Admissions

Blogging with the Academies

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  • Compliance vs. Compliance

    by Nicholas Forcier - Director of Admissions & Enrollment

    I just learned that the word “compliance” has two meanings that seem to be in some sort of cognitive conflict with each other. Here they are, from Merriam-Webster:

    1. the act or process of complying to a desire, demand, proposal, or regimen or to coercion
    2. the ability of an object to yield elastically when a force is applied: FLEXIBILITY
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  • A question about equity

    by Nicholas Forcier - Director of Admissions & Enrollment

    Welcome back from spring break! I hope you all enjoyed some time together and maybe even got to see some friends or family you haven’t seen in awhile.

    I’m grateful that, as an educator, I’ve been able to receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. I have to admit, though, that I felt some guilt about receiving it.
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  • What’s a school for?

    by Nicholas Forcier - Director of Admissions & Enrollment

    Think about the best people you know. You can define “best” and “know” however you want in this context. 

    How many of them are the best people you know because they repeatedly did well on tests in school? I’ll venture a guess: zero.
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  • Change is hard...but necessary

    by Nicholas Forcier - Director of Admissions & Enrollment

    There are lots of reasons that we don’t make changes even when we’ve identified a problem in our lives. Some of those reasons are:

    • Fear of the unknown: “I know the current thing isn’t working well, but what if the new thing doesn’t work either?”
    • Loyalty: “I’m not satisfied with this anymore, but it’s so hard to leave because I have sentimental attachment to it.”
    • Inconvenience: “The status quo is causing me stress, but the process of finding an alternative would cause even more stress.”
    • Lack of awareness of alternatives: “I don’t know what my other options could be.”   
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  • It Really Does Take a Village...

    by Nicholas Forcier - Director of Admissions & Enrollment

    As a parent who also happens to be an educator, I spend a lot of time thinking about how we produce successful children. Of course, we all have different definitions of success, but I think most of us include some variation of happiness, healthiness, self-awareness, awareness of others, etc...One thing I’ve observed about myself is that I think I’m good at identifying my son’s talents, but I’m not always sure what to do with them.
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  • Taking the Temps

    by Nicholas Forcier - Director of Admissions & Enrollment

    Every morning I check temperatures at the Middle School entrance on the boys’ side of Academies. It’s a great way to start the day because I’m doing the thing that gives me the most energy:  interacting with students. As an administrator, if I’m not careful I can spend too much time in my office and lose touch with the community.
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  • Five Tips For a Great Virtual Open House Experience

    by Nicholas Forcier - Director of Admissions & Enrollment

    I’ve given a lot of thought to how adept we all are at managing virtual experiences, both as providers and consumers. In the past year, I’ll bet most of us have surprised ourselves with our ability to manage an online event. And yet I’ve probably never wanted to utilize a skill less often than this one; I want to go back to in-person events as much as the next person. But in the meantime, with The Albany Academies’ Virtual Open House coming up on Saturday, January 23rd at 1 pm, here are some tips for getting the most out of a virtual open house:
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  • Rigor and Discipline

    by Nicholas Forcier - Director of Admissions & Enrollment

    When I talk to families who are considering The Albany Academies, or when I ask families who are new to our community why they chose Academies, one word comes up all the time: rigor. Our families want their children to be educated in a way that prepares them to lead a rigorous life.  
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  • How is Picking the Right School Similar to Choosing a Restaurant?

    by Nicholas Forcier - Director of Admissions & Enrollment

    The reason we have trouble agreeing on where to eat can tell us a lot about how we make decisions.

    A few weeks ago, while running some errands and holiday shopping, my fiancé and I decided to order takeout for dinner instead of cooking at home. Tell me if this conversation is familiar:

    Me: What sounds good to you? I could eat just about anything.

    Fiancé: Same here. You pick.

    Me: Ok. How about Italian?

    Fiancé: Not really feeling like Italian. Panera?

    Me: Ugh...not Panera.
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