Category Archives: leadership

The Importance of Social Emotional Learning

Posted on October 14, 2025 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

At a recent Parent Involvement Association (PIA) Meeting, our accomplished Division Heads and our amazing School Counselor shared our SEL curriculum with parents. We like to say the “the social emotional curriculum sets the table for the academic and cognitive … Continue reading →

Posted in empathy, kindness, leadership, parenting, parenting middle school aged children, Seven Hills School Walnut Creek | Tagged 21st Century Education, education, educational leadership, parenting, seven hills school walnut creek | Comments Off

Lessons from the River #3… Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

On the raft with Polly Fredlund, Head of Westover School, CT. One of the best benefits of the Salmon River experience this summer was the ability (and the need) to adopt the pace of nature. We knew when we paddled … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Skills, education, global skills, leadership | Tagged 21st Century Education, educational leadership, Seven Hills School, seven hills school walnut creek | Comments Off

Lessons from the River…#1 Let go and flow with the river.

Posted on September 3, 2025 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

This summer, I had the tremendous joy and privilege of joining 22 head colleagues on the Main Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho. Over five days, we traversed 88 miles through Class 2, 3, and 4 rapids. We either … Continue reading →

Posted in academic excellence in elementary schools, global skills, leadership, mental health, mindfulness, Seven Hills School Walnut Creek, social emotional learning | Tagged 21st Century Education, Confluences River Expeditions, educational leadership, Salmon Heads, seven hills school walnut creek, World Leadership School | Comments Off

NPR, Kwami Alexander and The Undefeated

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

Kwami Alexander has been sharing poetry on NPR for a few years now, and each time I hear him, I get inspired. His latest children’s book, The Undefeated, just won the Caldecott Medal. More about the book, which I have … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Skills, education, global skills, leadership, leadership in children, literacy, parenting | Comments Off

EDUTOPIA: What happens when we rush children through childhood…

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

Some great reminders about the role of wonder in childhood and resisting the “adultification” of childhood. This is something our early childhood educators in Rainbow and RedBarn know so well! EDUTOPIA: Let’s Not Rush Children through Childhood

Posted in 21st Century Skills, childhood development, early childhood education, ECE Early Childhood Education, education, leadership, leadership in children, parenting, Seven Hills School, Seven Hills School Walnut Creek | Tagged @7HillsSchoolWC, @Edutopia, @MsMcNamara7H, children, education, parents | Comments Off

Tearing Down Walls: Building Leadership Capacity for Women.

Posted on March 1, 2019 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

Listening to three female educators and one consultant discuss women in independent schools. This is a conversation about internal conversations and self-doubt that is important for women. “Ask for open feedback about your challenges and how you can get mentoring … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Skills, diversity, education, gender studies, global skills, leadership, Viola Davis | Tagged #NAISAC, @7HillsSchoolWC, @MsMcNamara7H, @ViolaDavis | Comments Off

Should the goal be Straight-As? Adam Grant says no…

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

I have been an Adam Grant fan for a while. The faculty and staff read one of his books last summer, Give and Take, after I heard him speak at NAIS last year. I agree wholeheartedly with this piece. It … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Skills, academic excellence in elementary schools, adult development, childhood development, education, global skills, Harvard's Caring Schools Initiative, leadership, new york times, NY Times, parenting | Tagged @7HillsSchoolWC, @@AdamMGRant, @MsMcNamara7H, school | Comments Off

Independent School Magazine: Why Inclusion is the thing!

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

What I love here is the ways schools, specifically Athenian, can measure for inclusion. Why Diversity without Inclusion is a half-baked solution…

Posted in 21st Century Skills, academic excellence in elementary schools, childhood development, diversity, education, global skills, inclusion, leadership, Making Caring Common at Harvard | Comments Off

The Secret to a Meaningful Life…Study of Introverts vs. Extraverts

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

I am intrigued by Little’s notion that a personality trait does not have to dictate what personal projects one takes on. I even think the notion of a personal project is foreign to many of us. This concept of what … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Skills, education, leadership | Tagged education, educational leadership, Seven Hills School, Seven Hills Walnut Creek, technology | Comments Off

We are living in strange times

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

These are strange times. No matter your political beliefs or your ability to absorb the twenty-four hour news cycle, these are strange times. I find myself at loose ends much more since the start of the New Year, searching for … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Skills, academic excellence in elementary schools, adolescent development, aggression among girls, body image, Challenge Success, childhood development, education, empathy, Harvard Graduate School of education, Harvard's Caring Schools Initiative, leadership, leadership in children | Comments Off