Sent earlier this afternoon to families, faculty and staff at The Children's School Dear TCS Families: The birth of a child is a cause for celebration. In that moment, I’ve heard from my own parents and others, the instinct to protect that child at all costs takes
In my last post, I used the print to digital shift in media as an analogy to describe what might be happening now in education. I wrote: When print-based newspapers first moved to the internet, they tried to force the internet to fit their print-based context. Websites were clunky and
There's something very predictable about the school calendar: the first and last days of school, holidays, conferences, traditional events and programs, and graduation. The same is true of the school day: carpool drop-off and pickup times, the first bell, the Monday schedule, Tuesday schedule, minutes per class, midterms,
What's your win? What's the win here? Is there a clear win or victory? Maybe in the short-term, maybe today as people, everybody scrambling, everybody tense and overwhelmed, extend grace and appreciation for their safety and the safety of the community right now. We've
There is no precedent or past to lean on and use as a guide or mentor for these extraordinary times. Tuesday, Mar. 17 was Day One: The Children's School (TCS) faculty initiated our remote learning plans. Like schools around the country, and in many others around the world,
I was supposed to spend this weekend in St. Louis chairing the spring meeting of the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education’s (CSEE) Board. We meet twice a year and this meeting, the last of the 2019-20 school year, would have also been my last as a board member
These are unprecedented times. While we are preparing round the clock, as is every teacher and school leader right now, for any possible closure of our Community to slow the spread of the coronavirus, I wonder about what it will mean for a Community that lives and breathes that word
Krista Tippett: What does a good day look like? This is the question that transformed Atul Gawande’s practice of medicine. Atul Gawande: The conversation I felt like I was having was, do we fight, or do we give up? And the reality was that it’s not do we
‘We had a very fortunate upbringing,’ says Obama’s brother, Craig Robinson. ‘It was filled with good times. We were like every other family. We had love and discipline. We had caring parents….It wasn’t unusual at all. It wasn’t that everyone had both parents in the house,
What’s your name? Sean. Is that with an “ea” or an “haw”? Ummm... An “ea.” S-E-A-N. Sean (or, Shawn) is my Starbucks name. I’m not the only Indian, Asian, or brown person who has a Starbucks name. I don’t like it, but I tell myself that I’
“Why do you wish to lead?” That’s a common question one is asked to write about when applying for any leadership job. Lots of people want to be a leader, but what does it mean to actually lead? Lead what? Lead whom? Lead where and how? And, of course,
If you wait until you’re ready, you’ll be waiting the rest of your life. You'll never be fully ready for the things that matter. Most of the time, waiting until you're ready is the fear talking. We're scared that if we put
I’m breaking the norm from my usual two posts a week, every Sunday and Wednesday, to share this letter I wrote to The Children’s School families two years ago, on Feb. 21, 2018. I end with the lament, “Growing up should never be so hard to do.” Two
So many in my personal and professional circles have been encouraging and supportive of my move to India this fall to join Enabling Leadership (EL). They are happy for me, even proud, and called me, or the work I’m going to do, “noble,” “brave,” and “bold.” They are impressed
“A bookstore. That’s what I want to build after retirement, but it’s going to be really hard to leave school.” Liz was ruminating three nights ago over dinner on her career, and upcoming retirement in the next couple years. While I no longer work at the same school
We practice leadership every time we meet. As head of school, I consider my weekly executive team meetings as my classroom. In the time I have with them as a group and in their 1:1s, I see my primary responsibility as developing their leadership capacity. Our muscles atrophy due
This is not ‘Nishant’s school.’ I’m a temporary keeper of the flame. This has been a common refrain of mine since my first year - 2013 - at The Children’s School (TCS). I would bring it up at board meetings, in parent forums, and faculty and staff
When Neeti and I shared our news that I’m moving to Mumbai in August and will coach, consult and advise Enabling Leadership for an initial commitment of ten months, almost no one among our friends and family were surprised that I’m doing something like this: The scale, the
On Friday night, Neeti and I met another couple at Mali Restaurant in the Virginia Highlands neighborhood of Atlanta. Mali is our favorite Thai restaurant. I’ve rarely had a bad meal there and, best of all, many servers know me and what I like. As soon as we sat
