The Country School is an independent, coeducational, Pre-K through 8 school founded in 1934.
News
Lawnmower Parents
As parenting styles come in and out of fashion, Mr. Mufson describes one of the most recent trends.
A faculty member recently shared with me a web posting on the site “We Are Teachers” about a newly-coined term for a troubling trend in parenting: “lawnmower parents.” The post defines this group as parents who “go to whatever lengths are necessary to prevent their child from having to face adversity, struggle, or failure. Instead of preparing children for challenges, they mow obstacles down so kids won’t experience them in the first place.” However well meaning these parents are, “in raising children who have experienced minimal struggle, we are not creating a happier generation of kids. We are creating a generation that has no idea what to do when they encounter struggle, a generation for whom failure is far too painful, leaving them with coping mechanisms like addiction, blame, and internalization.”
As the school year unfolds, it is worth considering how you approach situations when your child falters or struggles. What lessons and messages does your intervention convey? How can you help turn inevitable difficulties into positive teachable moments? How can you avoid seeing the teacher or the test or the opponent as unfair or as the problem? How can you foster an attitude that sees struggle and failure as inevitable stepping stones on the path to success? How can we as adults promote children’s sense of agency, that is, their sense that they themselves can powerfully create positive outcomes?
While few parents enjoy seeing their children struggle, it is worth considering which situations call for us to swoop in and which call for our restraint. What skills do our offspring acquire as they grapple with challenges and obstacles, rather than having them removed before they even sense they’re there?
Recent News
List of 5 news stories.
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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. -
TCS Upper School presents 'Matilda, Jr.!'
Read MoreThe Country School will present Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR. on March 1st & 2nd at 7pm and on March 3rd at 2pm in the school’s auditorium. Tickets are $10. Click here to purchase tickets. -
Renowned Scholar Celeste-Marie Bernier visits The Country School
This week, The Country School was honored to welcome a distinguished visitor to its campus, Professor Celeste-Marie Bernier, Chair of United States and Atlantic Studies at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.Read More -
Secondary School Night 2023
On Tuesday, October 3, over 30 secondary school representatives visited our Secondary School Night, an event open to students in grades 5-8.Read More -
Country School Summer Camps 2023
Our summer camps aren't just open to Country School students. Check out the many great offerings this summer at this link.
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