By Jacob Ying
When it comes to education, Ms. Lucas, the Assistant Head of the Upper School for Teaching and Learning, does not believe that one size fits all.
Returning to the Riverbank for her second year, she believes “there’s something that generally works for everybody, but also I think that each student and teacher has a unique set of characteristics, [and] a unique [personal history and identity]. And, so really what I try to pay attention to now that I didn’t do as well when I started in this position is [to] really seek to understand [the background of] each person’s situation.”
Part of understanding each person’s situation is understanding how stressful school is. Many students, myself included, get super stressed about grades. Ms. Lucas wants to change that dialogue. “[We’re] digging into thinking about what a grade means and how students interpret what a grade means and how to give students the best feedback so that they can learn and grow,” she said. Ms. Lucas hopes that students and teachers will start looking at grades as constructive tools rather than critical ones.
This year, Ms. Lucas is excited to have her first-ever advisory. Her first year of advisory will also be her advisees’ first year in the Upper School. What does she think of these freshmen? “They’re on the cusp of doing some great things,” she said.
Ms. Lucas fondly remembers her own experiences at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. It was quite different from Lovett, with half of the day focused on academics and half on singing. Ms. Lucas also shared that she attended the same high school as Beyoncé. Unfortunately, Ms. Lucas was two years older than the Queen, so they never got to know each other.
Growing up in Houston, Ms. Lucas developed a love for Tex-Mex, which she says reminds her of home. Compared to Houston, Ms. Lucas thinks that Atlanta does a good job with Tex-Mex. She mentioned that she does not enjoy Lovett favorite Willy’s much. “It’s OK. It’s not true Mexican,” she said. However, she does like another Lovett favorite, Superica.
This summer, she returned to Houston. Why? Her three year old Vizsla, Tucker, competed at the Houston World Series of Dog Shows, where he won an Obedience Title. Tucker is the most recent of three Vizsla’s that Ms. Lucas has owned. The Houston World Series was, pardon the mixed metaphor, not Tucker’s first rodeo. In fact, Ms. Lucas said he has competed in “too many [competitions to count]. I’ve been showing him since he was six months old.”
