For 26 years, Radcliffe Creek School has excelled in offering students alternative ways of learning based on the principle that bright students who struggle in traditional learning environments can succeed with customized instruction.

For nineteen of those years, Ben Joiner has devoted his teaching and administrative skills to Radcliffe, first as a teacher and since 2016 as Assistant Head of School after two years as Assistant Head of School at Kent School.

Noting that every student responds differently to teaching and that some students engage more successfully in smaller-class, individualized learning, Joiner sees Radcliffe as a dynamic environment to empower children by taking classes based on their skills rather than their age.

Although Joiner spends most of his time in his administrative position, the pandemic required a nimble “all hands on deck” approach to keeping the school open, safely regulated, and staffed, a need that returned him to the classroom.

“Because we are small, have a small faculty and small student body, it gives us an opportunity be nimble. We can make changes, we can be dynamic and look ahead and anticipate what we need to do to make ourselves better,” he says.

Asked if he wanted to address any misconceptions about the alternative learning environment, Joiner said that he wanted people to more fully understand students as “unique learners,” and because their education is customized and non-traditional it should not be confused with therapeutic schools for students with emotional and behavioral problems or a school for kids who “can’t hack traditional schools.”

In fact, many bright Radcliffe students perform well beyond their grade level. It’s about finding the right fit for their learning.

The Spy recently talked with Ben Joiner about the Radcliffe Creek School teaching environment.

This video is approximately ten minutes in length. More about Radcliffe Creek School may be found here.

Four students in Kent County Public Schools were celebrated for their community involvement Monday, Jan. 17 as part of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance here.

The students received their awards at the Presbyterian Church of Chestertown in a ceremony presented by the Chester Valley Ministers Association and broadcast on Youtube.

The Rev. Sheila Lomax presented the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award to Kent County High School senior Myona Moore for her outstanding work.

“I would like to thank everyone who chose me for this award,” Moore said. “And I would also like to say, hard does pay off. So, thank you.”

The Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast Committee and the Kent Cultural Alliance honored three Kent County Middle School students with the Vincent Hynson Memorial Youth Award. The award is named for the late Kent County MIddle School teacher.

Lomax and the Rev. Mary Walker presented the awards to sixth-grader Noelle Demby, seventh-grader Jayla Lewis and eighth-grader Temani Darden.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day event also honored African American Trailblazers in Kent County. Among them was Alleesa Stewart, supervisor of finance for Kent County Public Schools and a graduate of Kent County High School.

“I am humbled and I am honored to be one of the recipients and I would like to thank you all so much,” Stewart said.

She also had a message for the young people watching the ceremony.

“Whatever dreams, whatever goals, whatever your hearts’ desire — keep going. Don’t give up and don’t throw in the towel. You can make it and you can win,” she said.

The Kent County High School Jazz Band led by Keith Wharton joined the ceremony, performing “Fat Cat” and “Isn’t it Special.”

To view the presentation, find the Chester Valley Ministers Association on Facebook and follow the links to YouTube.

I imagine that after watching ugliness unfold in our nation’s capital during our first week of 2021, like me, you questioned the fresh breath of hope you experienced when the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve.

Wednesday’s events rocked me to my core. I have been reflecting on all of the additional work we will now need to do to heal our country and prove to ourselves and the watching world, that we are indeed “indivisible” and “one nation under God.” And as I sat transfixed in front of the tv, I was keenly aware of my children sitting next to me. But I could not turn the television off, and I could barely speak. I regret I let Owen watch the news unfold that night for several hours.

Wednesday night when Owen came downstairs to let me know he couldn’t sleep, and that he was scared and felt sad, I had the realization that it was time to begin processing and healing at home.

As we work through the events last week and look to the Inauguration next week, I just wanted to offer you some ideas and thoughts that might help your children process the events of last Wednesday and beyond.

First, try to use the news as a learning opportunity, not entertainment. With children, it is important not to let them interpret the news. Most of our children, especially younger children, don’t need a lot of explanation or language. But they do need help understanding the big picture and reassurance that despite the very sad events of January 6, 2021, they are safe.

Children are watching the events unfold. Just like you may have felt, they will also sense the instability of our country. I think it is powerful is to remind kids that our country has existed for over 200 years. We have a process that has withstood the passage of time over and over again. Even though Wednesday was a scary, messy day, the democratic process prevailed. Lynn Lyons, a noted child psychologist, talks a great deal about how “anxiety needs a plan.” Talk about the election process, what they can expect in the upcoming weeks, whatever provides a deeper understanding that a structure exists.

