As a first-year teacher, I put off grading a stack of descriptive essays until the very last minute. It was late at night and I was reading quickly when I encountered a detailed description of a student's favorite cafeteria food, "the toasted beagle." At that moment, it was the funniest thing I had ever read; I couldn't contain my laughter. The word bagel was misspelt in every sentence; misspelt as she buttered the beagle and even as she shoved that poor thing into the toaster.

However, at different points in my career, I encountered typos that did not amuse me at all. Instead, they caused me to rant about the carelessness of "kids today." How could similar circumstances elicit such wildly different reactions? Was it the context of the errors? Probably not. In hindsight, my reaction was more likely a window into my ability to maintain perspective at a particular moment in my life.

I am an adult, and spelling errors are a small matter, and yet my ability to regulate my reaction to them varied widely depending on other stresses in my life. I'm sure you have experienced this phenomenon. The flat tire or broken refrigerator, which on one day would be perfectly manageable, is an insurmountable crisis on another. 

This tendency toward letting other stressors amplify one's sense of crisis and futility is even more present in teens and preteens. It becomes more pronounced when the troubling event is not a broken appliance but rather a world in turmoil. Without some time to come up for air—to just be kids—it is easy for children to lose perspective, and to lose hope.

This summer, I read a blog written by Catherine Hunter, a retired Head of School, reminding educators about the importance of humor and perspective. It has been a long time since I encountered advice that felt timelier:

An educator's humor is quite simply her perspective on the whole venture of child development. It's the knowledge that somewhere in your school, at this very minute, a child has misunderstood something, misnamed something, written or said something utterly charming or hilarious, and that it's vital to capture these poignant nuggets. Leaders who are able to articulate a broad perspective on learning, and leaven the dispiriting or demoralizing things that happen at our schools and in the world with humor, can help parents through difficult passages, bring joy and laughter into the lives of children and teenagers, and bring energy and hope to the faculty in the darkest day of winter. 

My personal goal this year is to bring energy and hope to this community, especially when current events become demoralizing or when schoolwork becomes too heavy. I am certain that using humor in these circumstances will be seen by some as irresponsible, but our students are begging for some levity and understanding. To paraphrase Hunter, at the moment, kids and parents are "worried sick about things." 

Last week, the Head of a peer school introduced me to the term "eco-anxiety." A mother at that school had asked to remove her fourth grade daughter from science class because the unit on the polar ice caps was causing the daughter distress. The young girl was unable to sleep, fearing that her house would be flooded and her dog would drown. Her class had watched YouTube videos intended for older students.

When I returned to campus, I asked our early middle school science teacher, Mr. DJ, what precautions he takes when he introduces important topics that might be too demoralizing for our youngest students. His answer was profound. "Whenever we tackle a tough environmental topic, I always end the class with a reassuring thought," said Mr. DJ. "I remind the students that Brewery Creek was once a mess, but Marshall students cleaned it up, or that the ozone layer was once in crisis but humans found a solution."

Our students need humor, hope, and empowerment. Without a balance, they worry too much, and that is unproductive. Please ask your student what he or she is worried about right now, and remind them that solutions exist. We have had political unrest before, and we have solved environmental issues. To be sure, it is important our students remain aware of the problems they will inherit but, for now, they need time to play and laugh, too. The good news is that, through project-based and student-directed activities, schools like Marshall are training students to be problem solvers. If we are able to keep their spirits high, they will be ready to tackle whatever challenges await.