Sara W. Lazar, PhD is an Associate Researcher in the Psychiatry Department at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Professor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School. The focus of her research is to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of yoga and meditation, both in clinical settings and in healthy individuals. She is a contributing author to Meditation and Psychotherapy (Guilford Press). She has been practicing yoga and mindfulness meditation since 1994. Her research has been covered by numerous news outlets including The New York Times, USA Today, CNN, and WebMD, and her work has been featured in a display at the Boston Museum of Science.

RECOMMENDED FOR PARENTS, P-12: 

Research shows that today’s parents spend more time with their children, are more emotionally engaged and are committed to the success of their offspring. There is only one problem: there are actually many times when parental absence is the magic ingredient for a child’s development. In this talk, Dr. Thompson discusses the eight things you cannot do for your children and why they need experiences that can nurture their curiosity and creative powers, where they can make great friends, and where they see the path to adulthood and leadership more clearly than they can with mom and dad looking over their shoulders.

Dr. Thompson mixes anecdote and clinical experience with research on the outcomes of different parenting styles and comes up with a warm-hearted recipe for providing children with an internal foundation for moral behavior. Early in life every child needs a “secure base;” later a child needs a “framework” around him. Only when he feels securely anchored and contained will a child be able to follow rules consistently. How can a parent provide consistency and how can he or she successfully communicate with his or her child around issues of responsibility? What do we know about the different outcomes of democratic, authoritative and authoritarian parenting? Which method of parenting produces the most competent child? Many parents have heard this talk and felt affirmed and challenged by it. Many teen-agers have heard it and have had to admit that it probably is….well…right.

Breakfast Parent Talk: The Nature of Boys

"What’s the matter with my son?" "Why is he an underachiever in school?" "Why are boys so violent?" "Why won’t boys talk to adults?" Educators and parents in the United States are engaged in an important debate about the way we raise and educate boys. After twenty years of illuminating research on girls and debate about gender equity in schools, it is time to consider some of the risk factors that afflict the lives of boys. They are four times more likely than girls to be sent to a school psychologist; they are diagnosed with 60-80% of learning disorders. Their areas of strength, physical activity and visual-spatial perception, are not as important as verbal skills in the feminine, quiet, word-dominated environment of schools. Boys do not do as well in school as girls, from elementary school through college and they are at risk for concluding that schools don’t work for them and becoming withdrawn and bitter.

In early adolescence most boys begin to attach their sense of status to mastery and achievement. They are subjected to a powerful “culture of cruelty” which may require boys to adhere to a narrow ideology of masculinity: avoidance of feeling, avoidance of anything feminine, fear of personal weakness. The result may be a boy who is or appears closed and often angry. In this talk, Dr. Thompson gives suggestions to teachers, fathers and mothers about how to support a boy in the early years of school and how to help a boy remain emotionally open in adolescence.

RECOMMENDED FOR PARENTS, P-8: 

Children don’t want adults to be involved in their social lives. They hate it when teachers "interfere." Yet teachers are witnesses to the exclusion of low-status children in elementary schools and the popularity wars of middle school and they must act to protect the weak. Parents also see the friendship difficulties of their own children. Some take their children’s social ambitions to heart and worry that their children are not popular. Other parents hope the school can protect their children from all social pain.

Social cruelty among kids is one of the most difficult things that adults have to confront in raising or educating children. Experienced teachers can be confused about how to protect a child in class, for fear of putting a rejected or controversial child in “the limelight.” They can also feel defensive when parents of neglected or victimized children come to the school for help.

This presentation walks teachers and parents through the complex social world of childhood and addresses a number of questions: What do social relationships in school predict about happiness in adult life? What is the normal sequence of child friendships, from the parallel play of the two-year-old to the intimate self-disclosure of the adolescent? Why do cliques form and what are the differences between boy and girl groups? Why are children scapegoated and how can their parents and school protect them? Dr. Thompson will draw on research to highlight the differences between friendship and popularity. He makes suggestions about the management of social problems in schools and makes the case that while all children yearn for popularity, it is friendship that helps children survive and thrive.

Source:: http://michaelthompson-phd.com/

The PA is presenting Screenagers to parents on September 27th. The evening begins at 5:30 with some light refreshments, the documentary begins at 6:00, and Erin Walsh, of Mind Positive Parenting, will moderate a discussion afterward. 

Dr. Anne Gearity, a leading child psychologist, educator and trainer

Harlan is returning to Breck!

