“
INSTILLING HABITS OF THE HEART For parents examining school options, their child’s health and well-being is a central consideration. The 2015 Children’s Mental Health Report from the Child Mind Institute showed an increase in diagnoses for anxiety, depression, ADHD, eating disorders, substance abuse, and other mental health concerns. Of the 74.5 million children in the United States, an estimated 17.1 million have or have had a psychiatric disorder. To best support children, it is incumbent on school communities to partner with parents to support healthy habits of the heart. Healthy habits help regulate emotions and enable empathy with others. They support interpersonal skills that impact the quality of relationships we have with ourselves and others. Habits of the heart reveal a child’s social-emotional development and take shape in the earliest years, making unlearning unproductive habits difficult. Independent schools are more likely to include health and wellness as a key curricular component, often partnering with experts and related industries to provide distinctive programs that support the student’s sense of well-being. La Jolla Country Day School is partnering with Donna Hicks, Ph.D., an associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and author of Leading With Dignity: How to Create a Culture that Brings Out the Best in People. The goal is to develop a school culture that promotes
GOOD READ
Healthy habits help regulate emotions and enable empathy with others. They support interpersonal skills that impact the quality of relationships we have with ourselves and others.”
dignity education, weaving the practice of treating one’s self and everyone on earth with dignity, into the fabric of school life. The school is also working with Rady Children’s Hospital to develop a wellness program. Ravenscroft School has partnered with the Center for Creative Leadership to co-create Lead from Here, a pioneering pre-K through grade 12 educational framework designed to foster early leadership development in children. Students have the opportunity from the earliest age to actively participate in a curriculum that will draw on and develop skills including collaboration, accountability, strategic thinking, and empathy. In many schools, faith and/or a specific religious world view shapes how the school instills the habits of the heart. For independent schools that are affiliated with (and often share property with) a church or synagogue, there is a built-in partnership. Clergy or staff may teach classes on campus or work alongside the faculty and students in service learning programs that impact the community. Each school has the freedom to set up its curriculum in a way that reflects its specific set of values. A faith-based education from the earliest years is important to many parents. A family may be members of the house of worship affiliated with that school, or they may be members of that particular faith. The school experience complements and reinforces what the family practices at home or in their house of worship. The intentional support and learning related to the habits of the heart that happen during a child’s most formative years — preschool and elementary school — provides a deep-rooted foundation that will serve the child well throughout life. In a pre-K-8 or pre-K-12 setting, it is reinforced by the middle and high school mentors who model good habits and skills. Continued on page 12
MEET THINE. At 6 years old, Thine is passionate about her ABCs and wants to be a teacher when she grows up. Your school could provide milk to a student like Thine for a year with just $72!
Create & Send Personalized Video Fully Branded 61% Average Open Rate Trusted by 500+ Universiies
LEARN MORE AT WWW.HEIFER.ORG/MILKMONEY
Sign up for a demo: thankview.com/demo Continued on p. 9 SPR ING 2 0 1 9 │ SA IS .ORG
11