“The problem is that over the past 40 years or so we have gone from a culture that reminds people of their own limitations to a culture that encourages people to think highly of themselves.”

While I usually write about topics related to Charles Wright or education in general, from time to time I come across something that I feel is compelling that is only tangentially related to the school or to education.  A recent column by David Brooks in the New York Times is one of those compelling “finds.” Read the rest of this entry »

Well, no, of course not.  But a recent study conducted at Case Western Reserve University claims there is a correlation between “excessive” texting (more than 120 texts per day) and risky behavior such as use of drugs and alcohol and sexual activity. Read the rest of this entry »

A number of years ago I read a fascinating article about how human beings assess personal risk.  The major point was that people tend to significantly OVERestimate the likelihood of things they understand poorly or experience infrequently (if at all), and they UNDERestimate the likelihood of danger in “everyday” activities.     Read the rest of this entry »

As I stood this morning in front of the Lower School greeting parents and students, a first grader (who was independently walking in by herself) stopped and proudly declared, “We’re going to Snake Lake today!” And she then proceeded to saunter into the building, ready to begin her day. Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks ago I came across a very interesting and sobering article.  While not a surprise, it supports the results of other research that suggests that by the time students begin formal schooling, there is a large, perhaps even insurmountable gap between those students who have had the benefit of growing up in a word-rich environment and those who have not had the benefit of such a background.  Reading the article reminded me of how fortunate we are at CWA to have the parents that can and do provide that early-life support on which schools such as ours can build.

Recently a CWA parent told me about an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “Weighing the Value of That College Diploma.” While much of the article is unsurprising, the last paragraph contains an interesting twist worth noting!

(Unless the WSJ changes the link, the article can be found here)

Since my first blog post about the H1N1 virus we have conducted a second H1N1 vaccination clinic.  We were able to provide second vaccinations to students under 10 who received their first vaccinations at our first clinic, to vaccinate seniors (who were not able to be vaccinated last time due to a shortage of doses) as well as provide vaccinations to some students who missed the opportunity the first time around due to illness. Read the rest of this entry »

The initial news last spring about the H1N1 virus was not good. Early reports from Mexico suggested that the disease caused by the virus was far more virulent than the seasonal flu, and seemed to hit younger folk particularly hard. I had read about a private school in New York which was hit hard after students returned from a trip to Mexico. The anxiety level was increasing rapidly as the media reported breathlessly about this potential threat to public health. At that point, we made what seemed at the time to be a pretty routine decision that turned out to be quite fortunate in terms of what it allowed the school to do. Read the rest of this entry »

Shortly — very shortly — after I had written one of the larger checks of my life to the college my daughter had just entered, my wife and I received a solicitation from the annual fund of that college. I have to admit, my first thought was, “Are you kidding? I just wrote a huge tuition check and then they ask for a donation on top of that?” Then, of course, I remembered that I have been the Headmaster of a school for 20 years now, and I really do understand why an Annual Fund is vital to the success of private schools at all levels. Read the rest of this entry »

For a number of years now I have marked the opening of school by standing just inside the campus entrance gate to wave at parents and students as they arrive for the first days of school.  The smiling faces of those I haven’t seen for a couple of months starts the rapid transformation of CWA from it’s summer form of “a bunch of buildings and a few staff” to a vibrant community. Read the rest of this entry »