In our schools, competition for access to elite preschools, for grades, for social status, in sports, over positions of leadership, and for admission to exclusive colleges transforms one of our most basic institutions for fostering community, ethics and learning into competitive, individualistic corporate training-grounds. In these settings, the importance of competitive sports becomes paramount, for both financial and training purposes, and the artistry of cheating (see this year's Stuyvesant High School cheating scandal) and rule-bending (see Joe Paterno) revered. Such intense competition encourages the professionalization of parenting -- through tutors, highly-educated nannies, prep courses, and professional training camps (such as investment camps). You can imagine the deleterious effects these trends have on the ethos of care and moral responsibility in our families and schools, a critical buffer against bullying and violence in the lives of our children.
Don Lourcey on 05 Jun 10Departmental communications Intercampus Plan parent conferences with multiple teachers and multiple schedules Share links to web resources Campus improvement planning Schoolwide calendar/scheduling Faculty meeting follow-up Teacher appraisal sign-ups To-do lists Keep information current between work, cell, and home School newspaper/newsletter article development Local newspaper publicity article development Twitter-like communication between faculty without the Twitter-like time drain Share lesson plans with substitutes/administrators/department chairs/other teachers
