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Lise's Lens

Lise's Lens: December 4, 2025

This week, I’ve been focused on several education-related matters (shocking, I know!). I read an interesting article and response on the role of schools in keeping our students well; felt inspired by a faculty presentation; and watched a video featuring a recently deceased alum who worked in education.


WHAT I'M READING


A recent New York Times Magazine article titled, “America’s Children Are Unwell. Are Schools Part of the Problem?” has been sparking lots of conversation about the influx of mental health diagnoses amongst children and adolescents, but what I found particularly interesting was the argument that we have essentially been treating children to better adapt to the needs of schools when we should be treating schools to adapt to the needs of children. Antonio Viva, a colleague of mine and a partner at Leadership + Design, wrote a response to the piece in which he shared the following: 

A recent article in The New York Times highlighted how the youth mental health crisis is not separate from the daily structures of school but intertwined with them. The way time is organized shapes stress, belonging, focus, and well-being. When students move through a day that feels rushed and disjointed, it becomes harder to feel grounded or supported.

Research aligns with what we see. Contemporary models that rethink time share a few common elements:

  • They reduce transitions so students can engage deeply in work rather than rushing from one class to the next.
  • They include consistent time for wellness, advisory, and recovery.
  • They dedicate long blocks for project-based and experiential learning.
  • They treat time as variable and learning as the constant.
  • They align rhythm, pace, and structure with human needs.

These are not trends. They are design choices that respond to how humans learn.

I am really proud of the fact that at CSW, we honor each and every one of these elements.


WHAT I'M THINKING ABOUT

The Value of a Passionate Teacher

Yesterday, our faculty and staff had the privilege of hearing from Sarah Lewites, a member of our math faculty. Sarah gave a presentation showcasing her experiences designing curriculum and teaching summer mini mod math courses here at CSW. And while the point of the presentation was to give colleagues an inside look at the experience in hopes that they might also be interested in getting involved, when I walked away, all I could think was, wow — we are so lucky to have teachers like Sarah. Because as Sarah went through slides showing her planning notes, curriculum writing, example prompts, and photos from last summer, she was positively glowing with excitement. Her sincere love and passion for teaching was so obvious and I couldn’t help but feel moved and inspired. I am still thinking about it. Because it’s not just Sarah. All of our teachers care so much about what they do and we are so lucky to have them. I should also note that our summer mini mods are incredible, and if you haven’t checked them out yet, you absolutely should. 

WHAT I'M WATCHING/LISTENING TO

Hope Jenson Leichter ’46 Speaking About John Dewey 
 
We recently learned the sad news that Hope Jenson Leichter ’46 passed away in May, and so my colleagues in development and I did some digging to learn more about Hope, who was a professor of Education at Columbia Teachers College. The Columbia Teachers College announcement about her passing mentions that she "collaborated with Columbia Global Centers | Beijing as part of a centennial year event celebrating John Dewey’s visit to China," so we looked into it and found this video where she discusses his impact and theory. What's particularly interesting is her focus on the "family as educator,” and this essay makes an interesting connection between her work, his theory, and, interestingly, "the camp as educator.”
 

WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE

There’s just something I love about a white board full of student thoughts and ideas in their own handwriting. Here’s a snapshot in time from Anjali’s “Borders: Immigration, Migration, and National Boundaries” class. 
 

Photo by Rose Lieber '26. 
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CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.