Thursday, September 24 · 7–8 PM
Chasing what feels easy is a natural instinct, but it’s only when young people embrace challenge that they grow into stronger versions of themselves and lead more joyful, meaningful lives.
We live in a happiness-obsessed culture, and it pulls all of us, kids included, toward comfort zones and quick, temporary pleasures. In our effort to protect our own kids, we can end up shielding them from discomfort altogether. Are we unintentionally teaching them that if they’re struggling, something has gone wrong?
On September 24, join Dr. Jon Eckert on the Academy’s campus as he walks WA parents through the ideas in his new book, The Happiness Crisis: How Adversity Can Build a Resilient and Joyful Next Generation. Speaking from decades of experience with kids ages 9 to 22, Eckert will show parents how to invite young people into challenges, risks, and adventures; prioritize real-life connections that show kids they matter; resist echo chambers and the pull of fleeting success; and welcome kids into lives that move beyond circumstantial happiness to lasting joy.
This isn’t new territory for WA families. The Academy’s College Readiness program already trains students in six competencies that go beyond academics, including Perseverance (continuing towards goals in the face of difficulty), Passion (engaging as participants rather than spectators), and Hope (viewing failure through a faith-centered lens instead of a fatal one). Eckert’s research gives Wheaton Academy parents a fuller picture of why the Academy builds these dispositions on purpose, not just to get students into college, but to prepare them for the years after it.
About Dr. Jon Eckert
Jon Eckert is the Copple Professor of Educational Leadership at Baylor University and executive director of the Baylor Center for School Leadership. He taught and coached middle-grade students outside Chicago and Nashville before earning his doctorate at Vanderbilt University, then served in the U.S. Department of Education under both the Bush and Obama administrations and later prepared teachers—including some of our very own Living Curriculum teachers—at Wheaton College. Jon and his wife, Carolyn, raised three kids of their own and are adjusting to life as empty nesters.
More about The Happiness Crisis
With practical wisdom, humor, and real-world evidence, he’ll show you how to:
- invite young people into challenges, risks, and adventures;
- prioritize real-life connections that show others they matter;
- resist living in echo chambers and chasing fleeting success; and
- welcome kids into lives that move beyond circumstantial happiness to lasting joy.