Daytime - Cargill Theater - Senior Class - The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College

Evening - Talk with PARENTS OF Juniors and Seniors - The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College

Harlan Cohen is the New York Times bestselling author of the Naked Roommate series and is one of the most widely read and respected syndicated advice columnists for teens and twenty-somethings. His column, "Help Me, Harlan!," is distributed by King Features Syndicate, and his advice has been featured in hundreds of publications, including the New York Times, Seventeen, and Psychology Today. He lives in Chicago, Illinois. For more information, visit www.HelpMeHarlan.com and www.NakedRoommate.com.

Harlan regularly tours high school and college campuses giving presentations to students, professionals and parents and he's returning to Breck this spring co-sponsored by Upper School Student Life, the Parents' Association Education Committee. and the Peter Clark Center for Mind, Brain, and Education.

Dr. Chris Bedford, School Neuropsychologist and Director of the BrainSight Clinic in St. Paul.

Dr. Bedford joins us for a second year for hands-on workshops/discussions focused on the neuropsychological process of learning and what students and parents can do to facilitate learning excellence. 

The PCC Speaker Series is in collaboration with the Parents Association Education Committee

9:45-10:20 AM - 7th & 8th Grade Students (Chapel)

10:25-11:00 AM - 5th & 6th Grade Students (Chapel)

11:30 AM-1:00 PM - All Parents (West Board Room)

Troy Kemp will be visiting Breck on Monday, January 29th, 2018.

In collaboration with Breck's Middle and Upper School, Athletic Department, Parents' Association, and US Mentor Program, we are delighted to welcome Troy Kemp, Executive Director of the National Center for the Development of Boys. Read Troy's story HERE.

8:45 AM - Upper School Library - What Does it Mean to be a Man Today:  Redefining Masculinity - (All parents welcome)

10:10 AM - Chapel - Upper School Student Body (All parents welcome)

11:30-12:35 - Lunch in the Glass Balcony - All Faculty Discussion: The 10 things you need to know about teaching boys

6:00-7:30 PM - Upper School Dining Hall - Presentation/Discussion with Boys of Color, their Parents, and their Coaches: Defining Yourself in a World that Tries to Define You

Erin Walsh, M.A. is a dynamic, knowledgeable speaker who has addressed a wide range of audiences on topics related to brain development and raising resilient young people in the digital age. Erin was instrumental to the development of the MediaWise movement and enjoyed working with her father, Dr. David Walsh, for 10 years at the National Institute on Media and the Family before creating Mind Positive Parenting together in 2010. In addition to her work with Mind Positive Parenting, Erin is a speaker with the Bolster Collaborative and teaches undergraduate students at the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs where she teaches a program called Making Media, Making Change. Erin currently serves as the board chair of YMCA Camp Widjiwagan, a wilderness-based youth development program and has consulted with schools, school districts, parent groups and other youth serving organizations throughout the country on issues related to digital media, children, youth. She lives in Minneapolis, MN with her partner, two sons, and husky dog.

The PCC Speaker Series is in collaboration with the Parents Association Education Committee

There is a lot of compelling neuroscience being reported these days and images of brain scans seem to be everywhere. The important question is -- What can help us in our parenting? What does understanding a concept like neuroplasticity, integration, variability, or hijacking do for our everyday lives as parents? Join us for a session led by Dr. Daisy Pellant, Director of the Peter Clark Center for Mind, Brain, and Education at Breck. The PCC has as its mission creating a bridge between research and practice for all students, faculty, and families. Understanding applicable research will help us develop excellence as students, teachers, and parents. As the parent of four spirited kids, aged 12-19, Daisy knows firsthand how a practical understanding of the brain has helped her parenting decisions day to day and she looks forward to opening the conversation with you.

Katy Pearson is the Middle School Counselor at Breck School in Minneapolis, MN.  Katy has worked as a counselor/educator for over 25 years as an English teacher in American Samoa, a special education teacher in the public school system, an Outward Bound instructor, and as a wilderness trip leader for teens in the legal system. Over the years, Katy has studied the topic of Resiliency with a special focus on how to cultivate resilient traits (forgiveness, optimism and problem solving) in young people.  Katy has a compelling story to share and practical skills to impart to help support the young people in your life and to cultivate resiliency in yourself.

Harlan Cohen is the New York Times bestselling author of the Naked Roommate series and is one of the most widely read and respected syndicated advice columnists for teens and twenty-somethings. His column, "Help Me, Harlan!," is distributed by King Features Syndicate, and his advice has been featured in hundreds of publications, including the New York Times, Seventeen, and Psychology Today. He lives in Chicago, Illinois. For more information, visit www.HelpMeHarlan.com and www.NakedRoommate.com.