“No, we can’t move here.” It was May 2019 and Neeti had called me from India, where she was visiting family and friends. I was going to join her a week later. Earlier that month, we had announced our departure from TCS at the end of the 2019-2020 school
Upon hearing the news of my move to India this fall, many have followed their congratulations with, “Your mom must be thrilled!” She is, in fact, thrilled. She’s also intimidated. Neeti and I made our decision in late October 2019. My parents were in the United States at the
Happiness is a how, not a what. A talent, not an object. Hermann Hesse I first came across this Hesse quote a year ago while reading Shoe Dog, the memoir by Phil Knight, Nike’s founder. There are many books (“many” being an understatement) written on happiness and what it
Last Saturday, Neeti and I went to a local breakfast place because I wanted to eat pancakes and eggs. It was one of those mornings when I woke up and considered what I’d miss about here when I leave for Mumbai in August. Somehow, thinking about food, pancakes and
I’ve been overwhelmed, and inspired, by everyone’s response to my move in August to India and join Enabling Leadership. I titled it “My Next Adventure” because that’s what it feels like: an adventure that will take me to places I don’t know, people I haven’t
In spring 2019, I announced my decision to leave The Children’s School at the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Neeti and I were in no rush or urgency about what would be next for us. I wanted to explore whether I could make a difference at a different
On November 10, 2016, following the results of the presidential election, there was a noticeable funk on campus among our faculty and staff. I wrote the words below in an internal email - the words rang true for me (and us) then and they are truer today, now three years
Schools can do a better job of building, and preserving, our capacity for imaginative play, kindness and compassion; how we form relationships with others; how we learn and lead; and when we teach and follow; when patience is a virtue because certain things just take time; and (maybe) the most impor
"It's all about focus," says Towson. "You're not going to accomplish 25 things in your life. If you really focus long-term you can do three to five big ones, maybe. And the impediment to your not having focus is numbers 6 through 25,
This article was published as a guest column today in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's education website, Get Schooled. Click here to read it on the AJC. This winter holiday, Neeti and I watched Mary Poppins Returns in the cinema. The original with Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke is
Kinder. Gentler. These two words feature in every obituary I've read of the 41st President. Quoting President Bush's inaugural address on Jan. 20, 1989: "We as a people have such purpose today. It is to make kinder the face of the nation and gentler the
My first day at The Children’s School was May 1, 2013. I’ve completed five years and I’m about halfway through my sixth year. Last fall, in 2017, I shared with the board’s executive committee that the next five years will be different from the previous five.
Several months ago, I came across an article that listed Jeff Bezos’s habit of keeping a list of books and writings that have influenced him. The book, In the Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, is at the top of his list and a copy is given to
We are living in precarious times that rob our children of their childhood. Rather than free play and opportunities to deal with boredom on their own, parents fill those times with tutoring, coaching and lessons. Rather than connection and creativity, we are surrounded by disengaged souls bingeing o
A few years ago, Jay and Arlene, colleagues at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), were visiting Atlanta to scope out the city, conference center and surrounding hotels for an upcoming event. I’ve known Jay since my early career days. He has followed and supported my professional arc
I recently spoke before a group of 35-40 undergraduate business majors at Emory’s Goziueta Business School. The class was “Leading and Managing Change,” and the professor, Richard Berlin, was kind enough to invite me to share my experience as a nonprofit leader and the pressures and challenges I face
The concept is not mine; it belongs to Jeff Bezos. Day One does not mean rewarding just any kind of failure. Failure of basic responsibility - operational efficiency or core expertise - should not be rewarded. Day One doesn’t hold us back because of habits or tradition, just because “it’s always how
Dear TCS Friends, From GreenFest last Saturday to Olympic Day today, I have had a fun-filled initiation into the TCS way! In the last three days I have received enough flowers to fill two big vases; a witty, touching poem written by a third grade class; coupons for many, many
