Weekly Message from HOS 2026/09/14-2026/09/18
Dear Keystonians,
This week, I had two experiences that reminded me why I love this work.
The first was on the OEP trip. I joined our 7th graders on their adventure to the Great Wall area of Tianjin. I will share more about that experience next week, but for now I will simply say: getting out there, doing hard things, and being brave enough to try—these are things we ask of our students, and they delivered.
The second experience is the one I want to tell you about in more detail.
On Monday, I joined a high school math class. The teacher was traveling with other students, but prior to his departure he had diligently prepared lessons and prepped a willing student to guide his classmates through a rigorous study session. This student—a peer, not a faculty member—stepped in to lead the lesson with the supervision of other math faculty. This was not a matter of finding coverage for an absent teacher. It was an example of what becomes possible when a teacher prepares thoroughly, a student is willing to step up, and colleagues are present to support. The learning never stopped, and the quality never dropped.
I sat in the back with my computer and did what I do when I observe any member of our faculty. I looked for evidence of our Keystone teaching competencies and took notes.
I was so impressed.
As I walked in, the student was leading a learning activity he called “improv math”—a warm-up that invited students to play with equations before the formal lesson began. He gave them thinking time. He extended examples based on their questions.
Then he transitioned: “This is where our improv math ends, so you can open your notebook and we can write down some rules.” The room shifted smoothly from intellectual play to precision.
He pulled up a slide—a fill-in-the-blank set of rules for solving systems of equations, in English. This was, as I wrote in my notes, “excellent instructional design for additional language learners.” He scaffolded the English of math alongside the math itself. He gave examples for each word, sometimes offering alternative vocabulary.
At one point, a student asked a question in Chinese. The student responded in Chinese first, then bridged back to English, allowing the student to make connections across languages.
Students worked on whiteboards. He circulated, asking individual students by name: “How do you classify the solution?” He affirmed correct answers and expanded on them, creating opportunities for deeper understanding. The class was quiet but engaged.
I made notes on our KPEP platform, just as I would for a faculty member. I noted evidence of building on students’ existing knowledge, establishing clear routines, communicating purposefully, and tailoring instruction to individual needs.
I also noted some questions, some about the teaching and some about the environment (which is a critical part of learning). Could we paint dark blue frames around the whiteboards so that the ink from cleaning them doesn’t smudge on the white walls? Could we invite more students to help fill in the slide words, diversifying the voices in the room? These are the kinds of small, actionable suggestions that serve learning.
What was so inspiring about this unanticipated moment was seeing a student stand up in front of his peers and teach. He was brave, prepared, and composed. He took a risk, and his classmates—they listened, they engaged, they respected him. They took care of each other.
Our academic program is excellent. Our teachers are extraordinary. And what makes this place really special is the quality of our students. They are kind. They are curious. They work so hard. They take care of each other and they take care of their learning. They are, quite simply, high-quality kids.
At Keystone, this is what excellence looks like: a teacher who, even while traveling with another group of students, carefully prepared with a peer tutor during evening study hours in the days leading up to the class, arranged for a colleague to supervise and ensure safety, and designed a beautiful learning experience for students he would not be there to teach in person. His presence was amplified, not diminished, by his absence.
Even the teacher who could not be there physically was responsible for the incredible culture he created in that classroom—a culture that made it possible for the kids to continue learning and shining, even in his brief absence.
None of this can be manufactured by an academic program alone. It is something a community cultivates, day by day, interaction by interaction, with incredible care.
Warmly,
Dr. Emily McCarren
