Amid all the controversy about how to improve America's schools, the importance of strengthening collegial collaboration among teachers has drawn almost unanimous support. However, what schools have instead of collegiality is congeniality. Congeniality is about getting along well, being friendly, warm, and supportive. Schools are full of good…

A Fulbright poster on the bulletin board, a Search Associates flier in the mailbox, a rumor of something different--everyone has heard about teaching abroad. But is it worth filling out all that paperwork, installing Skype on the family's computers, and learning a new language? In this article, two American teachers explain their motivations and…

In his most recent book, "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us," Daniel Pink argues that people are essentially motivated by three key drivers: (1) Autonomy: The desire to direct their own lives; (2) Mastery: The urge to get better at something that matters; and (3) Purpose: The yearning to do what they do in service of something…

As the authors joined the growing number of prominent adolescent psychologists and educators in arguing that "organizing four years of high school around grades and college admissions is a virtual guarantee that a teenager's natural commitment and enthusiasm are likely to be undermined," they wondered if the enduring habits they value most for…

Supporting a diverse school community is ongoing and ever evolving, but many schools need to find a way to start the process, especially as they make the transition from a predominantly white school to a diverse one. Having a diverse student body requires a conscious effort to support all students and to educate teachers to do their part in…

Even at the dawn of the 21st century, the sexual education of children in America is controlled by attitudes and myths about sexual learning that, in reality, date back hundreds of years. And despite the strong, vibrant, and progressive traditions, many independent schools also remain well behind the curve on this vital aspect of children's lives.…

Michael G. Thompson knows independent schools. He attended them in elementary and secondary school, and has worked in them as a psychologist. He consults with more than 30 schools a year, addressing a myriad of issues related to complex human interaction. He has written often in "Independent School" about everything from understanding the social…

Suggests that the business of schooling requires teachers who face their responsibilities with a rational perspective about themselves. Provides guidelines for examining what triggers off an undesirable emotion. (RK)

For over 20 years a teacher from the Colorado Rocky Mountain School, Carbondale, Colorado, has been leading his students through outdoor trips. Here he shares his thoughts on outdoor education and what happens when a death occurs on a school trip by asking questions and giving answers from his experience. (Author/RK)

The author suggests that schools should try to adopt a systematic approach to personnel and institutional evaluation, presents the findings of a questionnaire on evaluation and professional development, and describes some key factors which will determine the success of any evaluation system. (KC)

Describes the Live, Learn and Teach program, an eight-day wilderness experience in New Hampshire's White Mountains, designed to develop student teacher relations. It includes six weeks of curriculum-design sessions and a practicum in which teaching teams experiment with new skills and behaviors as they design and carry out an activity-centered and…

Compares the principles of music in playing jazz with the teaching method necessary for developing composition skills in students. In attempting to improve composition courses, teachers need to help students choose subjects reflecting their own interests rather than being forced to emulate certain pre-existing forms and styles. (Author/RK)

A fifth grade teacher at Germantown Academy in Pennsylvania proposes a three-way report on a student's emotional growth. Parents, students, and teachers combine their opinions about the student's behavior and while learning about the student help him to learn about himself. (RK)

An elementary school teacher searches for methods to stimulate deprived students--students who have been deprived of just being themselves, of learning just for the joy of learning--to find a heightened sense of themselves in a positive, constructive manner. (RK)

Describes high school English courses which use a seminar approach, emphasizing discussion and writing, to promote a cooperative, student-centered critical and analytical method of teaching literature. (CM)