According to Joshua Leibman, author of Peace of Mind,
"There is here no fatalism of endowment."
Recently, I was gifted with a Bonsai tree. I always admired images of these miniature works of art - carefully cultivated and delicately crafted over long periods of time. I used to imagine the patience involved in watching something so precious progress so very slowly and the assiduity necessary in guiding its growth.
I spent days, weeks, months looking at my new charge, wondering in what directions its branches might tend to grow...
As an elite level athlete, or for those who wish to become one, there are many aspects to developing success at the highest level - a good tactical game, a good technical game, a good mental game, and a healthy body to execute it all. One of the key ingredients that makes CP a special place to learn and grow, is the daily food - mental food through academics, emotional and spiritual food through character building, and physical food through activity and healthy nutrition. Awareness of how we are feeding the mind, spirit and body is part of our daily discussion.
Did you know that ATA CP has a group of talented nutritionists that support the students and the ATA vision of developing...
from Carol
He was a bright, inquisitive, young man accustomed to making straight A's... with little effort. So when he came to CP mid-year, the new student was absolutely outraged when I suggested we find him a good tutor. "I don't need a tutor", he professed. He was under the impression and mindset that having a tutor would mean he was slow, or not as smart.
It took only a few conversations and a few sessions with his new tutor to prove to him that this was not a demeaning experience but rather an amazing gift of opportunity...
from Carol
The commitment to elite tennis is a challenging one. It takes a great deal of time, money, faith, and sacrifice along the way. You may be at the beginning of this process or somewhere in the middle, or perhaps you are coming to the end of youth sports and embarking on the college process.
This journey is not only a commitment from your child, but from you and perhaps even from your entire family. It changes the dynamic of how you spend your weekends and holidays. It restructures how you will spend your money and your vacations...
from Carol
Each time the holidays approach, I am reminded of family gatherings when I was a young child. The beautiful moments of food, frolicking and football were always scattered among a few arguments about God or politics or the best make and model of a favorite car. Things haven’t changed much, and although these conversations are mostly unimportant and inconsequential, they evoke some pretty powerful words and emotions.
CP is a small school and I often {jokingly} say that it is like Thanksgiving... every day. Meaning, that due to the intimacy level, the students often speak and act toward one another like siblings or close family members. On a daily basis, there are students helping students, playing a chess game or two...
