Insights from Susanna Beckwith, MALS

My husband is an avid fisherman. Freshwater fly fishing, saltwater fly fishing, spinning, tuna trolling, you name it and he does it. He ties his own flies and strings his own rods. He spends hours scrubbing barnacles off the bottom of the boat and coiling lines. As soon as he hits the water, he zens out. Fishing, it turns out, is his meditation.Read more

It has been said that suffering hardship builds character. For most of my life, that statement didn't mean much to me. I lived a semi-charmed life, for the most part, and considered myself a person of strong character. One can’t manufacture hardship, I thought, and I am still a good person with strong beliefs and values. Read more

When I was in fifth grade, I learned to whistle. My friends were impressed. My parents were impressed. My teacher, Mrs. Quevedo, was less impressed. I whistled in class constantly. I recently stumbled across my old report cards, where she referred to me as “Johnny One Note.”Read more

Rooms rearranged, desks cleared off, pencils sharpened…we were ready for the first day of school. And then, Isabelle’s bridge broke and her tooth fell out. Second from the right. The floodgates opened. Now, her classmates would see her jack-o-lantern grin on Zoom! Not an auspicious start for all, but the Beckwith girls dove right into post-spring break online learning. Read more

Hello from Providence, RI where I’m quarantining with my husband (an infectious diseases doctor on the front line of this COVID crisis) and my three daughters: a college sophomore, a high school senior and an eighth grader. My perspective is unique but honestly, isn't that the way we ALL feel?Read more

College entrance exams, namely the SAT and ACT, are back in the news. It’s been rapid fire over the last year. First was the Varsity Blues scandal (when wealthy parents were hiring tutors for their children to replace or correct SAT tests, among other nefarious activities). Then came the announcement from ACT that they will allow students to retake one section of the test at a time as of September 2020 (yet another barrier for those who can’t afford private tutoring or to pay multiple standardized testing fees).Read more

Summer is in full swing! The next few months are about spending time with friends and family and enjoying “fun in the sun” activities...and for our rising seniors, wrestling with the dreaded college applications. It hangs over their heads like a dark cloud, but it doesn’t need to be so daunting. Breaking it up into simple steps helps students manage their stress and anxiety about the application process.Read more

I wasn’t one of those high school students who excelled in a certain area of study, on the field, in the studio, or on the stage. I didn’t head into the college process with a clear direction, or even a sense of what type of school would best fit my needs.Read more