The Country School is an independent, coeducational, Pre-K through 8 school founded in 1934.
News
The Confidence Gap in Girls
Research shows a drop in self-confidence in girls between the ages of 8-14, and Mr. Mufson details the reasons why this is important and what we can do about it.
A few parents last week wanted to make sure I had seen a recent New York Times article entitled "The Confidence Gap for Girls: 5 Tips for Parents of Tween & Teen Girls." We all know that adolescence can be an intense time of questioning, redefinition, attempting to fit in, and trying out independence. The authors of the article, based on their forthcoming book The Confidence Code for Girls, cite a major piece of fallout of this developmental period and one of the key results of their research: “Between the ages of 8 and 14, girls’ confidence levels fall by 30 percent. At 14, when girls are hitting their low, boys’ confidence is still 27 percent higher. And the effects can be long lasting.”
While the article goes on to outline how to “spot the signs of this confidence plunge” and remediate it, I found the authors’ suggestions reflective of good parenting for any age and any gender. Essentially the authors — Claire Shipman, Katty Kay, and JillEllyn Riley — recommend encouraging “risk, failure, recovery, and mastery, or more action and less thinking” as the keys to building confidence in girls. A willingness to accept failure, not avoid it, and not succumb to it, along with a bold willingness to move forward, are the key attitudes for parents to attempt to instill.
The writers’ “confidence cheat sheet” gives concrete suggestions on how to build confidence. Trading one’s “comfort zones for danger zones”; taking the fear out of failure; retraining teenage girls’ brains away from their natural tendency towards rumination; parental modeling and open discussion of personal experiences with failure; and embracing “the bumps” are the steps that get fleshed out in the article.
Girls clearly face challenges boys don’t as they approach and enter early adolescence. Yet a willingness to see failure as a friend from which to grow — and not as a foe to be avoided — is a strategy for healthy development not limited to one’s gender.
Recent News
List of 5 news stories.
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Kindergarten Students Serving Others!
Kindergarteners have been participating in a 3 part HOHO (Helping Others; Helping Ourselves) project lead by Ferris and Laura Butler. Students packed boxes to be shipped to veterans and their families. The boxeswere filled with child friendly, donated items. Also in the boxes were handwritten letters from the students along with a handmade American flag craft. The Butlers carefully orchestrated this project, and we are very grateful for their time and efforts. -
Spring Athletic Award Winners
Congratulations to all our spring athletics award winners and to all our Cougar athletes who participated in sports and clubs! This spring, TCS offered Boys’ and Girls’ Lacrosse, Pickleball Club, Running Club, and Volleyball Club. Providing so many athletic opportunities took a village—thank you to our amazing coaches, volunteers, and parent drivers for making it all possible! And thank you to our students for setting an example of dedication and sportsmanship!Read More -
Summer Trips for Upper School Students in 2025
It is with great excitement that The Country School announces the addition of 2025 summer trips for our Upper School students!Read More -
The Country School Celebrates 90 Years and Installs Jay Parker
Read MoreThe Country School is proud to be celebrating its 90th school year. This milestone year also marks the beginning of a new chapter with the appointment of Jay Parker as the 7th Head of School. -
Conversation & Homecoming - Saturday, February 24, 2024
Read MoreThe Country School, Talbot County Free Library, and the Avalon Foundation, sponsors, join with fourteen other community organizations to present Conversation & Homecoming with Carole Boston Weatherford and her son, Jeffery Boston Weatherford, a program free and open to all.
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