Next, help your child identify how they feel. Many of our children are “energy sponges” and although they feel things deeply, they may not actually be able to tell you what that feeling is. I used to have a mini-poster with emoji’s on it and for my students with language challenges, I would have them point to the emoji and give them the word. Naming a feeling helps a child begin to work through it.

I have learned to not assume that I know and understand how the kids are responding to events. Don’t be surprised if what you thought your child was feeling, is not what you expected. For example, a few years ago I heard from a parent that the family dog had been hit by a car in front of my student. Autumn starting crying during my reading class and as I tried to comfort her and talk about Scooby, she interrupted me and said, “Mrs. Bamford, I am NOT crying about the dog, my mom wouldn’t let me go to my friend’s house today.” Feelings are feelings, try not to judge them.

Adult behavior can definitely impact children. Our “energy sponges” tend to absorb adult stress. Marc Brackett from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence says there is something called “emotional contagion.” Often especially with younger kids, you will see them begin to mimic you. If you are teary, they might be. If you are short-tempered, your little person may reflect that energy as well. If you find yourself getting frustrated with your child’s behavior, just check-in with yourself and see how you are feeling. Some days we all might need a little timeout!

Another idea is to talk about your family’s core values. Talk about your family’s “code of conduct” and what you as a family stand for. As someone with the distinct pleasure of knowing your children, there are many positive character traits they exemplify. Remind them of those positive traits when you see or hear examples of bad behavior. For example, when witnessing acts of violence, you might say, “Our family believes in working our problems out with words. Violence is never a solution.” When someone is belittling another person, respond with “we treat other people with respect even if we have a different opinion.”

Finally, be honest with your children. If you articulate an emotion you are feeling or something you are trying to work through, couple any negative emotion with a positive, growth mindset idea or action. If you are confused about what is going on, it’s perfectly fine to let your kids know you are trying to understand what happened by finding more facts. If you are angry about the situation, let your children know you are angry at the situation, not them. However, it might take a while for you to work through it.

Our children, like us, now have this day as part of their history. Someone will ask them, “Where were you on January 6, 2021?” I thank you for helping them to preserve, strengthen, and grow in order to see the beauty of our nation as they become good citizens of our beloved country.

Meg Bamford is the Head of Radcliffe Creek School in Chestertown

There is math homework that needs to be done, teeth that need to be brushed, a dog that needs to be walked, shoes that need to be tied, but somehow after what feels like intense cueing, nagging and perhaps even bribing, your child still can’t seem to get started. For children, most likely this is not a case of procrastination, but rather that of task initiation.

This executive function domain is obviously an important one. In our garage we have an older gas lawn mower. It often takes several hard yanks of the cord to get the engine running, but once it gets going, we can get the yard mowed in a couple hours. I liken our mower to task initiation. Many times parents will complain to me about their child not completing tasks, and when we take the time to observe the child, it is not always a matter of completion, but a matter of the child starting a task. Or perhaps, starting it in an efficient and timely way.

What can also feel incredibly frustrating is when children with task initiation issues get interrupted or distracted, and then they have to return to the task because for some children, it is back to square one.

If your child needs help getting things started, I think it is important that anyone working with your child understands s/he needs explicit instruction in strategies on how to build this skill. Secondly, you need to put in environmental supports in place. An example for children who have a hard time getting homework done is to help your child create an organized learning space. This strategy has become particularly critical over the last year when children suddenly were expected to learn remotely. Students seemed initially lost and they struggled to gather all of the tools they needed for virtual school such as a writing utensil, a charger for their computer, a desk or table to sit at, putting needy pets out of the room, and removing pillows, blankets or toys next to them while they worked online. They were used to us helping them to create those organized learning spaces. We certainly learned as a community that our children require instruction on how they need to approach an assignment independently when we are not sitting next to them to help them get started. Our instruction needs to be direct and explicit. Visual supports can be incredibly important.

If your child struggles with following multi-step directions or processes, knowing the order they need to accomplish each step can be imperative for them. An example of this impediment is when you send a child with task initiation deficits upstairs to “clean their room.” Furthermore, nothing gets done even after your child has been in their bedroom for an extended period of time! The task is too large, but breaking the large task into smaller ones and placing each task in a check list allows for success. Eventually, students will memorize the “clean room checklist.” However, like all of the other executive function skills, the skill of task initiation takes brain development, explicit instruction and time. A checklist may be necessary for several months before a child memorizes it.

Meg Bamford is the Head of the Radcliffe Creek School in Chestertown.