As most of you know, ISB has started a new advisory program this year.  As Mr. A has stated, the purpose of this program is to show that ISB is more than just an educational system. Rather than focusing intellectual growth, advisory promotes social emotional growth and teaches life skills as well.

To get the initial response to this program, PantherNation interviewed students from various grades and multiple heads of advisory and got their reactions. Here is what they have to say.

Xuan Fan Loo (9) – I [have] gotten to meet new teachers and students from my grade and see them more often than I would in a school day. We [have] gotten time to reflect on how we [have] been doing and also done a bit of goal setting which is good so we can have something to work towards in the future.

Seo Han Kim (10) – Advisory classes are good because, first of all, there are kids who rarely think about their future and career choices, this class creates an opportunity for them to reflect upon themselves, thus providing clearer guideline for a successful future. Second of all, it takes your mind off of academic pressure and stress.

Pim Singhatiraj (12) – Advisory is the one class in which we can talk to a teacher about nonacademic concerns we may have. Understandably, much of the conversations we have with them are focused on schoolwork rather than other equally important things in life. Teachers are great people and I [am] glad we have advisory to get to talk to them more.

Xuan Fan Loo (9) – “Sometimes, the topics that we talk about in advisory are a bit repetitive as we are also doing the same things in freshmen seminar. Things like reflecting or learning how to build communication and teamwork skills are all things that we [have] done in freshmen seminar and have repeated as part of an advisory lesson.”

Reika (9) – “For 9th graders, we are required to take “Freshman Seminar” for our first semester in replacement of a free period. At times it felt like Advisory and Freshman Seminar overlapped too often, making it difficult for some 9th graders to see the point in having both at the same time. This makes students bored at times and even upset at being forced to give up a panther period to discuss things they have already seen.” 

Pim Singhatiraj (12) – “For seniors, more college application advisory sessions would be helpful. The job interview and the body language sessions were nice, but they could be saved for after winter break. Additionally, teachers could be encouraged to start every advisory period by just talking about what [is] stressing everyone out (Mr. Vaughan came in and did this once). This could be a way to destress and show that advisors genuinely care about the wellbeing of their students.”

Dr. Nancy Le Nezet (12 Head of Advisory) – “I have heard mainly from advisors and they have been very happy to get to know students in a new way that is less formal than a usual classroom setting. Currently, seniors are learning how to communicate in times of conflict. They are also going to discuss some topics that are very prominent in colleges at the moment, such as consent.

My hope is that some students are also forming a relationship of trust with their advisor, so they have an extra adult to talk to if needed. I know that the G12 advisors would certainly welcome that.”

Ms. Ginny Voigt (11 HoA) – “Both students and advisors have been so open to embracing it. From my perspective, the advisors have been awesome in really caring about their advisory groups and what happens in them. 

It is so that being new the program is a work in progress and we need to figure out how to balance the time given to actually gaining practical knowledge about the ‘topics of life’….like sleep, goal-setting, stress etc and the time for relationship building and reflection.” 

Mr. Peter A. (10 HoA) – “Social Emotional Awareness, in order to be successful as a person, you need to think more than intellectual growth, compassions empathy, it will allow for more growth.We have made a culture shift – people are understanding that ISB is more than an educational system, it builds community, etc social and emotional growth.”

From the responses above, we can see some very clear patterns. First, the new advisory program makes students think about their future, this is especially useful since most students do not think about their future, unless
made to.

In addition to this, the advisory groups allow students to meet new people in their grade. Since the advisory groups are chosen randomly, students can get to know people they did not meet before. Furthermore, since the group meets frequently each week, the people in the group get to know each other well, creating a sense of community.

Finally, the advisory program brings the students’ mind off of academic material and gives them a time to socialize. This is an essential form of stress relief as a lot of students are constantly worrying about work. The main thing that could be improved is the repetition of content that is being covered. Advisory has some overlaps with wellness and freshman seminar, however, this can be easily fixed, resulting in programs that complement each other.

In conclusion, although there is slight redundancy at some times, the new advisory program makes students think about their future, makes students meet new people, and gives the students a break from studying. 

Adarsh Abbagani