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LANTERN Presentation High School Parent Newsletter | September 2017
Dear Parents and Friends of Presentation, Remember the good old days when Labor Day was the official start of the school year? HA! It really was a treat welcoming the students back last month; you may not have heard it on your end, but they really did their very best to express enthusiasm about a new beginning. Since they are back in school with reading lists and homework, it seems fitting to give you a little “food for thought.” Two items caught my eye this summer that might be of interest to you. The first is an editorial in the New York Times: “On Campus, Failure is On the Syllabus.” While the title may be off-putting, I invite you to read about the initiative at Smith College that takes head on the fallacy of perfectionism that prevents students from taking risks, recovering from mistakes—essentially impeding them from learning basic coping mechanisms. As I told the incoming class on the first day of school; “We did not accept you because you were perfect; we just believed you were perfect for Pres.” High school should be a time of trying new things, testing relationships, falling down in a safe environment where others encourage you to get back up. If you never fail, you never learn! Another very provocative read comes from Atlantic Magazine (August 2017): “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”
In it Jean Twenge addresses something of concern for all of us: More comfortable online than out partying, post-Millennials are safer, physically, than adolescents have ever been. Why then are they on the brink of a mental health crisis? Twenge is a published expert on generational trends and what she has to say is thought provoking. You may not agree with all her conclusions, but I guarantee it will make you reflect. It is difficult to imagine that the iPhone is only ten years old; the change it has made for good and ill—is unquestionable. But it is not too late to question how much is too much? If you do read one or both of these, I welcome your comments. Have a great September; if there is anything we can do to help you, please do not hesitate to ask. Sincerely,
Mary Miller | Principal