Harlan regularly tours high school and college campuses giving presentations to students, professionals and parents and he's coming to Breck this spring co-sponsored by Upper School Student Life, the Parents' Association Education Committee. and the Peter Clark Center for Teaching and Learning Speaker Series in honor of the class of 2016. 

CHILDCARE WILL BE PROVIDED 6:15-8:15

Glenn Whitman, Director St. Andrew's Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning and author ofNeuroteach: Brain Science and the Future of Education

Breck has been invited to be an Academy School in partnership with the award-winning Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, MD. In April, 2017, Glenn Whitman will be training our Breck Faculty Fellows in the neurodevelopmental framework for Teaching All Kinds of Minds and understanding Mind, Brain, and Education applications in professional practice. We are delighted that Glenn will also be presenting his book, Neuroteach, as a part of our Peter Clark Center for Teaching & Learning Speaker Series in honor of the class of 2016. 

About Neuroteach: Brain Science and the Future of Education

Teachers are brain changers. Thus it would seem obvious that an understanding of the brain – the organ of learning – would be critical to a teacher’s readiness to work with students. Unfortunately, in traditional public, public-charter, private, parochial, and home schools across the country, most teachers lack an understanding of how the brain receives, filters, consolidates, and applies learning for both the short and long term. Neuroteach was therefore written to help solve the problem teachers and school leaders have in knowing how to bring the growing body of educational neuroscience research into the design of their schools, classrooms, and work with each individual student. It is our hope, that Neuroteach will help ensure that one day, every student –regardless of zip code or school type—will learn and develop with the guidance of a teacher who knows the research behind how his or her brain works and learns.

The Peter Clark Center for Teaching & Learning is committed to faculty development that aligns with current research on mind, brain, and education and is immediately applicable in the classroom. Select Breck faculty leaders, our Faculty Fellows, will be trained in Teaching for All Kinds of Mindsand Neuroteach: Brain Science and the Future of Education. The Breck Faculty Fellows, in turn, will support the training of our entire faculty during the 2017-2018 school year. We are partnering with St. Andrew's Episcopal School and their Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning to provide faculty training and collaboratively engage in ongoing exploration into Mind, Brain, and Education Science. 

The CTTL, led by Glenn Whitman, co-author of the book Neuroteach, gathers the latest in Mind, Brain, and Education Science and works to put that research into the hands of teachers. By doing so, teachers can better construct their classes to the benefit of every student. This means more students can become high achievers and students with multiple AP classes can get their work done more efficiently.  Every student and teacher at St. Andrew's benefits from the CTTL on a daily basis.  St. Andrew’s teachers use research informed whole-class and personalized strategies to help each student become more confident, efficient, and independent learners throughout his or her learning journey. To learn more about the CTTL, visit its website by clicking here.

http://calm.us/    Dr. Chris Bedford

PCCTL Speaker Series in Honor of the Class of 2016

Please join us for a talk with Dr. Chris Bedford of the C.A.L.M. Clinic  Effective Support for Your Learner: Anxiety, Attention, and Memory

PCCTL Speaker Series in Honor of the Class of 2016

Dr. Michael Thompson Returns to Breck! 

Michael G. Thompson, Ph.D. is a consultant, author and psychologist specializing in children and families. He is the supervising psychologist for the Belmont Hill School and has worked in more than seven hundred schools across the United States, as well as in international schools in Central America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

"The Pressured Child" is, in fact, a presentation for "pressured parents" who have forgotten what school is actually like. It is a talk for parents who are gripped by worries and misapprehensions about their children's life in school. In the presentation, Dr. Thompson describes the psychological journey that children experience during their thirteen years in school. He reminds parents that children are almost never judging themselves by grades: they are always monitoring their own development and constantly searching for three things: connection, recognition and a sense of power. He illustrates how children find those in many different arenas of school life. There are three kinds of children in school: 1) those whose journeys are characterized mostly by success, 2) those whose journeys are characterized by a chronic but manageable struggle, and 3) those whose journeys are characterized by fury and despair. Each journey has its own different pressures. Every child is constantly developing strategies for coping with the pressures that he or she feels. In order to write the book, Dr. Thompson went back to school, following students, seventh graders through seniors, in independent, Catholic, and public schools. In the book and in this talk, he shares stories from the trenches, taking parents and teachers into the school day experience of children, illuminating how they manage their school careers and how the best educators and wisest parents can support them along the way.