<p>I just wanted to thank the many parents who post their thoughts, concerns, and questions on this board. As our new students arrived on campus, I've made double sure to talk with the parents of my advisees (especially my advisee family from the opposite coast) to set expectations for communications and give them a chance to get to know me a little bit. I helped one family wrangle an unruly mattress pad onto a top bunk, another to traverse the campus in search of a lost umbrella, and another to track down the elusive man in charge of private music lessons. And although the nominal point was these various tasks, it gave us a chance to talk, to laugh, and to break down some of the mystery associated with this person assigned to be an "advisor." It took hours out of my day, but I consider them very well spent.</p>
<p>I'm shy by nature and have been soured by one too many heliocopter parents in recent years so it wasn't easy, but reading your posts these past few months helped me to get a better sense of the parent perspective. I know that's going to make me a better advisor this year. So I wanted to say thanks to all of you!</p>
<p>Boarding school teachers are not perfect, and we are no substitute for good parents, but as I've listened to my colleagues talk in this week of preparation, it's clear that our school has a group of educators who not only care about young people, but have tremendous expertise in helping them negotiate the landmines of adolesence. </p>
<p>Best of luck to all the kids and families in the midst of this adventure!</p>