Kim's Blog

Obama’s Address to Students

Posted on September 10, 2009 at 10:15 AM

Obama’s planned address to our school children became big news last week. In his address, Obama stressed staying in school, understanding their actions on the internet, and believing they can do anything they set their mind to.

As talk radio and others assumed the worst, Obama posted his speech online beforehand.  Conversation around indoctrination and healthcare reform pulled focus away from the “stay in school” message kids might hear in their communities or in PSA spots.

One pundit suggested if children really wanted to hear the speech, they could download it and watch it themselves. I wondered if that particular talking head understood that many children have no computer or internet at home, let alone an adult who will help them with this task. It seemed a bit out of touch to me about the vast regions- both urban and rural- that lack sufficient technology for schools and libraries.  In fact, much of the stimulus dollars allotted to education are supposed to help build this infrastructure. Corporate America has been working on this issue for years without a countrywide solution.

So I wondered a few things:
Did schools really bring their children together to listen or watch this address? Although in history, this type of speech has occurred before, I never remember hearing the president speak to me, a child. Politics were always an adult’s world and not anything I would understand, let alone inspire me to be a better student. Does anyone else remember listening to a president’s address in school?

Did Obama hit the mark with his speech? What do you think were the important take-aways?

So, speak up and let’s start a discussion!

Heading Back to School

Posted on September 2, 2009 at 10:04 AM

All too quickly summer has come to a close and school is starting. As a former teacher, education is of the utmost importance, but summer will always have a little piece of my heart for the family time it brings. Once school starts, my three children—along with my husband, who remains a high school teacher—have to return to the structured routine of early mornings, full school days coupled with extracurriculars, and finding time for homework help before an early bedtime.

As my children grow (I can hardly believe my eldest has entered sixth grade!), school becomes more and more a year-round event as a result of summer homework. Summer homework, which most often focuses in reading and math, is meant to shore up the intellectual backslide that occurs during the long summer gap.

Here’s where I’m torn on the pros and cons of summer homework. I know it’s a valuable tool. Research confirms that the months-long pause in formal schooling can result in forgotten lessons while a fair chunk of back-to-school time is devoted to reviewing and relearning old material. And I firmly believe that learning should never stop, whether you’re inside the classroom or out.

However, at the same time, research has failed to confirm the link between summer homework and higher test scores or achievement at the elementary school level, and only found a moderate link at the middle school level. Unfortunately, I believe this is because while summer packets are great in theory, they often break down in practice. Busy parents—most of whom work year-round—are left to help children with anything they might not understand. They may not always have the time or the skills necessary to properly educate their child on a type of problem they don’t understand.

And most kids are rarely chomping at the bit to do homework over their summer vacation. With no oversight until school begins again, countless students wait until the last week or two to even begin their summer packets, negating the point of bridging the learning gap. This summer, for instance, I allowed my 6th grader to plan how she was going to complete her packet. So, as you might guess, it is the night before school starts and we are pushing Casey to finish her packet.  Many parents have experienced the push and pull involved with a tween; let’s just say it wasn’t pretty!

What are your thoughts on summer homework? Are you a supporter or a critic? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Shakespeare Squared has moved!

Posted on August 26, 2009 at 10:06 AM

I’m pleased to announce that Shakespeare Squared has moved into a new office space! After much deliberation (and much, much more planning), we’ve moved our offices to Northbrook, about 10 minutes north of our previous space in Glenview.

While it was a change for all of us, it was a big change for me personally. Our previous office was the first and only space we had once I moved the company out of my house. I carefully built it out three times over the years, renovating and remodeling to hold our expanding business, overseeing every detail down to ensuring that the tile flooring in the shipping area had some blue and purple in it—the colors of our company logo. Needless to say, it was a big decision to leave something I had invested so much time, effort and energy into (not to mention the fact my two-minute commute was about to get five times longer!). But in the end, I had to realize that an office space is just walls. The people fill that space are what makes it special.

As with any big change in life, there are always pros (like windows throughout the entire office, something my entire staff couldn’t be happier about) and cons, like a smaller break room. The important thing to realize is that change is a good thing—we can’t grow without it. And any good change means more pros than cons. From decreased rent and a better use of space to more meeting areas and a Starbucks right down the street, I know that there are definitely more pros here.

So please, update your address books: Shakespeare Squared’s new address is 626 Academy Drive, Northbrook, IL 60062. Our phone number has remained the same (847.998.0535) but our fax has also changed: 847.770.6498. Stop by for a tour of our brand new space!

Intern Program

Posted on August 19, 2009 at 08:47 AM

Walking around our office, you’re bound to run into some younger faces collaborating with our employees, working to meet deadlines and draft proposals. Each season we welcome in new interns to assist in a variety of departments including Editorial, Human Resources, Business/Marketing Development and even new company sectors such as S2EO. Covering a broad range of interests, our undergraduate and post graduate interns get the opportunity to experience educational publishing right at their fingertips.

Since Shakespeare Squared is a smaller company by nature, we take great pride in knowing our interns rarely fulfill the typical intern roles as coffee makers and paper filing gurus. Though the interns don’t go without their scheduled Starbucks run—something our employees look forward to all year long—or a lunch shift at the front desk, the interns’ roles within the company center more on tasks with responsibilities, and in turn, more meaning. We recognize our interns as capable young adults with the power to enhance what we do on a day to day basis. We value the fresh and youthful perspective our interns have and choose to utilize their skills to help our company. In fact, most of the time, our interns are trained on the very same projects our employees are working on!

