What’s Happening at Bement
Late winter and early spring in Deerfield is sugaring season, and last week I tagged along as Bement’s kindergarten classes visited our neighborhood sugaring operation, the Williams Farm Sugar Shack. The Williams family has been sugaring in Deerfield and Sunderland for 160 years, annually drawing thousands of gallons of sap from a vast network of sugar maples all around Deerfield and painstakingly boiling it down to make syrup, maple cream, and maple candy. The kindergarteners and I visited with Doug, one of the Williams’ farm’s long-serving sugarers, who showed us how the sap is pumped from trucks into the farm’s holding tanks and explained how it transforms from its natural state into the sugary, viscous syrup we all so enjoy. After the tour and science lesson, Bement’s youngest learners also had a special treat waiting for them: sugar on snow!
What I’m Reading, and/or Watching, and/or Listening To
Early on during the first week back from spring break, I wandered over to the playground during one of Bement’s lower school recesses. A gaggle of students greeted me as I approached “the Playhouse,” and they invited me onto the porch to visit their “salad store.” This group of 3rd through 5th graders was busily operating a mock cafe, where for the low price of a few sticks that I hastily gathered, I was able to purchase a “salad.” Students took my order, assayed the value of my offering of payment, and promised that in a few minutes my salad would be ready.
Sure enough, when I swung back to the impromptu cafe on my way back toward my office, I was offered a salad of brush & twigs and thanked profusely for my patronage. It struck me as fascinating that these students, immediately after eating lunch together, were pantomiming some of the same features of their dining experience at Bement (even down to serving my salad through one of the Playhouse’s windows). This brief brush with authentic imaginative play at Bement reminded me of an article I read recently about childhood culture and the importance of unregulated mixed-age play.
I’ve referred in the past to posts from Dr. Gray’s substack, “Play Makes Us Human,” and like many opinion pieces, there are elements of his argument that I don't completely ascribe to. But, when it comes to his advocacy for mixed-age play and his belief that adults and schools should be working to preserve the culture of childhood rather than restrict or regulate it, Dr. Gray is speaking Bement’s language. He also offers an interesting perspective on the internet and social media, suggesting that the less-regulated spaces that young people occupy in the digital world may actually be providing them with much needed ungoverned time together that is becoming increasingly scarce in the modern world. Again a hot and debatable topic given some other conversations happening in parentland these days (more on that after I finish watching “Adolescence”), but, if nothing else, some really interesting food for thought.
What Else Is on My Mind
I have heard from a number of current parents about some of my reading & viewing selections since starting to share blog posts regularly earlier this academic year. All the interest in my “content diet” has me thinking – let’s start a book club! This coming summer of 2025, I will offer two book clubs for current parents & families. One focused on a book relating to education or child development, and one focused on a compelling piece of fiction. Look for more details in the Look Ahead, but in the meantime, please send me any suggestions for books in either category that you think would make for a good shared reading experience and stimulating conversation!
Poetry Corner
The advent of Spring Term at Bement means it is time for Friday Dress to return. Last year, a mystery poet sent me a poem to read about the “return of the khaki pants.” Sure enough, when I returned from spring break this year, another ode to khakis and blazers was awaiting me, this time signed by the “Poetry Pirate.” I share it here in its entirety to help celebrate our nattily dressed students, faculty, and staff and usher in the Spring Term.
Return of the Khaki Pants, Part 2
Here we are again,
spring born anew,
Back with white shirts,
khaki pants, blazers blue,
For many not worn,
since mid-December,
You were here in this room,
do you remember?
You sang, you danced,
you told Grace’s story,
The Acorns cast,
in all your glory.
Row row, Country Roads,
Little Light of Mine,
Bunny Hop, waltzing,
and so many lines.
But since then,
a whole season - passed,
Long while it lasted,
But, like skiing, so fast,
It’s a good time to reflect,
on how far you’ve come,
What you’ve accomplished,
and what’s yet to be done.
Some have learned,
to read, spell, and write,
Recognizing some new words,
purely by sight,
Some tackled complex,
mathematical equations,
And we all worked on ways,
to help interrelations.
History, languages,
science brought alive too,
With field trips, experiments,
and books picked for you,
And now, five days,
into this new term,
We start the final stretch,
with lots still to learn,
Whole units to cover,
texts to read,
Projects to start,
plants to seed.
So be you of Keith House,
Drake Building, or Kittredge home base,
Be mindful, calm, and present,
and stick with the pace.
Go from here with glee,
and take on the spring,
Be it biography, trebuchet,
or butterfly wing.
Play with passion, with humor,
Belt out that song,
with heart and with mind,
Let’s finish it strong.
But one last thing,
I think you should know,
I think we only have,
10 more Friday dress days to go!!!