Adieu, 8th & 4th grade! We are so proud of the boys and all that they have learned and accomplished. From SMT in LA to CPOP in STL to virtual school at home … class by class, grade by grade, they truly earned their accolades.

What a school year. It was crazy. It was different. It was special. And there was no instruction book on how to handle the crazy challenges of 2020, but kudos to Ethan and Max for overcoming it with grace and a kind heart.

And now we have a high schooler. High school. Yikes. I. AM. OLD. CBC is lucky to have this amazing human among their ranks. He will make an excellent Cadet.

Throughout the school year, I kept telling the boys to enjoy rolling out of bed at 8 am and logging into class with bedhead still donning PJs. I made sure they appreciated the lack of homework and the comfort of between-subject cuddles with me and Phoebe. I know attending school from home “got old” with each passing month, but I also know they will look back on this school year and at some point miss some of the special extras they were afforded.

And while I hate that they both felt left out at times, I was grateful to soak up a little extra time with my kiddos before they move into high school and 5th grade.

On the last day of 8th grade, Ethan’s science teacher Mrs. Hawkerself sent some amazing words to live by:

“Regarding the social aspects of science, we dropped a few details, I regret, due to time and scheduling. Where social issues of science are concerned,  we have all been a witness to the ways science can both enrich and frustrate our lives. You have learned so much about science beyond the planned lessons, so give yourself A LOT of credit for this year.

Do not worry too much about what you *might* have missed this year. Knowledge is in ABUNDANCE. Stay open, curious, approachable, willing, questioning, and humble. Seek to learn, and anything you missed will come to you!

Ignorance is also in abundance. If I’m allowed one last lesson, it’s on the topic of confirmation bias. I wish I did more to help you distinguish knowledge from ignorance, and work through the pitfalls of confirmation bias. I’ll say this: Watch out for the knowledge that always makes you comfortable.

Science isn’t always going to make you comfortable.  If your quest for knowledge always makes you comfortable, always affirms your viewpoint, always agrees with your hypotheses, you may be in a pattern of confirmation bias. If our quest is learning, confirmation bias will be the hurdle that trips us and the fall feels like a soft pillow for our weary head where we will nap in our ignorance.

My advice as you go forward: Ask experts, keep questioning, manage a healthy skepticism, don’t expect comfort from new learning, and listen for levels of certainty/uncertainty. As you grow as scientific thinkers and consumers, you will find clear, uncontested answers are rare in science, and scientists report knowledge with levels of certainty. This is normal. 

Scientific thinking, as we’ve attempted, is just one of many ways to come to understand the world. There are as many ways to make sense of the world as there are cultures. Stay open, and you’ll have a chance to learn even more ways to make sense of the world!”

Wise words, indeed.

Congratulations, Ethan & Max! We are excited for summer fun and next year’s adventures!