In return, our interns not only get paid and credit options, but more importantly, they learn skills and gain experience within the world of educational publishing. With our relevant training, many of our interns have even found futures here at the company!

Do you know great candidate for our internship program? As our summer internships wrap up, we’re currently seeking interns for our fall program. Find out more and get information about our internship program at our Career Opportunities page. 

Company Culture: Service Projects

Posted on August 12, 2009 at 08:40 AM

Though the thought of company culture tends to focus on internal projects and events, I feel that to truly showcase your business and its people, you need to turn outward as well. We love White Space Day and the You Rock Awards, but the focus can’t always be about ourselves. That’s why Shakespeare Squared makes service projects a priority year-round

Even in these tough economic times, we must remember that while our problems are troubling, there are many who suffer every day from even greater woes. This dedication to others, in thick and thin, helps us here at Shakespeare Squared stay grounded and true to what we value. With devoted attention to our service projects, we maintain a positive company culture by giving back in the simplest of ways.

At the office, we try to have at least one service project running at all times, which usually equates to one service project per month in between our busy schedules. These projects are inexpensive and simple, bettering our company through valuable means of philanthropy. Many times we ask our team to bring a cause forward so we can “feed” everyone’s passions and charities. Currently we are running a clothing drive, but in the past we’ve had all kinds of projects, from canned food drives to playing Santa for a needy family at Christmas. With no pressure for employees to contribute, it’s a ‘help as you can’ kind of mentality, with big and small donations from many of our employees. And it’s not just about bringing something in and forgetting about it. When we brought in items for care packages for soldiers overseas, for example, we also set up our conference room for an hour that day for employees to make cards and write letters of thanks. Employees got the chance to take a break from their work, be creative with coworkers, and give back to their community.

Though we’ve certainly felt the economic pressures, we continue to count our blessings. We want to spread our good fortune and help others who don’t have that benefit, especially now. Service projects are a great way to remember others and the struggles going on all around us as well as to take your employees out of their busy business modes. With the reminder of a children’s shelter box sitting right by your office door, your employees can think beyond their daily work and more into helping others who are struggling. Take the time to implement simple service projects in your office and see what kind of success you can spread.

Company Culture: Potlucks and Happy Hours

Posted on August 5, 2009 at 09:31 AM

As you’ve gotten the opportunity to see my company culture series throughout the summer, we try and incorporate a wide range of unique employee benefits from our simple You Rock Awards to our White Space Days. But, even in a downward economy, we still aim to have fun on a consistent basis. What better way to have fun than with food?

A big element to our company culture here at Shakespeare Squared—without a doubt—has to be our monthly potluck. Bringing our company together in the food-filled break room, our themed potluck combines treats brought in by employees all over the office. Potlucks are a great way to break from the lunch monotony of the week. On the last Wednesday of every month, our employees voluntarily get creative cooking food that fits the theme, whether it’s “Breakfast for Lunch” or “Appetizers and Desserts” (one of my favorites!). Employees love this day each month as it gives them a chance to share with one another and see how creative their colleagues can be!

In the summer we also bring back our happy hours on Wednesdays after work. Our happy hours provide a relaxed environment for employees to socialize outside the workplace, particularly giving our interns a chance to get to know our employees and each other. We choose a local restaurant instead of a bar so anyone can go, and our staff enjoys relaxing for an hour or two after work. With food and drinks, our employees enjoy this fun environment during the summer months. Just like our in-office potlucks, the out-of-office happy hours reinforce employee relationships to help the synchronization the work we do within the office.

Work to maintain a fun and positive environment for your employees with simple and cost-efficient methods to complement your other company efforts. These particular culture builders cost our company nothing, yet reap big rewards. You’ll be amazed at the unity you’ll find with a creative outlet for food and some cocktails after a long workday!

But enough about us—check back next week to learn about how we reward others with our philanthropic efforts.

Company Culture: White Space Day

Posted on July 31, 2009 at 11:19 AM

The past couple of weeks I’ve discussed company culture and the power it has to positively build upon your company. Previously I focused on employee morale, constructed through the simplicity of paper awards and Pop Rocks candy. Coming up, we’ll hold White Space Day.

Introduced to White Space Day at a conference years ago, I was intrigued by the concept. It’s difficult to coordinate a weekend (or longer) retreat through an entire company around deadlines and home life. Yet, creative people—like the talented ones we employ at Shakespeare Squared—need a chance to decompress and let the creative juices flow, free of formatting and deadlines and constraints. The happy medium came in the form of White Space Day.

White Space Day is a time for employees to reflect individually outside the office. From walks in the park to museum visits, employees are encouraged to use the time away from the office to think about themselves, their goals and how they’re being achieved. Vulnerable to the unplugged nature of day, employees are discouraged to run errands or participate in normal activities. Instead, employees use the time to be alone and to relish in personal reflection. We hold no requirements about White Space Day—no written reports about what they did or what they learned—instead, through the sheer openness of white space, we ask our employees to do whatever they want. At the next staff meeting following White Space Day, we open the floor for people to share what they did or learned.

While it sounds like a vacation, our employees take this day very seriously. From insightful journaling to life-changing career switches, we’ve seen it all as employees come back rejuvenated and more passionate about their ventures. At Shakespeare Squared we’re the detail-oriented type, those constantly attached to our work and waiting to help in any which way we can. Needless to say, the unusual freedom took some getting used to.

After a couple years though, our employees have learned to detach and have helped our new staff do the same. We now hold White Space Day twice a year, and every time is an exciting, invigorating and introspective journey.

Check back next week to learn about a few of our more casual company culture builders!