— ADVERTORIAL —
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF A CLASSICAL
EDUCATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE?
A in the greater world. Its building-block
approach nurtures the child’s interest in
learning, ability to concentrate and pay
attention for extended periods of time, read
for depth of understanding and express
thoughts and opinions clearly and per-
suasively. The child’s mind is actively and
imaginatively engaged in comprehending
rather than passively receiving a flow of
digitized information.

Ultimately, the goal of a classical educa-
tion is to teach the student how to think
critically and act creatively, how to tackle
and solve unfamiliar problems and how to
meet challenges with optimism and set-
backs with resilience. These are the very
skills that prepare children for a challenging
and unpredictable future.

Additionally, parents are beginning
to push back against the overwhelm-
ing amount of school-day screen
time, according to the Washington
Post. They are concerned that their
computer-dependent children are losing
merican children are growing up in
the digital age, many of them spend-
ing several hours a day looking at screens
at school. On their own time, they dive
into social media and devote countless
hours to video games. A recent multi-
year study by the American Psychological
Association shows that high-school-aged
teens spend more time texting and on
social media than reading. As a result,
parents, teachers and psychologists are
finding increasing problems among chil-
dren, including moody behavior, shorter
attention spans, decreased ability to focus
on academics and a lessening in empathy
for others.

Classical education provides the anti-
dote to every one of these alarming trends.

Classical education is a systematic, age-ap-
propriate approach to teaching children
how to think, how to build values and
develop strength of character, how to dis-
cover and improve on individual talents
and how to present themselves successfully
Extraordinary Environment for Learning
School Extraordinary
Environment for Learning
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• Discover Montessori: 12 mos - Grade 5
• Project-Based Learning: Grades 6-12
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for a summer
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barrie.org 22 Washington
WashingtonFAMILY 22
FAMILY MARCH
MARCH 2020
2020 CHARLOTTE FOSTER, ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CHAIR
& SUSAN GLAZIER, ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL
WESTMINSTER SCHOOL
ANNANDALE, VA 22003
ground in their academic understanding
and skills as well as their personal devel-
opment. They also resent that computer
use in school interferes with their parent-
ing decisions about their own children.

While developments in technology have
been empowering and exciting, parents
and schools are learning that computers
are not the automatic educational boost
they once hoped.

There is no magic bullet or digital course
that produces a well-rounded, knowledge-
able, courteous and confident person of
good character. However, there is a proven
way, and Westminster School stands by its
58-year history of delivering a classical
education in a nurturing, forward-look-
ing environment. The achievements of
our graduates, both academic and per-
sonal, testify to the effective and lasting
influence of a rich, carefully designed and
well-implemented classical education. ■
SEE OUR AD, PAGE 7



AT A GLANCE
ARTS PARENTING
Children’s Repertory Theater
Imagination Stage in Bethesda,
Maryland, presents two unique
shows for kids in repertory this
month: “Zomo the Rabbit: A
Hip-Hop Creation Myth” and
“Thumbelina.” Repertory theater features
the same company of actors
performing in different shows
during a particular time period.

“We love the rep format at
Imagination Stage because in
addition to two stories, our young
audiences get a terrific lesson in
theatricality,” says Janet Stanford,
founding artistic director. “Not only
does our versatile set transform
from one world to another, our
performers are seen playing wildly
different characters.”
Nominated for a Helen Hayes
award during its original 2009 run,
“Zomo the Rabbit” is a hip-hop
adaptation of a Nigerian folktale.

The story puts a local spin on the
global tradition of trickster tales,
taking place at various Washington,
D.C., landmarks. It plays through
March 22.

Making its world premiere,
“Thumbelina” reimagines Hans
Christian Andersen’s classic fairy
tale as a multimedia play using
live video projections, puppetry,
dioramas and other theater
magic. Inspired by Kamishibai,
a form of Japanese street theater,
it tells the story of a tiny girl on a
mission to find her place in the
world. “Thumbelina” runs through
April 5.

Both performances are best
for ages 4 and up. Tickets cost
$15-$35. For more information,
visit imaginationstage.org. T
—PJ FEINSTEIN
EDUCATION Special Needs Forum
Montgomery County Public
Schools (MCPS) will host its
annual “Extraordinary Minds in
MCPS” Forum on March 18 to
inform parents of children with
autism spectrum disorder about
public school placements and
services for students with
special needs.

The evening will begin with
an introduction to MCPS’s
ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS/THITAREESARMKASAT
autism services, which provides
support to approximately 2,300
autistic students. Then parents
can participate in informational
breakout sessions designed to
help them play a meaningful
role on their child’s Individual
Education Program (IEP) team.

The two hour-long sessions
will cover a variety of topics,
including organizational strategies
for students, transition planning
and resource and funding
opportunities. The “Program for
Education and Enrichment of
Relational Skills” and “Unstuck
and On Target” curriculums as
well as the “Zones of Regulation”
program will also be discussed.

This free event will be held
at Julius West Middle School,
Rockville, Maryland, from 6-9 p.m.

For more information, visit
xminds.org/event-3739056. T
—PJ FEINSTEIN
Quick tips for a
calmer household
OK, first, a bit of a disclaimer: There
are no real quick tips to making your
kid-filled household immediately
calmer, says Maryland-based
parenting coach Cindy Shuster. As
much as we might want that magic
wand, what we have instead are
easy entry points to parent better
and to change the energy dynamic
in a room.

Here’s how: First, Shuster says,
keep in mind “where we are plugged
into the negative behavior.” She
uses her own family of three boys as
an example. After dinner, she might
have sent the boys downstairs
to play, relieved for a moment to
herself. And they might have played
well together for a while, but “the
second the mayhem broke out, they
got my biggest energy,” she admits.

The accusations of “why can’t you
play nicely” flew.

Sound familiar?
Instead of losing our cool, parents
in this situation could praise the
good behavior — the cooperation,
the inside voices and more — while it
was happening.

“The same excitement we show
their bad behavior, we need to show
them when they are doing things
right,” she says.

Tantrums? The same principle
applies. Give those outbursts so
little energy that they are no longer
exciting for the child.

“We need to be more mindful
about how we are showing up,”
says Shuster, who was a classroom
teacher before she became
a certified parenting coach.

That included completing a
graduate program with 100 hours
of pro bono coaching. She now
coaches parents across the country
and holds community workshops
for parents.

Want more of her insights? Find
her at parentcoachcindy.com. T
—JESSICA GREGG
WashingtonFAMILY.com 23