I talk a lot about the relationships. Whenever I am asked why I work at KO, I mention the sense of community, the collegiality I have with my peers, and the strong rapport that exists between students and adults. While the main focus for me is advising, and the partnership that exists among students, parents, and advisors, I also value the bonds formed with teachers and coaches.I know that students are known for who they are here, and when this assertion is somehow reinforced by an anecdote or some data, I celebrate.Such was the case recently. KO was selected to participate in the Caring Schools Initiative (CSI) as part of the Making Caring Common Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. By design, the goal of the survey was to better understand how our constituencies experience the school community. For me and members of the Student Life Team, our hope was that by participating in the research and seeing the results, we would be able enhance and enrich our school culture. The results arrived in mid-December, and I have spent many hours combing through the results of the questionnaires administered to students, parents, and teachers.While there is a lot of data to digest, and we are spending our meetings looking at the takeaways and our next steps, the evidence that KO is indeed a relational community is overwhelming:● 92% of the students said that people care about each other in this school.● 97% of parents said that KO has adults that really care about students.● 90% of teachers reported that KO is a safe place for students and 90% of teachers reported that KO is a safe place for teachers, administrators, and staff.● 94% of teachers agreed that students at this school really care about one another.● 90% of teachers felt that students at KO treat each other with respect.● 94% of teachers said that teachers and students treat each other with respect in this school.● 98% of parents agreed that KO is an inviting place for students to learn. The proof is in the pudding, as they say. Kingswood Oxford is a place of relationships.
