The Road to Life is Paved with Good Decisions

by Kitty Gordan, acting head of school

The hundreds of choices we make every day as children, adolescents, and adults count. They shape the quality of daily life and lay foundations for the future. As Lao-tzu said, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

The teacher in me asks: Can we teach good decision-making and, if so, how? How do the girls learn to strike the proper balance between deliberate thinking and instinctive thinking when choosing a course of action? By the time a Nightingale student reaches the Upper School, she has made many academic decisions and is ready to start playing a role in designing her own academic program.

Learning to make decisions about school starts in the Lower School: in the classroom, in the library, and when working on one of the many projects that are an integral part of the Lower School program. Kindergarteners pick the art projects and the materials they use in the activities center, first-graders choose the poem they memorize and how to spend recess time, and so it goes onward. Class III students choose the part they will play in the medieval festival and Class IV students select their roles for the Colonial Fair. Be they a candle-maker or a seamstress, the girls immerse themselves in colonial life as they hone their research, writing, and public-speaking skills. Sam Howell, the head of the modern languages department, believes that language study should be determined on the basis of the intrinsic motivation of the learner. Consequently, students study French, Mandarin, and Spanish in Class III so they may be part of the decision as to what language they will study in Class IV and into the Middle School.

In the Middle School, students learn to take advantage of an expanding world of opportunities. The academic program continues to offer a balance of thoughtfully sequenced courses and provides choice along the way with essay questions, research paper topics, projects, and the like. Class VIII can choose their music class, and starting next year they will also have the opportunity to choose their art class. Our strong extracurricular program encourages the girls to explore many areas. Thanks to the no-cut policy, students can play any sport. They can also join clubs, run for student government, or participate in Unleashed, a leadership program involving puppy rescue. They can go on our joint exchange with St. Bernard’s and the Dragon School in Oxford or the field study trip to Costa Rica.

Our girls are making real decisions. Class VIII students meet with the head of Upper School to discuss their program for Class IX. Will they continue with Latin and a modern language? Will they want to study science every year? They also discuss balancing academic demands with participation in team sports, chorus, ceramics, community service, and the other Upper School opportunities available. Students must take a long view, set priorities, and plan her program—they must also learn how to take advice from teachers, parents, and the head of Upper School.

The Upper School offers a wide range of courses that are complemented by electives (allowing students to explore new areas), as well as extracurricular and leadership opportunities. Our diploma requirements now provide greater flexibility and enable juniors and seniors to delve more deeply in their areas of interest—or explore something completely new. They can study up to the Advanced Placement level in calculus, statistics, biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science; girls can also study public health, environmental science, and astronomy. Science Seminar offers dedicated science students the opportunity to do research in New York City laboratories. The classics, French, Spanish, and Mandarin programs serve both the generalists and the linguists, who can now study two languages throughout high school. Our American history and world history requirements are complemented by electives including “World Religions” and “Economics Now.” Meanwhile, the art department offers and Advanced Placement Art History, as well as studio art for academic credit in painting, ceramics, and photography.

Through Interschool, Nightingale students have the opportunity to study mathematical matrices, game theory, as well as applied ethics. The Online School for Girls, a consortium of independent girls’ school that offers online courses, is ideal for students with specialized interests such as music theory or genetics. Students also participate in exchange programs and off-campus opportunities. Class X students can study for half a semester at the Ascham School in Sydney or go to the Island School, while juniors can choose from semester programs at the Mountain School, Chewonki, School for Ethical and Global leadership, and others. Nightingale stays in ongoing contact with the students enrolled in these courses and programs while they are studying off-campus.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. This is one of the challenges of having to choose amongst many opportunities. Students seek advice from their teachers, their advisors, and Ms. du Nuoy, our dean of students, who also knows them very well and directs off-campus programs. Ms. Beveridge, director of college counseling, is in charge of academic advising and meets with students individually to discuss their academic program. She knows the girls very well and encourages them to think deeply about their decisions and look at the decisions in terms of both the present and the long-term.

By Commencement, your daughter will have a well-educated heart and mind, the confidence that comes from having been involved in making decisions about her education at every stage of her journey. In the words of our vision statement for the Nightingale Graduate of 2020, she will “be ever more adept in the ways she uses her time and resources, makes her decisions, and handles both her failures and successes.”