A few months ago we gathered on our Upper Field to celebrate Thacher’s 128th commencement. Others have encouraged me to publish here the parting words I shared then with our seniors and their families. Here they are: We now come …
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Author Archives: Michael Mulligan
Affirming Thacher Values in a Time of Political Turmoil
The following is a talk recently delivered by Head of School Michael K. Mulligan at one of our regular All-School Assemblies. Like many others around our nation, I have not been able to watch the national news lately without wincing. …
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On Teenage Defiance
A recent article in the New York Times offers this catchy headline: Can Teenage Defiance Be Manipulated for Good? The author is accurate in that teens slide quickly to polarization and respond well, therefore, to hero-villain scripts. They …
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Tough’s Take On Resilience
We have heard and read a lot of late about the importance of grit and resilience, but not so much about how exactly to cultivate these valuable attributes in our students. This article by Paul Tough, who has become something …
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Grit vs. Quit
In her forthcoming book, Angela Duckworth, one of our favorite experts on grit, has some interesting advice about quitting. For example, she suggests that high schoolers should be encouraged to stick with a new endeavor for at least a year before …
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These Teachers Changed My Life
In the schoolyard, spontaneous fights igniting daily. Less regularly, down the road in dirt lots hidden from adult eyes, carefully orchestrated donnybrooks. On the playground blacktop, the sport of choice, “Kill the Man with the Ball”–but only when stuffing unsuspecting …
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Advice on What Really Matters in the College Process
Each year the whole college process just gets more intimidating as ever more scholars throw their applications into America’s top colleges and universities. Acceptance rates now hover around 5 percent at the most elite colleges. Many applicants, as always, are …
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The Three Most Important Questions You Can Ask Your Teenager
According to the social scientists, the last of the millennials are now gracing our high school campuses. The Pew Research Center report on this cohort describes them as “confident, connected, and open to change.” I agree. Technology is their metier. …
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We Can Do Better. And We Must.
I have spent my life as a teacher, coach, and educational leader trying to help young men and women grow up free from the negative influences of drugs and alcohol. In this regard, I am not unlike so many teachers …
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What Our Kids Could Figure Out — If We Could Get Out of the Way
Haven’t we made a mess out of athletics for our children these days? Is it any wonder that most kids who are endlessly toted around as youngsters from one game or tournament to another by their moms and dads end …
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