John H. Zurn
My Blog
Stories From the Classroom: Ethan
On the surface, Ethan was a model student. His grades were impeccable—straight A’s across the board. He was always the first to finish his assignments, consistently aced his tests, and never missed a day of school. His parents were incredibly proud of him. But...
What It Will Take to Commit to Character Education?
Last week, I wrote about Rodrigo, a student who struggled academically in the classroom but was overloaded with the character to become successful in life. Rodrigo only learned after he left school that success comes in many forms. This is not to say that...
Stories From the Classroom- Rodrigo
I worked in an American school in Europe for two years. One of my students, Rodrigo, was the kind who could never sit still for more than a minute. His body was in constant motion, his legs twisting and untwisting beneath his desk. In the ten minutes before...
The Two Fundamental Elements of American Education that Every School Should Be Teaching (Part Two)
The bulk of my career and all of my Headships were in kindergarten through 8th grade independent schools- a fact that I frequently proclaimed kept me at arm’s length from most issues connected to sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll so prevalent in the high school...
Talent and Virtue- The Two Fundamental Elements of American Education Every School Should be Teaching (Part One)
Thomas Jefferson wrote that “talent and virtue, needed in a free society, should be educated regardless of wealth, birth or other accidental condition”. Over the years, public schooling in America has been remarkable in its ability to develop talent. ...
Stories from American History: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
In the months leading up to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, one of the greatest conflicts occurred between two giants of American history, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. John Adams (the Federalist) believed in a strong central government. Thomas...
Character Traits: Teachers and Parents Have More in Common Than They Think
In my experience, the greatest impediment to a child’s success in school is the gap between what the child’s parents believe and what the school believes. That gap generates a potential conflict in expectations and outcomes. Despite these differences, both...
Stories from the Classroom- Cesar
Stories From the Classroom: Cesar Cesar was a twelve-year-old student in sixth grade at our school. He was bright and personable, as indicated by his strong grades and his election as a student council member in the school. Cesar's family had few resources and...
Traits For Succes
Traits for Success We agreed to work on ten character traits in four different schools to help children become successful in school and in life. Organization: I plan ahead; I have places for everything; I am ready to learn. Focus: I choose to focus on...
Stories From the Classroom: Nia
Stories from the classroom: Nia. I worked for several years in a community of sailing families. Throughout the year, there were weekly sailing lessons for children, for teens, and for adults. Frequently, I was approached with a conversation like this: “We are...
Intellect Versus Character Which Would You Choose?
Intellect Versus Character: Which Would You Choose? I spent four decades working in independent schools- first as a teacher, next as an administrator, and for the last 28 years of my career as a Head of School. I principally worked in kindergarten through 8th grade...
Stories From the Classroom: Mark
My friend, Mark, is brilliant but failed in school because he could not get information from a book off the printed page. Today, he would have been identified early on as a dyslexic reader and given strategies to compensate for his weaknesses. However, this was...
Our Children Are Being Influenced by the Wrong People
As parents and teachers, we need to reclaim our traditional role as influencers of our children - not by shouting louder than the influencers our children discover online, but by stressing ideas that are more important than fancy shoes and snappy TikTok...
Stories from the Classroom: Suzanne
Suzanne signed into TikTok at nine, following several of her friends. Her parents had no reason to suspect that Suzanne was using the social network, so disguising her online activity was not difficult. In fact, Suzanne felt some adventure in the cat-and- mouse...
Traits for Success
The Case for Character Education in American Schools
