We welcomed educator and author Grant Wiggins for two days last week as part of our Learning and Teaching Initiative. As I drove him to the train station on Friday afternoon, I asked him for some preliminary thoughts about CSW, ahead of his written report.

He was impressed with our clear mission and the obvious devotion to it on the part of faculty, staff and students. He had enjoyed seeing so many aspects of CSW’s program. I thought a little about what he had seen. Lots of classes: an integrated studies class (Drawing on History), elementary functions, USO (overview of US history), Raku, to name a few; and a good slice of CSW life: student speeches during elections for Diversity Board and Curriculum Committee heads, a presentation sponsored by the peer mentors: two speakers from "Speak OUT," a Boston speakers group bringing first person LGBTQIA accounts to schools and other organizations, and a faculty presentation about a possible new grade 9 integrated studies course.

Grant also met with many adults and students to gain a sense of who we are: a few impromptu conversations and scheduled time with department heads, Critical Friends facilitators, student curriculum committee and our Interim Learning and Teaching Committee. One of Grant's beliefs is the need for essential questions in classes and throughout institutions, questions that cannot be answered easily, questions that demand deeper probing: Why do you do it this way? That's a great concept but what will it ultimately teach students? Wiggins' focus on what is essential and what our core goals and outcomes truly are is an emphasis that readily resonates with CSW's mission and purpose.

Grant left us with some key preliminary questions to ponder:

• What does "student centered" and "progressive" mean in 2014?
• How can we be more focused on how students learn how to learn?
• What do recent alumni report about being ready for college?
• How do we honor our mission consistently throughout our programs?

I look forward to engaging more with my colleagues and with our students in relation to these and other questions--thanks for poking the fire, Grant!

[Grant’s thoughts on education and school change can always be found on his blog, we also included a Q & A with him in our spring issue of the Gryphon magazine, found here]

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Pocket Change is a web diary written by Jane Moulding, head of school.