The Fessy Den Blog

Why Parents Must Get Comfortable with the Word ‘Failure’

Parents often have a visceral reaction to the word “failure” in the context of student learning. This is especially true of parents who pay tuition at a private or independent school. An investment in your child’s education should lead to success, right? And isn’t failure antithetical to achievement? You already know the answer to this,...
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Why Preschool Children Should Have Control Over Their Learning

When you imagine the ideal classroom environment for your preschooler, it probably looks like a colorful, orderly space where students are engaged, actively participating, and genuinely excited to learn. But what happens in a student-directed environment that promotes choice? Don’t conjure up images of “Kindergarten Cop” where students are screaming and running amok. Student-focused education...
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How Community Service Shapes Executive Functioning

The middle school years mark an important transition for young boys. Their educational journeys will undergo big changes as they move from a contained classroom setting with a single teacher to an experience in which they may see four or five different teachers per day. However, this is not the only change. Their adolescent brains...
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