A few years ago, one of our departing teachers–the legendary Vincent, who taught 1st Grade, for those who knew him–made a few touching comments during his exit interview that have stayed with me since (classic, selfless Vincent–turning a moment that should have been about him into a conversation about others!) Among other things, he told me that I was at my most discerning when I managed to see things from a child’s perspective.
It’s, on the one hand, a lovely compliment and, on the other, a difficult challenge to rise to, especially on a daily basis when I find myself buried under paperwork, logistics, budgets, and regular, run-of-the-mill adulting. Vincent’s words are a wake-up call whenever I realize that I’m spending too much time in my office or that I’m taking myself too seriously. Look at things from a child’s perspective, for goodness sake!
It’s a mantra I used recently to focus my attention during a meeting with Ben, Dara, Katie, Sophie, and Stéphanie about welcoming new students. What does it mean for a child to join The École? What do they notice that we no longer see? What do they feel that we can’t detect? What do they need? What would they like more of? The Friendly Falcon project that started this year is an important response to these questions, and we believe it has the potential to grow in the coming years.
Despite the incredible attentiveness of our staff and the warm welcome extended by our students, starting in a new school–even one as special as The École–can be tough on a child for multiple reasons. They miss their old friends, they struggle with French or English, or quite simply, life is just different from before. The arrival of fall, after an often euphoric start to the school year, sometimes spells the start of a tricky adjustment period for new students.
Of course, we anticipate it every year and are vigilant and ready to support any child going through a rough patch. Admittedly, we don’t always fully comprehend exactly what’s happening, and it could be tempting to attribute difficulties to inevitable phases that we cannot control. It is precisely at moments like these that we need the almost magical ability to see things from a child’s perspective—to understand what The École looks like from their vantage point and strive to find solutions.
The other day, aware this can be a tricky time of year for our new arrivals, I asked the father of Arthur (3rd Grade) and Stanislas (K), who recently arrived from France, if the boys were happy at school and if they were settling in well. I was happy to hear that things are going just fine, even if English days are, understandably, a little difficult. Stanislas summed up what he is experiencing perfectly, “Mon corps ne comprend pas que je suis à New York, il parle la mauvaise langue”. (“My body doesn’t understand that I am in New York–it’s speaking the wrong language.”)
I hadn’t heard anything quite so beautiful in a long time, and it was a reminder that Vincent was right: we are at our most discerning when we look at things from a child’s perspective. By listening to them carefully, we will find the best responses.