Educators Travel Across the World to Visit MKA
The Montclair Kimberley Academy recently welcomed thirteen members from the faculty and administration of the Taipei American School (grades K-12) who made a trip half way around the world just to see MKA's Culture of Ethics in action.
TAS administrators first visited MKA two years ago as part of a fact-finding trip to observe ethics programs in American schools. They were so impressed with what they saw at MKA that they have spent the intervening time working towards developing a similar Ethics and Character Program for their own school.
During their whirlwind two-day visit to New Jersey, the visitors spent time participating in and observing a wide variety of tri-campus and campus specific activities in order to help them further envision how they might implement a program based on the MKA model. They also spent time with MKA administrators and with representatives from the school’s Parents’ Association, saw classes in action, attended sports practices and met with Blauvelt Grant recipients – members of the MKA faculty who have created curriculum that specifically incorporates ethics. “What so impressed me,” commented one visitor after meeting with members of the school Technology Department, “is that students really are encouraged to walk the talk. They are constantly reminded to take responsibility for their own behavior and actions, and the fact that they have administrative rights on their laptops is a remarkable testament to that.”
The visit was equally productive for the MKA community. "As our visitors asked questions," noted MKA's Tri-Campus Ethics Chair Kerry Verrone, "it provided an opportunity to reflect on who we are as a school and to appreciate the value we place on educating the whole student. Their visit served to recharge many of us."
"TAS is a school similar to MKA in terms of its mission and its programming," said MKA's Director of Curriculum and Professional Development Karen Newman, "so this was a tremendous opportunity for us to learn from our visitors. It was very affirming for us to see just how far our own program has come, and it paves the way for us to think more about potentially exciting partnerships with TAS in the future."