“You have read or heard me describe that the ‘why’ we are together as a community is our Mission. Our Mission lies at the foundation of ‘why’ we are all here. The ‘what’ we do at school (the program, content, skills, activities) continues to change as we help prepare students to meet the ever-changing challenges of the world in which we live. ‘How’ we do what we do, also changes as faculty and staff learn better ways to do ‘what’ they do…as they learn more from course-work, conferences, on-campus professional development, learning from their peers, and learning from listening to the experiences of their students. “
“Well, the world continues to change, so it makes sense to me that we should continue to rethink about what we do and how we do it… the natural process of growing, learning and improving. This process of ‘rethinking’ is at the heart of this book by Adam Grant: THINK AGAIN. I have discussed aspects of Adam Grant’s research and thinking with our faculty and staff in our Opening Days’ meetings, and I am sharing his book with all of our faculty and staff as well as one copy to each of our families.”
“Yes, I think this book might be that helpful to all of us… and I believe that faculty, staff, parents, and many of our older students can learn a lot from Adam Grant. I encourage you to read this book, early in our academic year, and share ideas in your family discussions. As a community, reading a common book like this may help bond us in our conversations and our work together. Enjoy, discuss, reflect, and share your thoughts about THINK AGAIN with your family, with others at our school and with friends and colleagues. “
Knowing What You Don’t Know
Think Again by Adam Grant offers us context to reflect upon our own D-E Mission. As we strive to adapt and educate in an ever-changing world, Grant challenges us to lean into rethinking and unlearning as part of the growing process.
“Being wrong is the only way I feel sure I’ve learned anything.”
– Adam Grant
In 2030, 2040, even 2050, what we know now may be proven false. Preparing ourselves to “think again” is more important than ever before. With the pace of our globally-connected world and so many voices, we are challenged to listen intentionally and with integrity.
“It takes confident humility to admit that we’re a work in progress. It shows that we care more about improving ourselves than proving ourselves.”
As we learn how to improve on what we do and how we do it, our Mission stays the same. However, Grant provides a fresh framework to reimagine what success looks like and how being wrong may lead to more and better discoveries for the future.
D-E Faculty/Staff Share Learnings on AI in Education
The future is here! Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education was the theme of a recent Professional Development Day for all faculty and staff. In her opening remarks, Interim Head of School Preeti Fibiger declared, “To ‘meet the challenges of a changing world,’ we need to understand what those changes are.” This made spotlighting rapidly evolving AI technologies a natural choice for our community.
Sessions were interactive and offered opportunities to engage in productive discussions about how students can use AI most effectively. When used correctly, “AI builds confidence with students to write a strong paper,” noted Ms. Diane Christian (D-E English Department faculty member) during her session on thesis writing with AI.
The day concluded with a student panel discussion, moderated by Soham Bafana ’25, and featuring Sylvie Yao ’27, Jared Mosseri ’27, Reya Shah ’27, and Lucas Brown ’25, who gave their perspectives on using AI in the classroom, such as the idea that AI can help visual learners. Ultimately, said Mr. Justin Weiner (D-E History Department faculty member), during his session on deepfakes, “AI won’t remove the human touch.
APUSH (AP US History) Students Progressive Era Highlights
What do Progressive Era Reformers and Speed Dating have in common? In D-E’s AP U.S. History (APUSH) classes, students used this format to learn about historical figures from the Progressive Movement in the late 19th century to the early 20th century and how their...
