On the first day of A.P. Language and Composition (popularly known as “A.P. Lang”), I’ve taken to asking my classes a few simple questions: 1) Why did you enroll in this class? 2) What is A.P. Lang all about? and...

By Nina Berler of unCommon Apps In advisory sessions, parents and students nearly always ask about standardized tests, deemed optional for the foreseeable future by nearly all colleges. My response: As colleges move away from tests and more into holistic...

With many students increasingly seeing the value of languages as a means to excel in the modern world, we thought it would be good to share some of our favorite resources that will have you speaking and writing in no...

If you’re anything like I was as a student, the idea of raising your hand and contributing something meaningful to class discussion can be fairly terrifying. You have to think of something insightful to say. Something that hasn’t been said...

Defense mechanisms take all forms in teenagers; sometimes they masquerade, ironically, as the obvious.  I taught one girl several years ago at Taft, a hockey player, who, upon entering the class for the first time, announced loudly in front of...

Many parents are asking themselves now that we’ve entered the summer and secured at least some form of distraction for our kids, “what will the next school year look like?” And… “what can I do to best prepare my child...

A solid two thirds of the students we serve suffering from anxiety are triggered by the practice of writing an essay. Many of them get really stuck in the initial phases of writing, overwhelmed by the prospect of the whole...

As I’ve stated previously in Graduating Anxiety and in previous columns, the role of memory is over-stated even in the best educational programs. Rote memorization is a quaint relic of a bygone era, love it or hate it. I knew...

A recent commissioned study by the Chronicle of Higher Education determined that 55% of higher ed faculty are considering a switch to another career. Oddly enough, 33% of tenured professors, even, are considering a change. It goes to show the...

The Huffpost recently asked school counselors to speculate what the notable after effects for kids following the pandemic, a group uniquely in a position to predict the outcomes. Three areas emerged recurrently: 1. Being Stuck in ‘Survival Mode’: After being...