Parent Newsletter November 15, 2011
Dear Parents,
I have recently returned from the bi-annual meeting of the Progressive Education Network in Chicago, a gathering of progressive schools from across the country. Chicago is a fitting place for this gathering, as John Dewey and Francis Parker did much of their early work on progressive education there in the 1920’s and 30’s. Our own founder, Carmelita Hinton, worked for Jane Addams at Hull House in Chicago, and as a young woman rubbed shoulders with some of these most forward looking educators. There is more evidence of progressive thought in public schools in that region than in most of the rest of the country, and many public school teachers were at the conference, which was a good sign, I thought.
The PEN conference was in a way a coming out party for the Progressive Education Lab, the teacher training program that Putney is launching with three other schools. Glenn Littledale and Kevin Feal-Staub were in Chicago to meet with the other Lab teachers and to spread the word about our program to the six hundred progressive educators who were at the conference. I hope you will have a look at the Lab’s recently launched website, www.progressiveeducationlab.org, and if there are young people you know are interested in pursuing teaching as a career, point them our direction.
More recently I attended the 100th anniversary meeting of an organization named, somewhat astonishingly, The Headmistresses of the East. Founded when there were few women heads of school, it has become a powerful professional group (and includes a few lucky men!) We heard, in quick succession over two days, the presidents of Princeton, Barnard and Connecticut College, as well as Anna Quindlen and Michele Norris. We discussed trends in university education, the concepts of education for civic virtue, how to talk usefully about race, and, of course college admissions. I enjoyed the chance to discuss and debate with my colleagues from other schools, and returned, as always, so grateful to be at Putney, where we can often live the values that others hold but cannot design their schools around.
On a more mundane note… this is the time of the year that our Health Services begins to see an uptick in viruses and other illnesses. Our primary care doctor, Dr. Denise Paasche in Brattleboro, recommends flu shots, and Thanksgiving break is the perfect time to get one - especially now that flu shots are available in most pharmacies on a walk-in basis. On our end, we do our best to educate students on preventative measures, such as hand-washing, better sleep habits, and good nutrition.
All the best to all of you, and Happy Thanksgiving,
Emily
