Archives

  • Say Yes to Change with Radical Acceptance

    Say Yes to Change with Radical Acceptance

    In March of 2000, I was in Washington, D.C. and overheard a colleague speaking about a Buddhist psychologist named Tara Brach who would be speaking that evening at an after-dinner event. Instantly hooked by the Buddhist-psychologist combo, I decided to attend. Within minutes, I was mesmerized by this small, soft-spoken, Read more
  • The Power of Perception

    The Power of Perception

    We humans are meaning-making machines and it is ultimately our perception (or what our mind chooses to see) that informs the story we tell ourselves and others about what is happening and what it means. As a graduate student of psychology, perception was an area of study that I did Read more
  • College Prep: Tips for 9th and 10th Graders

    College Prep: Tips for 9th and 10th Graders

      If you are either a current 9th or 10th grader or the parent of one, it is likely that college prep has or will soon come up in conversations. Realizing this, Westtown School’s Director of College Counseling visited our ninth and tenth-grade students in early February and shared these Read more
  • Talking About Race with Your Children

    Talking About Race with Your Children

    When I was younger, as a child of color in a household with parents who were also of color, talking about race was so common I don’t remember a time when we didn’t talk about it. I remember feeling proud and empowered about my racial identity. When I was faced Read more
  • Let Books Herald A New Tradition

    Let Books Herald A New Tradition

    Family holiday traditions are important to give our children a sense of connectedness and history. This holiday season, consider creating a new tradition of building a family collection of holiday stories. The books can be packed away at the end of the season and tucked away until next year, so Read more
  • Finding Peace (and Hope) at School

    Finding Peace (and Hope) at School

    Quakers use queries in different ways to encourage self-awareness for individuals and the community, to gain clarity, and to guide decision making. The first query of the year for the Lower Schoolers at Westtown School focused on the Quaker testimony of peace. For several days, students reflected on the query Read more
  • Finding Strength In Community

    Finding Strength In Community

    At Westtown School, we have found that the voices we most want to hear on graduation day are those of our students themselves — they are more powerful and evocative of the Westtown experience than that of any outside speaker. Each year, seniors write a personal reflective essay. Three essays Read more
  • (Teacher Approved) Fun for Summer!

    (Teacher Approved) Fun for Summer!

    School is out and summer is here! While students often crave a rest from their daily routines, their brains remain hungry for the “superfood” that active learning provides. Whether you’d like  to help your child avoid the so-called summer slide, or are looking for some creative ideas to fill downtime, Read more
  • 5 Things a Camp Director Wants You To Know

    5 Things a Camp Director Wants You To Know

    Summer camp season is upon us. As you finalize your plans or are just beginning the process, Westtown’s Director of Auxiliary Initiatives and Camp Director, Brian DeGroat, has some tips to make your child’s camp experience one to remember – for the right reasons! 1.When researching camps, start with your Read more
  • What Does Your T-Shirt Really Cost?

    What Does Your T-Shirt Really Cost?

    (article excerpted from the Buck Institute for Education blog and edited for length.) In elementary school, math is tangible and authentic. You count money or look at what fraction of a pizza you have left. Once students reach middle school, math loses its tangibility, moving from concrete to abstract. At Read more