New Web Resources for Members – June 2008

June marks the conclusion of NAES’ project to convert to PDF files and post to the web site resource articles published in Network beginning in the 1997–1998 school year and concluding with this year’s issues. We hope that you have found these newly available resources easy to find and helpful. Moving forward, resource articles in Network will be extracted, converted to PDF files and posted to the web site on a monthly basis. During 2008–2009, other out-of-print NAES resources will be reviewed, converted to PDFs and posted to the web site. Stay tuned for further information.

The particular web site “Library” pages to which they have been added are listed, in italics, at the end of each description. On the web site, links to the Library may be found in the “Quick Links” boxes on the home page or in the Resources section or on the Resources splash page.

Day Schools and Boarding Schools: Complementary Ministries
In this February 1999 Network article, Jonathan Glass sets out his conviction that day schools and boarding schools carry out essentially the same mission, but that there are different emphases in the way this work is carried in these different types of schools. Boarding Schools; Day Schools; Glass, The Rev. Jonathan T.

Good Schools
Peter Cheney reflects on how Episcopal schools are good schools because it is essential to their nature as Christian schools to be sensitive to students’ needs even as they stretch their students and challenge them to do their best. He goes on to discuss the key ingredients of a good Episcopal school. Cheney, The Rev. Peter G.; Community Life; Episcopal Identity & Religious Life.

A Handful of Sand
Val Iwashita, headmaster of Iolani School in Honolulu reflects on a childhood experience of throwing a handful of sand at a fellow student but it landing on a teacher, the grace-filled response of the teacher and the responsibility of Episcopal schools to cultivate in their students the traits of understanding and forgiveness. Originally published in the April 2000 issue of Network. Episcopal Identity & Religious Life; Spirituality & Prayer.

Incomparable Connections
James Cantwell, retired headmaster of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, Potomac, Maryland, discusses the fallacy of using rankings to determine a "good school" and suggests instead that a good school is one that best meets a particular child’s particular needs. From the March 2001 issue of Network. Community Life.

Making the Most of Our Time
Jonathan Glass’ May 2000 Network article contains a list of questions that school leaders should ask themselves when thinking about school schedules and the effect they have on the lives of their students, faculty members and staff, and parents. Community Life; Glass, The Rev. Jonathan T.; Strategic & Annual Planning.

On Sports and Life
Peter Cheney, acknowledging the value of sports in Episcopal schools, goes on to caution in this October 1998 Network article that, in an era that promotes a do or die, win at all costs view of sports and life, students must be taught that suffering and loss, aging and death and the embrace of the complexities of life constitute a path to the saving power of God’s love, a truly winning situation. Cheney, The Rev. Peter G.; Episcopal Identity & Religious Life.

The Only Show in Town?
Peter Cheney, in this June 2000 Network article, discusses the power of our schools to be community building institutions, while pointing out the blessings and burdens inherent in such a role. He goes on to offer some suggestions as to how our schools can live with the tensions between the blessings and the burdens. Cheney, The Rev. Peter G.; Community Life; Equity & Justice; Pastoral Care & Counseling.

Purple Light and School Life
Examining an excerpt from Wallace Stevens’ poem “Of Hartford in a Purple Light” and the circumstances of its creation, Jonathan Glass reflects on the need for Episcopal schools to notice and nurture not only the students we know well, for whatever reason, but also the steady, dependable students who we may take for granted, but in whom may be found rich, untapped gifts. Originally appeared in Network, January 2000. Community Life; Glass, The Rev. Jonathan T.; Pastoral Care & Counseling.

Swimming Upstream
Peter Cheney reflects on his experience counseling a student who caught up in the expectations of his parents to move forward on the fast track to college and medical school. The student sought a soul; his parents wanted him to seek success. Episcopal schools, in their education of the whole student, offer the possibility of finding the soul and not just success. Cheney, The Rev. Peter G.; Episcopal Identity & Religious Life; Parents, Parenting & Parent Associations; Pastoral Care & Counseling.

Whatever Happened to Serenity?
John Cheeseman, the now retired headmaster of the Wooster School in Danbury, Connecticut, describes “Don Quixote Day” at the school and how it is meant to encourage the cultivation of serenity, a sense of balance and the reflection on the true sense of purpose in life. This article is reprinted from the Network of August 1999. Community Life; Episcopal Identity & Religious Life; Spirituality & Prayer.

Winning Is Everything?
The Rev. John Rogers, retired chaplain at St. George’s School, Newport, Rhode Island, reflects on three values that athletics can instill in Episcopal school students: friendship; perseverance and courage; and opportunities for grace. Community Life; Episcopal Identity & Religious Life.

The Year I Went to Boarding School
Marlene Shaw, this February 1999 Network essay, reflects on her first year as the head at Chatham Hall, an Episcopal boarding school for girls, and on the characteristics that make for an outstanding Episcopal boarding school program. Boarding Schools.

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