Schmidt Lecture Series

We welcomed Jennifer Wallace, author of "Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—and What We Can Do About It," on campus in late February of 2024. In addition to her evening lecture with parents, Mrs. Wallace spoke to Upper School students and our faculty as part of Country Day's faculty in-service day.

With the rise of "toxic achievement culture" overtaking our kids' and parents' lives, Mrs. Wallace provided tools to help parents, students, and teachers untangle self-worth from achievement, with the biggest takeaway being: MATTERING — the idea that we are valued for who we are at our core, and that we can add meaningful value to the lives of others.

Mark Mathabane discussed his book Kaffir Boy, the true story of his coming of age under the South African apartheid regime. Kaffir Boy won the prestigious Christopher Award for showing the resiliency of the human spirit and inspiring hope. Kaffir Boy was a finalist for the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, reached No. 1 on the Washington Post bestsellers list, and has been translated into more than a dozen languages.

An informative and constructive discussion about the complex social world of our children — from the parallel play of the two-year-old to the intimate self-disclosure of the adolescent — Dr. Michael Thompson led the audience through topics explored in his book "Best Friends/Worst Enemies" and discussed friendship development, popularity, and social cruelty in childhood.

Dr. Wendy Mogel discussed parenting in a culture of increasing anxiety and rapid change. She unraveled the paradox of good-intentioned, devoted parenting gone astray, and explained how over-protection, over-scheduling, over-indulgence, and perfectionism undermine children's intrinsic motivation, resilience, and pride in their achievements. 

Why don’t kids do what you want? Katherine Lewis, a nationally respected journalist, presented "The Good News about Bad Behavior," discussing how to navigate tricky behavioral issues among children of all ages (K-12) and addressed parent questions, including device use, sibling rivalry, and disrespectful behavior.

Katey McPherson discussed the brains of tweens and teens of the iGeneration in her talk titled "Kids Under the Influence: The Hidden Impact of Screen Time and Social Media on our Children and What Every Parent Needs to Know." Ms. McPherson brings experience in school leadership, prevention, and organizational change with 25 years as a secondary school teacher, guidance counselor, and PK-12 school administrator. 

Mr. Evans spoke with faculty, staff, and parents on rearing children in the culture of the now. He outlined the dilemmas parents face today and offered concrete suggestions for successful coping at home and school.