If our school gardens could talk, they would tell us about one of their important roles: offering the gift of soft focus to everyone who walks over their craggy surfaces. Through the decades, they may have changed form and shape, but our gardens have always been sources of crucial nurturance and restoration. Countless children have soaked up the healing power of our gardens to support the growth of their inner worlds and the belief that they can be caretakers of the earth. Th

“You’ve grown up so much!” we tell children at this time of year. As the school year concludes, we wish we could find words to let them know how amazing their growth has been. No matter what their age, they are in many ways different people than they were when they entered the classroom last fall.  Teachers often try to articulate the qualities individual students have developed, but it can be hard to choose words that have meaning for the child. Room 8 teacher Chloe Gilmore

Is patience quantifiable? That was the light-hearted question that emerged during a lively discussion at the Meher School’s first Women’s Support Circle last Wednesday. Most of the women who attended didn’t know each other well and have diverse life circumstances. Some have small children, others teens or grown children, and a few were teachers with no children of their own. However, the consensus was that patience is a valuable commodity that deserves our attention. “I work

Wouldn't we all love to have a road map to prepare us for the next big transition in our lives? That’s what our TK students have tried to create for preschoolers who are about to make the big leap to TK and kindergarten. They worked as a group to make an enticing hand-drawn map of the kindergarten yard. Last Friday the entire Room 7 class visited the shared Rooms 1 and 2 yard and unfurled a giant scroll, featuring their artistic renderings of fun places to play on their yard.

A few weeks ago, when North Italia (a new Walnut Creek restaurant) opened next door to the Cheesecake Factory, all four administrators, Ivy, Vince, Warren, and I, slipped away for a pre-grand opening lunch. David Overton and his wife, Sheila, greeted us warmly. David is the CEO of the Cheesecake Factory Inc., which has purchased North Italia. I’ve been familiar with the high standards and caring attitudes David tries to imbue in his wait staff, and that day, it was like watch

“Proud Momma” was the title of a text I received this week from the parent of a fourth grader. To my surprise, it contained only a piece of artwork, a pencil drawing created by her daughter, a self-portrait of her with her friends. They were sitting, facing away from the artist, on a bench with their arms draped lovingly around each other’s backs. I immediately got why this mom was so proud. I had interviewed her for my book, The Best Things Mothers Do, and I understood that

Mornings aren’t always easy. In spite of our gentlest intentions, things sometimes go awry. Frustrations can sizzle like bacon frying on the stove. A question hovers over our morning routines: “How can we help children to start the day with good cheer?” In Room 7, the teachers (Mses. Indi, Izzy, and Natalie) have created instantaneous morning mood lifters for their kindergarten class. Instead of having their children repeat “here” when they take roll call, the teachers pose a

Are thinking and solving puzzles a form of play? Fifth grade teacher John Murphy is convinced they can be, and he loves to offer “brain start-ups” to his students, the equivalent of engaging them in a game of Frisbee or freeze-tag, only mentally. The “start-ups” aren’t part of their math lesson, they’re just fun, but they can infuse fractions and decimals with delight. Recently he asked, “Which is greater, the number of people on earth now or seconds since the Declaration of

Preparing Soon-to-Be Graduates for Middle School and Beyond Terry answers a student’s question about his biography project. Every Meher School graduate has special memories of their days at our school. For some it’s a group of friends or a teacher or a class, or maybe just happy hours spent in aftercare. But one memory they all share is the fifth grade biography project. Spanning weeks of in-class and at-home work, it’s the most challenging project they’ll do while at the sch