Lise's Lens: April 4, 2024
I am reading Maame, by Jessica George, thinking about the important role Mod 5 plays in our school year, and listening to an interview about social media with one of our alums!
WHAT I’M READING
- I decided (again from my bedside pile) to read a novel that would take me into the life of a teen. I read Maame, a novel by Jessica George, a first time novelist. The novel follows Maddie Wright, a British Ghanaian woman, as she comes of age in London. Apparently the novel is loosely based on George’s own experiences, which made it particularly interesting to me. In several interviews, George shares how her diaries were useful to her in writing the book (shoutout to keeping a journal)! And in case you are wondering about the title, Maame, it means to be a woman or a mother (in this case, before her/your time) in Twi, a Ghanaian dialect.
WHAT I’M THINKING/TALKING ABOUT
- I am thinking about how important this time of year is here at CSW. For many, Mod 5 marks the transition into the “end” of the school year, or rather, the final third. But rather than focus on the end point, I hope we can mindfully acknowledge everything going on in our present, day-to-day lives. As I shared in a letter to parents and guardians this week, we have a lot of really exciting special programming happening this Mod, including visits from David Hogg and representatives from Our Children’s Trust. But Mod 5 is also a time when the Community Engagement component of PACE really goes into high gear, with students venturing off campus to partner with local organizations. It’s also when Senior Capstone presentations begin. As always, it’s going to go by in a flash, but I am confident that the benefits of our experiences will remain with us for much longer.
WHAT I'M WATCHING/LISTENING TO
- It was exciting to hear CSW alum Evan Greer ’03 on WBUR as part of a conversation discussing the role and impact of social media, specifically in the lives of adolescents. By now, we are all well aware of the negative impacts these channels can have on mental health, but Evan also points out that for some kids, social media offers much needed community, support, and refuge from difficult home situations. In summary, it’s a highly complicated issue where things are not nearly as black and white as they may seem.
WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE
Our Neotropics of Latin America students are having a blast down in Panama. Yesterday they went for nature walks with the CADI School and enjoyed a delicious barbecue. Follow along with them on Instagram @CSWOffCampus
The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.