This summer, as children unwind from a stressful school year, encourage them to pick up those books and read. Encourage children to make reading part of their routine rather than a school assignment. Encourage them to immerse themselves in their imagination, different perspectives, and diverse worlds.

Learning should not be something children only do for eight or nine months a year. Learning should be a constant, lifelong process. …

No matter what type of learner you are, no matter what the environment in which you were learning, this past year was a challenge for everyone. This includes students, teachers, and parents. Going forward cannot be a catch up race. We must foster a positive learning environment, an environment in which students learn to love learning, a supportive learning environment. Ultimately, this will help students make greater strides going forward.

Many students suffer from serious test-taking anxiety, a kind of performance anxiety in which fear of failure overwhelms the students’ ability to take tests effectively. This anxiety can manifest itself in multiple ways. Students can “draw a blank” once they enter the test. Or, students may have symptoms before the test, including headaches, nausea, or shortness of breath. In more extreme cases, some students suffer from panic attacks.

Studying music has great value. Music is an international language that touches people to the point of laughter, nostalgia, and tears. The impact of a note, of a tune, of a song can be everlasting.

As the students from the class of 2021 approach graduation and head into the final stages of the college selection process, many families are sorting through financial aid packages which will have a huge impact on their decisions. As families attempt to navigate this often stressful process, few consider trying to negotiate tuition to receive a greater financial aid package. In fact, most families don’t know that financial aid packages can be negotiated.