Empathy: its value in academic study and professional life

Many people have long recognized the importance of empathy in building healthy relationships. In recent years, educational research has also highlighted the importance of developing empathy in students to support their academic growth and achievement as well as to equip them for success in their professional lives. Teachers find that empathy deepens and enriches a … Continue reading →

Redefining academic rigor for the 21st century

Entrepreneurial mindset (part 4) Like many of the finest independent schools in the nation, The Miami Valley School has earned a reputation for having the most academically rigorous program in our region. How we define rigor at our school, however, is changing. Our school program is actually becoming more rigorous in multiple ways. What I … Continue reading →

Taking risks, learning from mistakes, iterations & pivots

Entrepreneurial mindset (part 3) There’s a significant and deeply-rooted shift occurring in business, industry, and education. It’s a movement that many people see as very positive and hopeful because it’s based on creating design solutions that are more thoughtfully centered on genuine empathy for the customer’s (or user’s) perspectives and needs. This methodology is called … Continue reading →

Students who embrace challenge

Entrepreneurial mindset (part 2) We all want to encourage students to lean into challenges. That is the essential characteristic of a life-long learner. As educators, we’re all working to develop in students a mindset of wanting to grow and improve, to seek out challenges that compel them to move to a much deeper understanding of … Continue reading →

Entrepreneurial mindset: relevant for all students

Although I teach a high school class on entrepreneurship, my primary goal is not restricted to those students who seek to become entrepreneurs as a career. My bigger purpose is to create a learning experience for students that is relevant to mastering the skills that are most important in the world today. Possessing an entrepreneurial … Continue reading →

Students learn about the struggle against muslim extremism

This past week, upper school students at The Miami Valley School had the opportunity to hear from prize-winning author Karima Bennoune. The event was sponsored by several local high schools, including MVS, and organizers of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. In her book, Your Fatwa Does Not Apply Here, Karima shares her journey of interviewing … Continue reading →

Standing up for diversity

Events in Charlottesville have helped bring to the forefront the determined resolve of Americans to support and advance diversity and inclusion–in states, cities, corporations, military branches, nonprofits, universities, schools, and other organizations. The racism and bigotry of the Klu Klux Klan, white supremacists, and neo-nazis are strains that run counter to the strong spirit of … Continue reading →

Why the process we use for school innovation matters

The Miami Valley School has gained a national reputation for its unique approach to teaching and learning called the Immersion Method. It is a vision for teaching and learning that positions MVS at the forefront of innovative educational practices today. If you’d like to learn more about what the immersion method means, click on the … Continue reading →

Creating a new model for teaching and learning

Creating a new model for teaching and learning Head of School Jay Scheurle recently participated in a podcast called “Do School Better,” which reaches a global audience of educators. In this podcast, Jay and Doris Korda, CEO and Founder of Wildfire Education, speak about student-centric learning, innovation, and giving more depth and dimension to the … Continue reading →

Life on a Mobius Loop (excerpts from my 2017 commencement speech)

Albert Einstein once said, “Only 2 things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity.” Then he famously added, “And I’m not so sure about the universe.”   In thinking about Einstein’s statement, poets, novelists, astrophysicists have pondered this question of whether the universe is infinite as we tend to assume it to be or if, … Continue reading →