The advisory program at EA has been an integral part of its student support system, and we want to commend the administration for their continued care and consideration in making the program the most useful for students.
Tanuja Murrary, IV Form Dean and Upper School Math teacher, organizes the advisory program by making sure all teachers are part of the program and sending out advisor selection google forms to the sophomores and juniors at the end of the school year. The freshman Form Dean assigns all the rising ninth graders to an advisory. Murray mentions that the administration has considered many different ways to format the advisory system, including having the same advisor for all four years of Upper School. The current model is based on the preferences of the teachers and student body.
The current role of an advisor is multifaceted: it extends beyond just helping students choose their schedules or navigate a challenging class. Ashley O’Connor, Upper School Math Teacher and 11th/12th grade advisor, believes that the advisor serves as a link between school and home, providing a “a third party, objective point of view.”
She further explains that the role of an advisor “is whatever you need it to be in that moment. It might differ from student to student, situation to situation. Sometimes it’s a shoulder to cry on, sometimes it’s just I need to vent, sometimes it’s ‘hey I have this specific problem’, ‘Ok, what can I do to help you?’”
Dr. Nicole Chaikin, Upper School psychologist, offers a psychological perspective on the role of an advisor. She says, “It is important for students to have an adult that they trust and feel has their best interest in mind. The advisor should also help the student advocate for themselves personally and academically to promote their sense of independence… The advisor is not a friend, but a trusted adult in the student’s life who can help navigate difficulties by guiding students to figure out what to do and connect with resources when needed, whether that be emotionally, socially, or academically.”
The advisor, as a constant source of academic and emotional support, fulfills this role every day. Yet, the ability to address the unique and constantly evolving needs for each student in their advisory is what makes an advisor so valuable. Alyson Kurz, VI Form Dean, comments, “I think the advisor is so important in ensuring that all of the kids are seen and taken care of in a way that I can’t guarantee that I [as a form dean] will see that throughout the day, especially with something that’s really immediate.”
The student-advisor relationship is strengthened by the power of choice. In the 10th through 12th grades, students are able to choose any eligible teacher, particularly those whom they previously have formed a strong rapport with, either through classes, sports, or other extracurriculars.
Photo Courtesy of Gianna Trala ’23
By extension, students can choose the level of involvement they want from their advisor. O’Connor would describe her advisory as ‘relaxed.’ Typically, she likes to use the time to “to check in with each of you [my advisees] and have the one-on-one conversations that we don’t really get to do during homeroom. Sometimes we just chit-chat about school or common interests, and have good snacks.” For some students, this level of support is all that they need. For others, a more structured advisory time is beneficial for their wellbeing.
Advisories provide both a space for students to connect with their peers in a more intimate setting, but also serve to remind students that their advisor is someone they can rely on for support. Ashley Kim ‘23 comments, “I really appreciated how my advisors over the past few years have checked in with me, and been able to tell when I’m not feeling 100%, even when I don’t know it myself.” Oftentimes the advisor can play an integral role in helping students become the best versions of themselves through providing advice, or just simply an ear to listen.
We are also thankful that advisory group sessions sometimes include serious discussions. Matthew Davis, Upper School Computer Science teacher and 11th/12th grade advisor, says, “There are times when it is important that we do share, as a group, important stuff. lf something happens in the real world, it’s important to sit down and process that, mainly to support each other and make sure we all feel heard and have a place to share our experiences.”
We believe that the advisory program does not need to be changed because it can fit the needs of most students. It is flexible and allows students to choose the level of involvement that they want their advisor to have in their lives.
Davis says, “There’s certain times when students really need a lot of support and want to share what they’re feeling, and there’s times where they just don’t. It’s important for students to feel like they can be vulnerable with a faculty member, and for the faculty member to respect the times when there are things they just don’t want to talk about.”
We are grateful to the administration for the malleability of the system. However, as seniors, we have various opinions on how students can best choose their advisors in the future.
Some students may simply choose an advisor just to be with their friends, which was not the original goal of the advisory program. While students do meet once every eight days with your entire advisory, the prevalence of one-on-one meetings proves that the actual advisor is more valuable to the student than the social aspect of advisory. We would hope that students would choose their advisors based on how the advisors can help them achieve success as students, athletes, and members of the EA community. Furthermore, a diverse advisory full of people with different backgrounds and interests can increase the value of serious group discussions by offering varying perspectives.
Ultimately, students should consider many factors when selecting their advisor; however, EA does not need to make alterations to the program itself.