LEAPS 2011-2012
	Senior Class Award:  To that senior who demonstrates a high degree of kindness and generosity towards friends, faculty, and the Portledge community.   Nominees: Emma Chernoff                   Matthew Crockett                   Lisa Dourmashkin                   George Gage                   Alexander Martin                   Matthew Sullivan                   Jessica Trombatore   Vote by emailing to me your vote by Thursday, April 12 at 3:30PM.            WELCOME TO LEAPS 2011-2012 Leadership, Ethics, and Public Speaking This is a ½ credit course required of all seniors.  Its goal is to complement the academic and extracurricular program by helping students to develop the skills and confidence that are necessary to be active thinkers and learners in college and beyond.  Each student will explore how he or she can be a leader, understanding that leadership demands both purpose and values, and the class will discuss and wrestle with ethical issues and dilemmas.  There will be a focus on current events, awareness of the dynamics of small and large groups, self-reflection, and our responsibility as members of entities ranging from a close friendship to the senior class to Portledge School to the United States to the world community.   The course will address public speaking by developing observation, organizational, listening, and reasoning skills and exploring various speaking scenarios such as interviews, debates, seminars, and formal presentations.    The class meets as a whole – the entire senior class – for a double period each Tuesday, and we have divided the class into four sections, each of which meets once each week.  My sections will be working at times with a curriculum, “Mapping the Future”, developed by Howard Zeiderman of St. John’s College, Annapolis MD, and the Touchstones Discussion Project.  The goal is to have student-directed discussions/seminars based on assigned readings and to help students know themselves and their classmates well, appreciate the value of reflection, and become responsible world citizens.     Steve Hahn September, 2011     "LEADERSHIP IS NOT A PERSON OR A POSITION.  IT IS A COMPLEX MORAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE, BASED ON TRUST, OB LIGATION, COMMITMENT, EMOTION, AND A SHARED VISION OF THE GOOD.  ETHICS IS ABOUT HOW WE DISTINGUISH BETWEEN RIGHT AND WWRONG, OR GOOD AND EVIL IN RELATION TO THE ACTIONS, VOLITIONS, AND CHARACTER OF HUMAN BEINGS.  ETHICS LIE AT THE HEART OF ALL HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS AND HENCE AT THE HEART OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEADERS AND FOLLOWERS." -- Joanne Ciulla, from "Ethics, the Heart of Leadership"      GROUND RULES: Read text carefully                                 Listen to others -- do not interrupt                                 Speak clearly                                 Speak to all group members                                 Give others your respect      Guidelines for effective public speaking   Speak clearly Project your voice Speak with confidence Appropriate tone Organize your thoughts Display and control emotion Talk to the group Think before you talk     Discussion group participation:   Be prepared Clarify and support others Be interested Listen carefully Share your opinion Avoid attacking others Follow up the comments of others Be open to change your mind Ask questions Don't be afraid of being wrong       ALL STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE A NOTEBOOK DEDICATED TO LEAPS!!  Please bring it to each of our section classes.

	January 26 class -- next week (February 2)
	In class today we worked on a Kohlberg moral dilemma based on a scenario comparing two thefts, one outright and one by taking advantage of an old man's generosity.  I also presented my experience with two unpaid loans, one to a blue-collar worker who said his wife was sick, one to a former student who needed help.   Several stimulating questions and comments surfaced:    If people steal all the time, is it OK?    What is the difference between stealing a candy bar and stealing $1000?       I will be away next Thursday (February 2).  Your assignment as a class is to respond personally to the premise that you presented:  It is human nature to do as little work as possible and to get as much as possible.  Do you agree that it is human nature?  Is that how you feel relative to your schoolwork? Is that how you feel relative to your college aspirations?  Is that how you feel relative to your future life?    What elements create "human nature"? -- our genetic make-up, family values, personal experience, societal values?  Would the question be answered differently based on socio-economic status, national origin?      Your first task is to appoint a leader of the discussion (the leader should also take attendance and report it to Mrs. Simon).  Have the discussion, come to conclusions and assign the responsibility for writing it up and handing it in to me on Tuesday February 7.  We'll talk about it in class on February 9.