Renowned author and psychologist Dr. Michael Thompson came to HKIS this year as the Charles W. Dull Visiting Scholar, named for HKIS's Head of School from 1997-2001. This "Chuck Dull Speaker Series” invites distinguished speakers to interact with the HKIS community about aspects of our Mission, Vision and Student Learning Results.

Special thanks this year to Lower Primary Counselor Lauren Seaberg and High School Counselor Aaron Hollingshead for moderating the sessions. Finally, thank you to those who have supported the Chuck Dull series over the years through HKIS’s Annual Fund!

Dr. Thompson’s message is clear: The kids are alright. Kids who feel their parents’ love and who are physically safe will thrive. And in this period of heightened uncertainty, when plans are scrapped last minute and reunions stretched out by years, it is reassuring that the expectations that parents may have had about what their child’s life “should” be like matter less than the day-to-day security of love and safety.

Who better to come to HKIS than Dr. Thompson, who first came to HKIS on the invitation of the series’ own namesake Mr. Dull himself! He was in fact the first person to invite Michael Thompson to HKIS in the 1990s, which was his first trip to Asia. This has led to many fruitful exchanges between our community and Dr. Thompson over the decades. We are honored that Dr. Thompson has continued to help us shape who we are and how we relate to each other and our students.

No matter what the age of the child, Dr. Thompson was there to remind us in the midst of the stress and uncertainty of the epidemic in Hong Kong and all the constraints that it has put on families, that this moment will pass; to have empathy and grace for ourselves, and most of all, to lean on the support and care from our community.

For Parents of Middle & High Schoolers

On students in counseling due to the stress:
Watch how your teen is handling their days, say good morning. Ask, is it going well? Do you think it's going well?

On potential lockdown:
Do some mental rehearsal. Talk to those who've done it.

On immature behavior:
Be clear in your expectations and clear in the consequences.

On gender identity:
Let kids have their own journey and give them time. Don't rush it.

On being a friend with your teenager:
You can't be a friend. As a parent, you're a parent. Forget about it. You can have friendly times, but you have all the power, you pay the bills, that's not a friend.

On tension between parents and teens:
Build a sense of caution and risk management without extinguishing excitement and risk-taking.

“I want the weakest child in the class--that is if you rank order the class--to have a very good education and be quite capable. A solid, first-rate education, wherever you are in the class, is the greatest guarantor of your life. You have discipline, you have good study habits, you're an educated person, and you have a well-furnished mind.”

 Dr. Michael Thompson