Adolescents are always on the go. Just read this post from earlier in the week to be reminded of that! 

We all live busy lives. We wake up, and if your life is anything like mine, you are going a million miles an hour before your navigate your way downstairs in a sleepy haze. Your children have their own schedules, and, far too often we forget to think about what their lives are like.

Tuesday evening, Proctor faculty and staff had the privilege of hearing Dr. Angela Currie from NESCA (Neuropsychology and Education Services for Children and Adolescents) speak about anxiety levels in teenagers today and the impact those increased levels of anxiousness have on the learning process.

Wired wrote this article earlier this week, “American Schools Are Training Kids for a World That Doesn’t Exist”. Proctor identifies itself as a college preparatory school, however, we believe deeply in preparing our students for far more than simply college. 

The last three weeks of weather have given Sue Houston’s Climate Science class plenty to study. The first light frost of the season came three weeks ago, followed by an 85 degree sunshine filled day, and then thunderstorms and another hard frost. We returned from Family Weekend to a muggy downpour before highs yesterday only reached 44 degrees. Who would think you would start your woodstove and run your air conditioner in the same week. While some may find rural New England lacking excitement, all you need to do is follow the weather to stay entertained!

As ninth graders in Freshmen Seminar create self-portraits, they discusses their identity at Proctor. It is an identity that has certainly changed since each student first went on an Admission tour the year before. They have grown physically, emotionally, and socially. Their connection to Proctor is far deeper now than it was when first visiting. Four years from now when they graduate, after thousands of shared experiences, their connection will be still deeper.

As a school that pioneered a 1:1 laptop program in 2001 and initiated a 1:1 iPad program last year, technology is certainly not new to Proctor's classrooms, nor is it going to leave our classrooms anytime soon. Central to our technology integration strategy is utilizing technology as “A” problem solving tool, not “THE” problem solving tool. 

As we finish the first week of classes, we pause to appreciate the transitions that have taken place over the past two weeks. New students arrived and immediately took off on a five day hiking trip in the White Mountains. They then returned to campus, were oriented to buildings, classrooms, dorm rooms and have very quickly immersed themselves in ‘student life at Proctor’.