Bessie Oster, Gilman’s Director of Health Education, authored an article featured in the fall 2025 edition of Connections Quarterly, the magazine of the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE). In the piece titled “Partnering from Within: Cultivating the Collective Wisdom of Your Parent Community,” Oster shares ways that schools can help parents be a guiding light for their children — by “providing opportunities for them to reflect and figure out what works best for their child and their family.” 

One of her recommendations is for schools to hold parent-student dialogues on timely and developmentally relevant subjects. Gilman has been engaging in such events for years, holding grade-level evenings for students and their parents. First, administrators and faculty present on a topic to the whole grade, followed by facilitated small-group discussions among parents and other people’s children.

Oster’s approach leans on parents’ capacity to be their own experts while encouraging them to show up for their children with curiosity, deep listening, and understanding.

Read the full article

CSEE’s mission is to empower independent schools, through a network of educators who provide expert support, to inspire ethical thinking, a sense of purpose, and a commitment to building character while advancing the values of empathy, service, equity, and justice.