Fostering Productive Struggle
After we reemerged from the COVID-19 pandemic and found our way back to a sense of "normalcy," District 109, along with neighboring public entities, began to notice a similar pattern in our kids. Children today tend to be more stressed, display increased amounts of anxiety, hesitancy when trying anything new, and a fear of failing to the point there is no space for perseverance. The growing concerns were quiet, but not unheard.
Coincidentally, during this same time, Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist, published his book, The Anxious Generation. Haidt believes the shift to a smartphone-based childhood has caused the rise of childhood depression and anxiety, along with living in a culture of safetyism and overprotection that has weakened the resilience of our kids. The revelations Haidt made in his book aligned with what we were hearing and witnessing within our own 109 students.
These rising concerns were something that couldn't be ignored. We kicked off this prolonged conversation with a Community Well-being and Safety Night, an event where we brought in local professionals to discuss the struggles our students were experiencing. This went well, but because we know children only spend about 13% of their waking hours in school, with the rest at home, we needed to expand the conversation across the entire community, not just in District 109.
In the fall of the 2024-2025 school year, we focused on deepening the conversation at both the district and community levels. We hosted building-based parent nights to explore key takeaways from The Anxious Generation and discuss which philosophies and ideas would best serve our community. Additionally, we established a new Community Advisory Council—a group of respected Deerfield community members who offer valuable third-party insights into our district's initiatives.
The conversation is still ongoing with continued Community Advisory Council meetings and an upcoming community event that will be held on March 18, 2025. We encourage all stakeholders to read and learn more about The Anxious Generation, Let Grow, Chasing Childhood documentary, and how you can get involved.
A Problem We Can't Ignore
Creating Hyperlocal Solutions to Manage Anxiety, Oversheduling & Screen Time for Adults & Kids.
Tuesday, March 18
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Caruso Middle School Auditorium
Join us for a panel discussion featuring:
- Dr. Marcie Faust, South Park Elementary School Principal
- Jennifer S. Schott, M.D., Pediatrician
- Lisa Novak, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist
- Dr. Ben Feinzimer, ER Doctor, Endeavor Health
Active Initiatives
Be a part of Let Grow!As part of our initiative to foster more childhood independence within our community, we have adopted the Let Grow Project. This organization is leading the movement for childhood independence by removing the belief that children are fragile and instead they are built to withstand challenges and persist through productive struggle.
There are a variety of different ways you can incorporate more opportunities for your child to be independent in your day-to-day life. To the right is a worksheet provided by Let Grow that gives some examples of things your child can do by themselves or with a friend.
Stay in the know!
Would you like to receive information about what the district is doing to continue this discussion? You can sign up to receive email updates about upcoming district events, community conversations, and how you can get involved.
Watch Chasing Childhood
Back in October 2024, we held a public screening of the documentary, Chasing Childhood. It explores how modern parenting and societal pressures have drastically reduced children's freedom to play, explore, and develop independence. It examines the rise of overscheduling, academic stress, and parental control, questioning the long-term effects on children's mental health, resilience, and overall well-being. Through expert insights and real-life stories, the film advocates for a shift toward a more balanced approach—one that encourages unstructured play, autonomy, and the joys of childhood. The trailer for Chasing Childhood is to the right for you to preview.
Click on the worksheet below to download and start your own Let Grow Movement!
Don't have time to read The Anxious Generation?If you don't feel like you have time to read or listen to the book, below are a few ways you can get the synopsis:
On behalf of District 109, Superintendent Mr. Mike Simeck visited the library to deliver several copies of The Anxious Generation. Featured is the Deerfield Public Library Director, Amy Falasz-Peterson.
Watch the "Chasing Childhood" Documentary Trailer
Some Background
Back in January 2024,
District 109 listened to the concerns shared by our community and, in response, hosted its first community-focused event. The intention behind this event was to gain insight into what 109 families wanted to learn more about and, as a district, how we could provide guidance and/or support. Before the event, we polled our families on topics they would be most interested in hearing from experts. It was expressed to us that families wanted to learn more about social media safety, how to talk to their children about digital safety, and how to protect their children's online identity.
We partnered with experts within our community to facilitate conversations about these topics at length and create an open dialogue for families. This included District 109's Director of Safety and Security, both Deerfield Police and Fire departments, Be Smart (an organization focused on proper gun storage), and Linking Efforts Against Drugs (LEAD) Illinois (a text-a-tip program and parental resources for substance abuse prevention and mental health services). This event sparked long-term conversations within our community and opened the door to bringing in more topics, like the ones brought up in Jonathan Haidt's book, The Anxious Generation.
Kicking off the 2024-2025 School Year,
Shortly after our Community Well-being and Safety Night, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt published his book, The Anxious Generation. Haidt's book dives into the sharp increase in anxiety, depression, and overall mental health struggles among young people, particularly since the early 2010s, to which he refers to this time period as "The Great Re-Wiring." He argues that the shift to a smartphone-based childhood has contributed to this crisis. Haidt also brings up how overprotection, reduced real-world social interactions, and a culture of safetyism have weakened resilience in our children and advocates a return of free play and delaying the introduction to social media.
The concerns Haidt brought up in this book were startlingly similar to the ones discussed at our community event and reaffirmed what we had been hearing from neighboring districts and community partners. Not only did we see a decline in mental health, but we also saw an increase in our kids' inability to persevere or experience what we call "productive struggle." The district realized that this was an initiative we could not do alone; it would take everyone to embrace these ideas. We first wanted our families to have access to The Anxious Generation so they could read and participate in further group discussions. The district donated several copies to our local Deerfield Public Library to help them keep up with demand. We also installed mini-libraries in the lobbies of a few of our school buildings to serve those families in our district but outside of the library's boundary lines. With the endorsement from our superintendent, books were being checked out left and right.
Once The Anxious Generation made its way around Deerfield, we began to host building-based parent discussion nights at each of our schools. This allowed our parents and building leaders to come together and discuss themes and ideas brought up in the book. Families participated in Kagan Strategies (activities that we do in our classrooms to keep students engaged) to better move around the room and facilitate meaningful conversations about what ideas brought up in The Anxious Generation would be possible to implement with our families in our district. These conversations tied well into our screening of the documentary, Chasing Childhood.
Community Advisory Council
At the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, we organized and held our first of many Community Advisory Council meetings. These meetings bring
together current and retired district employees, parents, and representatives from the Village of Deerfield, the Deerfield Police Department, the Deerfield Park District, and several local community organizations for breakfast and engaging conversations about the district happenings.
After our building-based parent discussions and the Chasing Childhood documentary screening, we brought this group together to ask what city ordinances or laws are inhibiting our children from being able to experience independence and practice self-reliance within our community. Following that question, we then discussed what actions could be taken to combat these restrictions. These meetings are ongoing and continue to help the district gather information from respected community members.