“Give the students something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results.” – John Dewey Today, the Middle and High School students will return from the Cultural Trips. While they have been away, half of the campus has been quiet. The other…
Welcome to the 2023-2024 School Year
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” – Will Rogers Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year at AAS-Sofia! Today marks the end of the first full week of school. Many students (and quite a few staff) get used to sleeping in a bit later (or a…
I Hope You Feel A Lot of Summer
“A dark night, lightened up by thousands of glowing fireflies. It is magical.” – Ama H. Vanniarchchy To me, lightning bugs mean summer. Growing up in the Seattle area, I didn’t see fireflies as a child, but somehow the luminescent beetles (lightning bugs are beetles not flies) epitomize summer. Our kids first saw lantern flies…
To Have or Not to Have (Dessert)
“I’m hungry. I hope there’s pudding.” – Luna Lovegood Earlier this week, I received a letter from Liana, a 2nd grade student at AAS. It was a well written opinion letter with proper form. The letter had a good introduction, three solid arguments supporting her opinion, and a clear conclusion. As expressed in her letter,…
Welcome Back After Spring Break
“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.” – Yogi Berra I hope that you had a relaxing and fun Spring Break. We had the good fortune to visit Scotland and Ireland over the holiday. As is the way with travels, we had some expected and…
Spotlight the Daily Wins
“There’s a million things I haven’t done, but just you wait.” – Hamilton (musical) Last night I had the pleasure of watching the AAS students’ performance of Cabaret. It was an incredible show! Through the years, I have enjoyed and been impressed by all of the AAS musicals. The addition of the Rila Theatre has…
Keeping New Year’s Resolutions
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Eliot Happy New Year! I hope that you and your family had a pleasant and relaxing holiday. We are two weeks into 2023. For many people, that means they are two weeks into their New Year’s resolutions; for some people, that…
The Magic of December
“Winter is not a season, it’s a celebration.” – Anamika Mishra Autumn was longer and warmer than normal this year (yes, technically it is still autumn). The usual easing into winter didn’t happen. With the recent dustings of snow and holiday decorations in the malls, it feels sudden that the “holiday season” has arrived. A…
The Benefits of Reading to Children
“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.” – Kate DiCamillo Earlier this month, the children’s classic Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd celebrated 75 years in publication. Through the years, Goodnight Moon has been translated into many languages–unfortunately…
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.’”
“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” – Maya Angelou Last June, a few AAS staff and I had the privilege of visiting a few of the Cedar Foundation homes in Kazanlak. It was a heartwarming and eye opening experience. The Cedar Foundation was founded in 2005…
Welcome to the New 2022-2023 School Year
“I think sleeping was my problem in school. If school had started at four in the afternoon, I’d be a college graduate today.” – George Foreman When summer holiday begins each June, many students welcome the opportunity to sleep in each day instead of only on weekends. As the summer progresses, they stay up later…
Thank You For The Splendid Times
“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.” – Sam Keen As another school year comes to a close, the weeks have been full of special events, celebrations, and farewells. The farewells are difficult: we have to say goodbye to friends who have made our individual lives and the school community better. It is nice to…
