Each holiday season, a favorite tradition for many of us is a viewing of the classic film It’s a Wonderful Life. Frank Capra’s beloved story about the fictional town of Bedford Falls, and of George Bailey’s despair over his meaningless life, does more than merely warm our hearts during its yearly showing. It prompts us...
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The messy room is as close as anything gets to a universal parenting challenge. One psychologist told the Chicago Tribune messy rooms have been the top complaint of parents for as long as such records have been kept. Other articles describe the teen and pre-teen bedroom as a “battleground,” offer advice for “winning the chore...
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If you live in Boston, one of the perks of enrolling your child in a private school, rather than taking your chances in the Boston Public Schools lottery, is the ability to expand your school search beyond the city limits. The city of Boston offers many excellent educational opportunities for students starting in pre-kindergarten or...
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As you browse through the Junior Boarding School Association’s list of junior boarding schools in the Northeast, you’ll find that some schools are comprised of almost entirely day students with a handful of boarders. The populations of others are made up of varying mixes of boarding students and day students—students who live off-campus with their...
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You spend eight hours or more every day perfecting your profession, working your way up, and supporting your family. What does your 4-year-old do all day? He plays. As the teachers at The Fessenden School say, “Play is the work of childhood.” And the experts agree: Play is just as important to growing young minds...
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As you contemplate your son’s educational future, one thing is sure. You want him to attend one of the nation’s top boarding schools. The question is, when? The obvious, and most popular, starting points are ninth and tenth grades. Ninth grade because it’s the natural beginning of the traditional four-year high school experience. It’s also...
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Whether your son is advancing from pre-K or entering school for the very first time, kindergarten will be a very different world for him. In kindergarten, your son’s social skills, motor skills, and cognitive abilities will be challenged in many ways. In our article, “7 Signs Your 5-Year-Old Is Ready For Private Kindergarten,” Boston-based educational...
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We recently asked Dan Kiley, one of Fessenden’s most beloved and longest-tenured faculty members, to share his thoughts on the start of the 2016-2017 academic year. For me, the opening of a new school year always conjures feelings of excitement mixed with trepidation and anxiety. After nearly forty years of teaching, I still get “butterflies”...
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Do you really have to leave Boston as soon as your first child turns four? For families throughout the city, it’s an agonizing choice. You love Boston: the diverse, walkable neighborhoods; the restaurants, museums, and endless things to do; the rich history. This is the city you call home. But some things are even more...
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When are good grades not good enough? When your son is bored in school. When the material is too easy, doesn’t challenge or engage them, gifted middle school boys tend to coast on their smarts. They may slack off on their homework, put the minimum amount of effort into class projects, and stay silent during...
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