Instead of worrying about drying out my turkey this Thursday, I am going to take Dr. Robin Stern’s advice about beginning a gratitude practice. Robin is a researcher at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and shared this with us: What is gratitude? Gratitude is a state of mind that arises when you affirm a good thing in your …
Math Anxious
Last week I posed this sixth grade math problem to over twenty adults in my life: The carnival has a large and a small Ferris wheel. Jeremy gets gets on at the bottom of the large Ferris wheel. Deborah gets on at the bottom of the small Ferris wheel. The ride begins at the same time. The large Ferris wheel …
Crossing Borders
Last year my youngest daughter was called a “racist” by one of her closest friends. Provocative, isn’t it? I bet you are wondering what on earth my daughter said… She referred to a Black character on a television show as Black. “That isn’t racist!” My daughter responded. “Being called black isn’t an insult. Just like I am not insulted if …
Helicopter Parenting: Staying Grounded
Whenever I tell people at parties that I work at a private school, the conversation always turns to the “helicopter parent”. You know the term: the parents that are controlling, the parents that won’t allow their children to take responsibility for their actions or solve problems independently or let them grow up. They are the parents in this hilarious Portlandia …
Educating Girls
I was fortunate to attend the Educating Girls Conference on April 7. In the first hour alone, I was reminded that we are facing a health crisis among our girls within today’s culture. Our keynote speaker, Rachel Simmons (author of “Odd Girl Out” and “The Curse of The Good Girl”), eloquently spoke about success and achievement among girls being fueled …
Doing the Common Core
Parents are asking a new question during open houses at independent schools this admissions season: “Do you do the Core?” As a school leader who is familiar with the CCSS, I must admit it isn’t an easy question to answer. I have come to learn that families have wildly varied experiences and understandings of the Common Core. Some may simply …
Talking to your children about the events in Ferguson and Staten Island
This weekend I went T.V. shopping. Every monitor, on a long wall of televisions, was tuned to images of Americans protesting the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. A little boy, no older than six, stood next to a sixty inch screen and asked, “Mommy, why are those Black people mad?” The boy’s mother winced, blushed, and hurried away …
The power of free time
Over our Thanksgiving break I was really looking forward to relaxing with my family. There would be no schlepping to dance lessons, tennis lessons, acting lessons, or art lessons There was no karate practice. There was no homework. My husband and I were delighted. My daughters, naturally, complained. After two rounds of family board games, the kids begged to swipe …