PRINCETON DAY SCHOOL JOURNAL SPRING 1973 PRINCETON DAY SCHOOL JOURNAL Sprin g, 1973 Vol. 5, No. 2 1 A FAMILY AFFAIR Editors: Douglas O. McClure and Kathy McClure ’71 Phillips B. vanDusen 3 ALUMNI DAY Virginia H. Taylor by Markell M. Shriver ’46, Alumni Secretary Markell M. Shriver '46 7 HE’S THE MAN WHO RUNS THE SHOW by John Dorsey 10 MEDIEVAL DAY 12 THE GREAT OUTDOORS by Phillips B. vanDusen 14 SPRING SPORTS 16 SCHOOL NEWS 17 ALUMNI NOTES Cover: Pretty Brook Farm Photo Credits: Leslie Rodriguez, front and back cover, top right Now Headmaster’s house page 5; Harvy Wiener ’75, page 1, top left page 4; Susi Vaughn ’75, page 3, top right and bottom page 4, pages 5, 13; Doug Robinson ’75, Back Cover: middle and bottom left page 4, page 15; Baltimore Sun, page 7; Another View of Edward A. Dowey, Jr., pages 10, 11; Lars Andersen ’75, page 12; Pretty Brook Farm John A. Pietras, Trenton Times, page 14. Mark Twain is reported to have made the oft-quoted comment about how much his father learned between young Sam’s fourteenth and twenty-first birthdays. Kathy McClure ’71, is just 19 and a sophomore at Connecticut College, but in the following letter, with marginal notes by the recipient, her father, she indicates that perhaps Twain was right all along. The exchange also shows that with the McClures, education is A FAMILY AFFAIR February 6, 1973 Dear Dad, I saw a film today in my course “Approaches to Early Childhood Education” which inspired me to sit down at my typewriter and let you in on some of the thoughts running through my head lately as a result I’m still not convinced we really know of this course. I’ve found myself remembering various dinner conversa­ how to evaluate this completely — it tions about the purpose of my education, and the aim of a PDS educa­ is one of the most important and com­ tion, and whether Douglas and Peter are being properly educated — or plex issues we must face. missing some of the essentials by being part of a different sort of class­ room. Hope you are now on to mv train of thought. The film was titled “What They Want to Produce, Not What We Want to Become”, and was produced in 1962. Basically, it deals with education in public schools .... First of all, thank goodness I did not go through a school experience such as the one depicted in the film. And secondly, I’m realizing more and more how valuable some of the experiences I had at PDS, which seemed so trivial and thus frustrating at the time, actually were. One of the greatest things about PDS was that I learned outside of the classroom as well as in, vet still within the confines of the school build­ ing. I’m thinking now of Community Council — the process of making decisions which had to be backed up by those of us who made them and, thus, discovering on our own whether our decisions were the right ones. Would that this always occurred! And remember when we went through the stage of asking for strict discipline because the Honor Code seemed to be such a farce? The students were so concerned with the fact that rules were being broken. We wanted to take away our freedom, admitting that we couldn’t handle it, and teach the misbehavors a lesson. Yet, all the while, during all that time we spent listening to the same arguments — and some of them were 1 so ridiculous — we were learning how to cope with ourselves, how to handle (or not to for that matter) responsibility, and how to successfully deal with other people in the community. Three cheers for the Community Council. (I never thought I’d say that. I was so sick and tired of having Here, of course, is the important point things go wrong that I remember insisting the Headmaster should exercise — the educational experience involved his authority. And you would just sit there and smile and not change your is of greater significance than the acttial ways at all.) I think I’ve discovered a new purpose for having a Com­ definition of the system itself. This is munity Council. It’s not just a way in which students are allowed to have hard to remember, however, when we power in the governing of their school experience: it’s quite a tool in arc caught up in the process of debat­ learning how to deal with others, how to think about who you are and ing about specifics. what you believe! And three cheers for free study halls! — the chance to find one’s self a private place, or the ability to be with others in a relaxed situation if one wasn’t in the proper mood for books, and the necessity of making the Someone has said “The value of school decision between the two. is its sense of community, in mixing it It’s also great that the halls are always populated. In the film were up in the halls, so we need school as depicted desolate halls or lines of solemn people walking in single file. a place.” Win/ is it so difficult to re­ The visual sensation was that such a scene was not normal. No person member this at times and, as adults, I know ever walks in single file and solemnly silent when together with to accept it? friends. Some bedlam is healthy! (Another of Kathy’s memorable disagreements was the “opening” of the second grade. Ed.) Now for thoughts on the second grade. Is it more important to learn the traditional rules of the English language and mathematics, or to learn that learning is exciting at the ages of five through ten? Isn’t it more important to revolve learning experiences around concepts that are relevant to the daily lives of children? It’s not important that a child know all I agree up to a point. the right spelling or all the right answers at an early age. It’s more The basic skills are still basic, however, important that he tries to find answers, that he allows his curiositv to and the one goal cannot be allowed to lead him to discover. Don’t let the traditional academics stifle the obscure the other. young child’s natural willingness to ask questions. Dad, what is learning? How long can one let a child use his own abilities to set his own expectations? What is the role of a teacher? How often do we put too much emphasis on the final product rather 1 suspect that if we could actually than on the experience involved in the creation of that product? Is the answer all these questions with any child who is able to “get the grades’’ really smart in the sense that lie’s degree of certainty teaching would not learning because he’s excited, or is he just cleverer at adapting to a system? b e as exciting as it is. Is it fair that a person who cannot write properly should be considered not as intelligent as someone who can? Why do schools have to force children to learn? Perhaps these ramblings don’t make much sense. I just wanted to write down some of the thoughts that strike me during these classes, and also let you know that I think you’re doing one hell of a good job. Keep standing up for students. Our minds are so easily molded and closed. Learning is exciting but learning must also be relevant. I learned quite a lot at PDS, and quite a bit of my education took place outside the classroom. In fact, I think it’s what I experienced out­ side the traditional classroom that plaved the main role in making me want to learn inside the classroom. And it was a great experience to learn about subjects with teachers who were interested in me as well as in their fields. I'm sure this is all old hat to you. Kathy P.S. I really do ramble on. Basically, I just wanted to comment on the idea that children should be allowed to express themselves in ways that are comfortable and meaningful to them. Each child is an unique in­ dividual, and thus isn’t it to be expected that each child shall express himself in his own way? Our generation stresses the freedom of the A point that demands a lot of dis­ individual, yet we expect everyone to conform to a basic model. (I sense cussion! a super paradox.) Class again tomorrow. Can’t wait to see what I think about next. 2 ALUMNI DAY If there was ever any doubt about it, PDS alumni proved their loyalty and stamina on Alumni Day. Saturday, April 28th began with a cold, insistent rain. It was the kind of morning when it would have been very easy to roll over and go back to sleep. But such is not the stuff of which PDS alumni are made, and besides they love a good party. So they rose and, with their husbands, wives and guests, thronged the halls of PDS where they finally found spring. It was there, everywhere — in the colors and forms Gail Cotton Perna ’62, Norman of the students’ Arts Festival, in the hanging baskets Dorf ’53 and Dean W. Mathey ’43 of verbena and fuschia and clusters of dogwood blos­ being welcomed at the registration soms, and in the special, warm lighting throughout table.