They quit sports teams when the pressure is on, too much homework leads to tears, a power outage and no internet are anxiety producing. Later in life they are prone to bounce from job to job and marriage to marriage and will likely end up in parents’ basements… welcome to the “Tea Cup Generation.” What does it take to build ‘grit’ into young people today? This grit is needed to endure the unpleasant and difficult in order to be people of commitment and tenacity. We will discuss how to help students do hard things and to stand confidently in their faith and identity.

Chris Browne is the Dean of the Upper School (grades 7 – 12) at The Ambrose School.

Chris embraced classical Christian education because it maintains the proper goal of education, which is not to merely train good technicians or accountants, but to cultivate virtue in the lives of students. Virtue in a student will as a result get a good technician or accountant. However, Chris believes that if you set out to only train a good technician to the neglect of the moral character, you run the risk of producing what C.S. Lewis called “a more clever devil.”

When Chris isn’t in his office listening to the chirping of confiscated student cell phones, you will find him calming the fears and concerns of parents, and engaging students in the hallways. He spends summers as a river guide on the majestic Hells Canyon portion of the Snake River. He and his wife, TJ, have two lovely daughters and appropriately, two ‘brown’ dogs.

photo credit: postbear broken melmac cup via photopin (license)