POSTCARDS FROM THE FRONT
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they do not embed civic skills or values deeply into student culture because the same minority of engaged students tends to avail themselves of these opportunities . Students who are not aware of the world around them and do not see a role for themselves in public life manage to stay disengaged with relative ease — simply by tuning out an assembly speaker or two and declining invitations to get involved . If the goal is popularizing a civics mindset in student culture as a whole , these programs aren ’ t designed to move the ball across that line . Only the re-introduction of civics into the curriculum can do that .
Civics is best learned and practiced within a small , trusted peer group that meets regularly to discuss current events , practice communication and interpersonal skills , and share common experiences of volunteerism out in the world . The CCCE is currently gearing up , then , for its most important sales pitch to date .
Next fall , the school will pilot a semester-long course called ‘ Foundations : Skills for Community Citizenship .’ This course represents a new phase of greater influence for the CCCE in the experience of all Upper School students . Our Middle School offers a robust civics experience but , because the ninth grade welcomes a large number of new students , fully half of Rivers students currently graduate without any civics instruction unless they opt into one of two advanced History courses . In contrast , Foundations will be a mandatory semester-long seminar for all tenth graders . Tenth grade is also the year in which our students take U . S . History and the
“ Civics is best learned and practiced within a small , trusted peer group that meets regularly to discuss current events , practice communication and interpersonal skills , and share common experiences of volunteerism out in the world .”
new seminar will create a personal context for that historical knowledge and inspire students to see themselves as actors in contemporary society .
Writing the Foundations curriculum has been a joyously collaborative experience . Several years ago , the Director of Diversity , Equity and Inclusion ( DEI ), the Director of Global Studies , the Director of Community Engagement , and I realized how much our programs shared in terms of mission and methodology and the extent to which our programs reinforced and built upon one another . For example , social-emotional and DEI programs , which teach self-awareness and social awareness , must precede and prepare students for productive community engagement — whether those communities are local , national , or global . Over the past year , the four of us met weekly to write lesson plans and share best practices from each
Page 10 Summer 2021 CSEE Connections