Currey Ingram Blog

The concept of a postgraduate year is pretty straightforward: it’s a transitional year between high school and a post-secondary education for students who may not be quite ready for a full and typical college experience.

A postgraduate year should be spent meaningfully; it is not a year for hanging out or passively waiting for something to happen. There should be a mix of work, volunteering, travel, and specialty classes. Completing a Scuba course, for example, could trigger an interest in marine sciences. Interning at a local television station could lead to a career in media. Students who spend their postgraduate year wisely are able to:

Executive function is a set of cognitive skills that are essential for us to set goals, plan, and complete tasks. Executive function has three main areas. These are:

1) Working memory. This allows short-term memory retention. Working memory may then help transfer this information into long-term memory.
2) Flexible thinking. This is the ability to switch gears quickly and find new ways to solve problems.
3) Inhibitory control. This is the ability to control impulsive responses that hinder individuals from completing a goal. An example of this would be a student ignoring conversations in the background while he/she is studying for an exam.

As parents, you only want the best for your children, and understandably so. With this in mind, many parents knowingly or subconsciously remove obstacles and shield their children from difficult tasks. While this might be done with the best intentions, it can hinder children from developing the skills and tools needed to build independence to succeed in school and in life.

Encouraging children to work situations out on their own helps them develop critical thinking skills, grit, and emotional resilience; they are able to handle failure and disappointment with maturity and grace. Instead of viewing challenges as difficulties, see them as opportunities for growth.

Brentwood boarding school Currey Ingram Academy recognizes the crucial role Executive Function (EF) plays in a person’s success in school and in life. The faculty and staff share a common goal of helping all students make strides in this area.

At any time in life, it is important to find ways to connect with others and to give back. Connection and giving are things we aim to teach in Currey Ingram Upper School, alongside math, English, science, history, the arts, etc. Now, more than ever, we feel these two things are of the utmost importance. Humans need to feel connected to other humans, especially in times of crisis. Humans need to feel like they have purpose, like they are contributing to the world in some way. Connection and giving can raise self-esteem and contentment while lowering anxiety and depression, among other things. Below you will find some ideas for how to serve others, even during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as ways to stay in touch with others. If you have more ideas, send me an email, because I would love to hear about them.