As Meg Ryan's character in "You've Got Mail!" was quoted, "Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal." In independent school life, particularly in admissions, it is hard to avoid taking things personally. Whether an advisee switches advisers or a family you've invested time and effort into enrolling ultimately chooses a different school, so often the measures by which we and others evaluate our professional success hinge upon the whims of children. Work-life balance can be hard to find and hard to manage if you find it in these all-consuming environments. While we know it is unhealthy to measure our own self-worth by our professional success, our work is so personal that sometimes it is hard to separate the two. Engage in honest conversation, discover that you are not alone, and take away strategies ideated by the presenters and the group for better managing this delicate balance in the year ahead.

Laura Burgess, Tabor Academy (MA)

Lauren Lewis, The Advent School (MA)