Inspired on "D" Days

“When is the next “D” day?” I ask myself, barely containing my excitement! At Flint Hill, we have a six-day schedule, labeled A-F, and on “D” days, we come together as a Lower School family for “Inspiration.” For 30 minutes, we all gather for this program—led by students—to learn, share, problem-solve, celebrate, and acknowledge successes and challenges that surface within our community of learners.

Each grade, from TK to 4^th, takes a turn to lead Inspiration, and, with guidance from their teachers, the students prepare for their scheduled presentation day. They first brainstorm ideas for a topic, perhaps centered on a class project they may want to share, a school event, or a holiday. From there, they create an agenda and delegate job responsibilities.

On Inspiration morning, students ensure that all technology is ready, the stage is clear and the flag is placed; they greet each class as they enter the theater, introduce speakers, read a morning message they have written for the community, facilitate an activity, and present the topic of their choice in a variety of ways—through a skit, iMovie, dialog, or poetry reading. This special period of time ends by acknowledging student and teacher birthdays and singing the school song. Adult voices are few and far between during this 30-minute gathering.

This year, so far, I have learned how to properly compost and recycle my lunch; how to be safe and respectful on Halloween eve; how other cultures celebrate unique traditions like Día de los Muertos; how to protect the Chesapeake Bay; as well as how to embrace play, and expand my own sense of humor. This is why Inspiration is my favorite part of school; for those 30 minutes I am one of 300+ learners; it is invigorating!

Inspiration has also been the perfect forum for problem solving. Is there a better way to solve some school issues than by involving students and asking for their input? Already, the students have shared a plan to improve the care and storage of our playground equipment, and generated ideas to reinforce sustainable, green practices within our school community. Presently, a group of students are working on collating and developing school-wide rules to share at an upcoming Inspiration.

What will we learn at the next Inspiration? Let the count down begin until the next D day!