instruction, modeling, and coaching.

In any case, these guys came to report that one side of the double sink in their group area was plugged, standing water, food particles, and so forth. Lacking a facilities person, and with my years of experience as a school principal, I not only know how to use a plunger but I know where we keep one for emergencies like this. Thus armed, I attacked the problem to the delight of the group members whom their coach was trying to keep focused and engaged with their intended activity, not four feet from my slurping, slopping efforts. Sound effects aside, there is not much more entertaining to a group of 11 year old boys than to watch a grown man all dressed up in shirt and tie, wield a plunger only to have one massive geyser erupt from the adjacent sink directly into his face.

Of course they laughed. Their coach was hysterical. Even I was laughing as I spun away a millisecond too late and shook my face like a golden retriever. The kids were beside themselves. Even in the midst of this impromptu entertainment, the coach kept enough of their attention to turn this into a teachable moment about perspective taking. “We’re all laughing right now. Something disgusting happened to Sink Boss Ed, but we’re laughing. How do we know it’s OK to laugh? How would we know if it isn’t OK to laugh?” They all got the point that since I was laughing as quickly and as much as they, it was OK to laugh with me, but if I’d been angry or crying, they should not laugh. One never knows when real life offers plungers and perspective, but we should be ready just in case!

Last week I had two encounters with success and celebration neither of which I’d anticipated, and sometimes, that’s the best kind. First we’d invited students to design a Valentine card which our marketing team would adapt as this year’s greeting from the Stern Center president. She loves such holidays, and has a long established tradition of personalizing them. In any case, a young man responded with a design that captured everyone’s heart as it were. When he and his parents learned that his design would be our official 2011 Valentine’s card, they were delighted. He was simply joyful that he’d “won” something. His parents felt something much deeper, a joy derived from their son’s success in the sort of venture that had escaped him in his first 14 years of struggling through life’s too frequent and too daunting challenges. We made several copies for them to use as their Valentines to family and dear friends.

Two days later, I was at our State House on Stern Center business when from across the Chamber, I thought I recognized two former colleagues from many, many years ago. As it turns out they were there as principal and curriculum coordinator for an elementary school being recognized for achieving the best scores in the state’s recent state/regional school assessments. The little school, nestled in one of Vermont’s picturesque villages experiences many challenges one readily associates with such contexts: limited financial resources, high levels of ‘free and reduced lunch” families, limited social and community services… Despite those challenges, the people of this school found success at such a level that they were being recognized not only in their own cafe-nasi-torium, but also by the state media, and this particular day by the state legislators full of “whereas-es” and “let it be knowns.” Both of my former colleagues (and probably a few more of their current ones) have been connected to that same school for at least 15 years, building relationships, developing programs, managing resources all the time focused on what’s best for the kids.

It works that way sometimes. You create a cherished Valentine. Your test scores are the best this year. In both cases, you smile, laugh, and maybe even cry just a little as you celebrate success!

OK, so the Stern Center has developed a research-based and research-proven program for early childhood providers/educators and parents that we know dramatically improves children’s readiness to read. Not only do all preschoolers coming from this program perform better, but more importantly those children in the lowest 20%, those at-risk for reading failure, rise above the at-risk level! This program, BUILDING BLOCKS FOR LITERACY® http://buildingblocksforliteracy.org really works!

BUILDING BLOCKS FOR LITERACY® works! It’s FREE and online. It’s play-based, developmentally appropriate approach is available to everyone working with pre-schoolers. In five sections of brief, engaging lessons care providers and parents can learn what to do and why to do it. Participants enter the program, stay as long or as briefly as they wish, return whenever they want, take as long as needed to complete the program, and all the while try out the best practices with their children. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR LITERACY® provides an online community where users can share their experiences, hold conversations, and post video examples for feedback and dialogue.

If you are an early childhood provider/educator, or a parent, guardian, or grandparent of pre-school children you should check out http://buildingblocksforliteracy.org
If you’re a local, state or other public policy maker, you too should check it out. This program better prepares children to be successful readers. Better readers means better learners. Better learners means less cost for special and remedial education.

More successful readers. Reduced costs to school systems. Everybody wins! http://buildingblocksforliteracy.org Check it out!


(We also offer fee-based BUILDING BLOCKS FOR LITERACY certification for CEU’s towards re/licensing etc. as well as a 3-credit undergraduate course for those wishing to go further with these studies.)