Year 40: Observation No. 1

Observation No. 1: We are so much better at supporting different styles of learning, and we still have room for improvement. 

My 11th year at Fort Worth Country Day marks the 40th year since I went from being a college student majoring in history to a teacher (middle and upper school history and Spanish) and coach (volleyball, soccer and tennis) at the Casady School in Oklahoma City. I will be using these monthly Notes from the Head in 2025-26 to reflect on trends and changes over those years.

With all the technological innovations, the architectural insights, and the impactful research on pedagogy, the basics have not changed: Schools are about learning, and learning at schools is most importantly about good teachers inspiring and challenging students. One of the most significant changes I have seen over my career is not about new inventions; it involves understanding the different types of learners we have in our classrooms.

As we begin our 63rd year at FWCD, I am so pleased with the work our Division Heads, Abby Abbott, Stephen Blan and Trey Blair, alongside our Assistant Head of School for Student Services and Academics, Amy Witten, are doing to guide and further conversations about our curriculum and our pedagogy. Those academic leaders and their faculty teammates are creating the conditions for maximizing the effectiveness of learning experiences at FWCD, JK through 12th grade.

The Academic Support team, led by Dr. Witten, includes Teresa Hoppe, Melissa Hickman, and Mallory Sample (part-time) in the Lower School, and Laura Ferguson in the Middle School. In the Upper School, Dr. Witten and Mrs. Abbott are themselves meeting with the families of students with learning differences and designing success plans for the student. New since 1985 is the realization at schools that a child with major attention issues or with dyslexia could be every bit as smart as the traditional learner. Over my 40 years, we have learned ways of supporting different learners. In my first 10 years at FWCD, we continue to enhance our approaches to those students.