John H. Zurn
Educational Author
John H. Zurn began his educational career as a teacher in the 1980’s. After ten years in the classroom, he was offered a position as Head of School at St. John’s Episcopal School in Olney, MD.
For the next twenty-eight years, Mr. Zurn served as Head of School at three independent day schools in different parts of the country.
In retirement, Mr. Zurn has put the lessons he learned about education, about schooling, and about democracy into his book.
Secrets of Success- Character Education in American Schools
The author, a forty year educator, makes the case for emphasizing character education over more traditional measures of academic success in schools. He then presents a yearlong program, Secrets of Success, that gives school parameters for establishing strong character education principles.
Secrets of Success
Organization: I plan ahead. I have places for everything. I am ready to learn.
Focus: I choose to focus on important things.
Courage: I am willing to stand up for what is right. I challenge myself.
Generosity: I give of myself to others. I act with empathy.
Grit: I keep trying in the face of adversity.
Positive Mindset: I can do it!
Resilience: I learn from failure. I try new ideas and different methods.
Independence: I can work confidently to solve problems on my own.
Collaboration: I can work confidently and cooperatively with others.
Responsibility: I take charge of my learning. I am a kind, honest, compassionate, and respectful person.
Discover The Secrets of Success Read Aloud Series
(Available at Amazon.com)
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Traits For Success Book One: Organization
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Traits For Success Book Two: Focus
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Traits For Success Book Three: Courage
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Traits For Success Book Four: Generosity
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Traits For Success Book Five: Grit
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Traits For Success Book Six: Positive Mindset
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Traits For Success Book Seven: Resilience
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Traits For Success Book Eight: Independence
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Traits For Success Book Nine: Collaboration
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Traits For Success Book Ten: Responsibility
Articles by John H. Zurn
The Challenges of Modern Society
For much of modern society, money has quietly graduated from being a useful tool to becoming the official scoreboard of life. We...
Lessons I Learned From Forty Years in Schools
After more than forty years in elementary schools—as a teacher and later as a Head of School—I learned something that no...
Why Character Matters More Than Report Cards
One lesson became increasingly clear during my years in education: preparing children for life is very different from...
What Went Wrong With American Schooling
From the earliest days of the American experiment, leaders such as Thomas Jefferson envisioned education as a means of...
Parenting in the Digital Age
It is time for parents and educators to reclaim authority over the raising of children. We have handed far too much...
The Challenges Our Children Face Today
Before we can teach values, we need to stop pretending that everyone’s values are completely different. Turn on cable news or...
My Blogs….
Stories From the Classroom: Mrs. Taylor
-' Mrs. Taylor was a teacher in our middle school long before I had arrived there and was very concerned about her relationship with the new Head of School. I was young then and somewhat naïve about the needs of middle school students, teachers, and families....
Stories From the Classroom: Kelsey
Kelsey’s mother was in on the second day of school questioning a grade that her daughter had received on day one. Kelsey was new to our school in 6th grade and the start of her tenure was not going well. Kelsey’s mother had been used to the hardscrabble fight...
How Homeschool Families Might Implement a Trait for Success: Focus
Children are self-motivated learners as seen in their relentless determination to walk and then to talk. But not all children thrive within the competitive pressures of an academic school program. Homeschooling can be a significant way to allow children a...