Notes From the Middle

In his book, A More Beautiful Question, journalist and innovation expert Warren Berger writes, “We’re all hungry today for better answers…

This week’s post is written by Melissa Dolan ’98, our Middle School Curriculum Leader

Do you remember what it felt like to wait at home while your mom or dad attended parent-teacher conferences — to know they were talking…

I was the chess champion of the sixth grade.

Feedback is a word we use a lot in school. But what does it mean, really? And, more importantly, why would anyone want to receive any?

Have you ever had the experience of sitting down to complete a small task, and 25 minutes later, you still haven’t finished it — but you…

“How do I help my child develop intrinsic motivation?”

As a parent, I am always on the lookout for mentors — people who can help me respond a little more purposefully, responsively, and wisely…

Shortly after I accepted the position as Head of Middle School at Rivers, I came across a box of memorabilia from my years as a student…

I shared this speech with the entire middle school student body at the end of the first week of school. Hope you enjoy it!

On Tuesday, my daughter started second grade. The night before, she had what we call “first day jitters.” The butterflies weren’t about…

This morning, I had the opportunity to share some thoughts with our middle school students at our last meeting.

In a lower Haynes art room thirty-one years ago, an art teacher handed me a copy of Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet. “I want…

In a recent letter to shareholders, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos writes that he has banned PowerPoint presentations at meetings. Instead of bullet…

Do you remember getting your first driver’s license? What I remember, beyond the long line at the Watertown DMV, was the steady stream of…

This week’s post is written by Seventh Grade Science Teacher Sarah Freeman.

Do you remember the famous marshmallow experiment from the 1960s? Researchers placed a single marshmallow in front of a group of small…

On Monday morning, several Middle School parents gathered to hear more about how our program helps kids develop the analytical skills they…

Helping Teens Develop Emotional Agility