The Skipping Factor
Ray Levi, Head of School
We all know the rule—“Don’t run in the hall.” Well, actually, from a child’s perspective, that rule is interpreted as “Don’t run in the hall—when an adult is looking.” Now certainly, I know of the potential dangers of crashing into others when running indoors. Yet I have found myself captivated watching so many of our students skipping as they go to get a drink of water or move to their Hebrew class. It’s not simply the energy. Wouldn’t it be great if we actually had the energy to skip from place to place whenever we walked down the hall to a meeting or out to the car on the way to run an errand? It’s also the enthusiasm about life: the child-like quality of being open to what lies ahead and of wanting to get there. So, rather than seeing skipping as a sign of disrespect for school rules, I see it as a positive outcome, a mark of the climate we’re creating for children at HMJDS.
Skipping, of course, isn’t always seen literally, though a favorite part of my greeting responsibilities includes watching children dash toward our doors, their minds already focused on what lies ahead. The skipping factor can be observed in the animated conversation I had with a third grader this week. An outgoing and social child, she had sat at lunch the previous day, surrounded by good friends, totally immersed in a book. “That must have been a good book you were reading yesterday” I commented. “Oh, I just HAD to finish the book,” she responded. I noticed she was carrying a new book. “It’s the next one in the series!” “Is that really your book mark?” I asked because it seemed to be placed about two-thirds through a several-hundred-page volume. “Oh yes,” she said. “You must have spent a lot of time reading last night,” I offered. “And don’t forget there’s time in the morning!” she replied.
A love of literature, joyfully utilizing those reading skills we teach: that’s the skipping factor.
We generally think that older students mask their enthusiasm. Yet I recall the Student Technology Advisory Group I described several weeks ago recommending apps for my iPhone—and teaching me to use them. Or it’s a group of seventh grade girls approaching me in shul (synagogue) on Shabbat—yes, you read that correctly, approaching me in shul—to advocate for recess options next year. And their desires: study hall and school service choices. Is this a way to avoid the cold of Minnesota winters? Perhaps, but the enthusiasm surrounding the opportunities to both shape their experience and to lobby decision makers is certainly worthy of our attention.
And then there’s the receptivity to new experiences that can look a bit like skipping. I have a new group of Upper School students in the fitness elective I’m teaching. I’m constantly impressed by the students’ willingness to try new activities even if they may be hard, to run longer, or to increase the number of reps in a routine. There’s a reminder that internal drive isn’t simply about external rewards, it’s about being in a culture where you can take risks and strive for personal growth. If you bring a positive attitude and interest and you’re willing to work hard at something-you will skip ahead.
When we understand what motivates students—when we build on their interests, when we nurture their desire to read or to try a new routine—we also nurture the Skipping Factor, the climate that inspires our children to learn new skills and seek opportunities to apply them.
Being part of all of this puts a bit of a skip in my step too.
B'shalom,
