Mindfulness is a powerful tool for children and adults alike. By helping your child practice mindfulness, you’re teaching them how to manage stress, improve focus, and develop emotional resilience. The best part? You don’t need fancy tools or a lot of time to incorporate mindfulness into your daily life. Read more for three easy ways to get started at home.

Teachers often discuss something called the “teachable moment.” These fleeting instances happen outside the curriculum or daily lesson wherein we take advantage of a coincidence or a happening outside our control. A snake slithers across the courtyard. A student abruptly brings up something he witnessed on the way to school. A child has an embarrassing accident that leads to a lesson about compassion and empathy. Teachers love these moments, and I am no exception.

As we approach the end of September, I find myself reflecting on the many channels of communication between school and home. With so much contact from the school, I am left to consider what the school needs to hear from me? To that end, I’d like to suggest four strategies that I’ve found enhance the Parent-Teacher partnership:
 

In what setting do students have the opportunity to work on social skills, problem-solving, conflict resolution, peer relationships, and overall health while simultaneously preparing themselves for greater academic gains? Recess!

Think of a penny! Quick! Are you picturing a copper-colored, small, round coin with a smooth edge? Is there a President’s face on it? If so, which way is it facing? Are there any words? If you are not able to answer some of these questions, you are not alone. This conundrum is the same for much of what our students experience when preparing for assessments in school. They may think they “know” their material, when, in fact, they are merely “familiar” with it. We call this an illusion of knowledge.

Schools can learn a lot from tangential industries. Granted, schools are not retail establishments, car rental companies, or tech firms. Still, parents buy the product an independent school sells and expect to receive the product they purchased, even though the buyer is not the consumer in this case. The student is the consumer of the product. It is a business with many layers and complexities, where we must demonstrate value in everything we do. 

What we knew before the pandemic was that young people were struggling with mental health issues, particularly anxiety and/or depression. This was a national challenge as rates of depression and anxiety were on the increase, however there was a lack of resources (psychologists, guidance counselors, etc.) to meet this need. Read more for how fostering independence can ease children's anxiety.

This time of the year schools invite parents into the building or connect virtually for what is most commonly known as the “Parent-Teacher” conference. While the very thought of sitting with your child’s teacher can bring about anxious feelings, a positive partnership between school and home is essential to a student’s success. Here are a few tips for making the most of your meeting.