Chronicle (Fall, 1993)

Page 1

The 1945

CARDIGAN CHRONICLE

Fall 1993

Technological Edge: The Kirk Library, Cardigan's Important Resource Center

for and learn how to use it. She has stated her two main objectives as follows:

-- to assist students in becoming independent in finding and using ·materials in the library, both books Without teachers and learners, there can be no school. However, and non-print information and, libraries too, are of great importance to -- to encourage reading-- for the educational process, for they are the information they need for their school depositories of accumulated knowledge work and for information on subjects and scholarship that provide teachers of particular interest to them , in order and students with the informational to become better informed on resources necessary for learning. In the subjects which are generally considpast, those resources have been ered important, and for personal primarily in print form-the great books enjoyment and enrichment. of literature, history , the sciences, and Kris, who is married to the arts. Today, those resources have Cardigan's Assistant Headmaster, been expanded to include non-print and who has put in fifteen years of materials such as audio visuals which teaching in the classroom before augment and becoming enhance the Librarian at wtitten word. Cardigan, New computer understands tpolswhich very well how provide children learn. students and She has put teachers alike together a vvith access to comprehensive program expanded oflibrary skill information building for banks and Cardigan software students, from programs the simple which can outline of expedite and rules for improve borrowing, research and using, and other learning. returning The Kirk library Library at materials to Cardigan, the more which was Cardigan Librarian, Kris Burnett sophisticated opened in use oflibrary 1982has resources for research of special holdings student projects and assignments. which include approximately 12,000 Eight and ninth graders at volumes, A-V hardware for the open Cardigan are also trained in the use of stack audiovisual software, and numerous subscriptions to newspapers, microfishe and compute-aids such as TOM (Text on Microforrn), News bank magazines, and journals. Access to (computer with CD ROM and MAC additional materials through affiliation IISi) used forreference materials, with the New Hampshire Library ' s including Grolier' s Multimedia Automated Information System and Encyclopedia. The MAC was the gift Inter-library loan augments Cardigan' s of Parents of the Class of 1993. own resources. She noted that of the students Kris Burnett, Cardigan's librarian, who come to Cardigan today, a fair believes her fundamental task is to help number come from schools with more students understand what a library is new technologies in their libraries than one might expect, although more are from schools that still maintain old style manual catalogues and systems. "Kids today are both excited by the ' new technologies they are encountering in their school libraries and are Parents' Weekend fearless in learning to use these new Olympics Auction ........ Feb. 4-5 tools. This generation of students have grown up in the computer age Alumni Winter and take computers for granted as ReunionWeekend .... Feb. 11-13 part of their life and times."

Dates to Remember

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Cardiganfacu/tyapplySh edlin 's principles in their classrooms.

Alan Shed/in Leads Faculty Workshop Alan Shedlin, Founding Director of the National Elementary School Center and Former Principal of the Ethical Culture School, Leads Workshop for Cardigan Faculty on Teacher Excellence During meetings held days before the opening of the 1993-94 school year, Cardigan faculty participated in a morning workshop lead by Alan Shedlin, a specialist in elementary school education with degr~es from Colgate and Columbia. Shedlin, a resident of Weston, Connecticut, is completing his doctoral work in educational administration at Fordham. The National Elementary School Center in New York City was founded in 1985 by Shedlin and an interdisciplinary group of educators and practitioners concerned with improving the quality of elementary schools. The Center identifies emerging educational and school related issues, develops initiatives, convenes conferences, designs programs, and creates materials to help professionals and the public address the needs of children. It is also a valued information source for families, media, and policy makers. In 1985, Shedlin wrote for Educa·tion Week calling for the formation of a national commission to study elementary education. Shortly afterward he was invited by then U.S. Education Secretary, William J. Bennet to serve as an advisor on just such a commission. Mr. Shedlin has written extensively on elementary education and child advocacy, and is in demand as a speaker by many groups around the country concerned with the optional development and learning of children. Alan Shedlin is no stranger to Cardigan. In fact, this visit was his fifth to Cardigan, one of his most recent being as Commencement speaker prior to Norrn Wakely' s retirement. Shedlin began the workshop with an overview of the state of childhood in the United States today, which he

indicated crossed all ethnic and class boundaries. He spoke of the pervasive social, economic, and political changes in the country which pose new realities for children and their families. For example, more than one third of all children under 18 are not living with both biological parents, thirty percent of all children are latchkey children, more than seventy percent of the teenagers have expetimented with drugs, and every day over 1800 teenagers drop out of high school. Shedlin commented that he does not like to use the phrase "children at risk/ because it implie_s these are . children from poor and disadvantaged families, when in fact, all children in the United States are at risk due to the extensive societal changes taking place. He used the term "affluenza" to refer to many children of the affluent who also suffer from absentee parents, the availability of drugs and so forth . Shedlin recognizes that schooling provides only one of the educational forces in most kids ' lives , and that there are other strong, often conflicting influences at work in society which mould childrens ' minds and behaviorthe media, peers, family , church and community organizations. He suggested that for many youngsters, schools may still be the most stabilizing force in their Ii ves . Certainly Cardigan, which provides a total educational experience because it is a

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INSIDE Headmaster's Message & BoardNews.................................... p.2 Faculty Profile.............................. p. 3 Parents' News................................p.4 Sports.............................................. p.6 AlumniNews..................................p. 7


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Chronicle (Fall, 1993) by Cardigan Mountain School - Issuu