Sarah Schecter, Head of Lower School

October 4, 2024

Dear Lower School Parents,

Many of you read The Anxious Generation with us last summer. The book was impactful in many ways. We continue to have conversations and consider ways to help our students become stronger and more joyful.

One idea The Anxious Generation proposed was using materials from LetGrow.org to give kids opportunities to do things on their own and grow more independent. For many reasons, kids today don’t get as many chances to do things on their own. This makes it hard for them to stretch and succeed, respond to a setback or solve a practical problem.

The Let Grow Experience is a monthly homework assignment that encourages kids to do something new, on their own. Make breakfast, climb a tree, run an errand. The goal is to grow independence, confidence, problem solving skills, and hopefully to replace worry with pride and joy.

Each family can discuss together what the goal will be for each month. There will be a list of possible goals sent home, but you are free to be creative. I expect the homework to be harder on parents than it is on the kids. It will be difficult to let your kids do something on their own. But it will be worth it, and all of us will grow in unexpected ways. 

We plan to talk about this at Parliament on Tuesday. Look for a letter and information on getting started next week. We are so excited to see what our kids can do!

Sincerely,

Sarah Schecter

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