New Year Message from Karen Donovan, Head of School
As we begin this new year, I have been thinking about what is important to our children and adolescents today. With all that is happening in politics, the news media, accelerating technology, and the overwhelming message of racing toward our future, I’d like to pause and reflect on how we can best support our children’s development.
In a time that urges speed and certainty, this moment asks us to slow down and listen, without needing to put our agenda forward. Whether we are talking with a friend, a colleague, a family member, or our children and adolescents, we can pause and listen to what they are thinking. Explore their thoughts alongside them and see what you learn.
Building positive change and understanding requires the ability to see and understand others’ perspectives, allowing us to collaborate and innovate together. At OFS, we practice this in many ways, from our youngest students to our high school students. For our youngest learners, we teach sharing with others and helping friends when they are hurt. At all ages, we practice acknowledging one another, developing conflict resolution skills, and working effectively in a group. In the high school, this work is deepened through seminars around the Harkness table, where students share and listen to one another’s thoughts. These are just a few examples of practices that occur on a weekly basis.
While the world may insist on division, we will insist on coming together to understand each other’s ideas, thoughts, differences, and likenesses, all of which make us both special and the same.
I encourage you to practice this with your children and adolescents – at meals, during quiet times, or on car rides. Listen to what your child or adolescent wants you to know. Try to stay focused on the topic being discussed and listen with curiosity and interest, without taking over the conversation. It is not always easy as a parent to refrain from sharing your wisdom or experience, but when you pause to listen and let them lead the conversation, you may learn more about what they are thinking and what they are trying to understand internally.
Enjoy these moments in the new year and beyond. As you watch them grow physically, they are also growing on the inside—growing into the amazing adults they will one day be.
