The Country School is an independent, coeducational, Pre-K through 8 school founded in 1934.
News
The Power of Compassion
Mr. Mufson discusses the ways in which we hold the power to help others through compassion.
Last week I mentioned that this summer the faculty read the book The Power of Kindness by Piero Ferrucci. In it, the author states that despite the discord, violence, tumult, and devastation that often pervade the news,“The fabric of our life is actually made of care, solidarity, [and] mutual service.These qualities are so embedded in our daily events that we may not even notice them. Yet to receive kindness does us good… [But] something similar happens on the other side of the equation: Giving kindness does us as much good as receiving it… Kind people are healthier and live longer, are more popular and productive, have greater success in business, and are happier than others.”
Since everyone’s experience suggests that humans are more likely to thrive in environments marked by kindness rather than conflict, our teachers this year will be paying even more mindful attention to ways we can model, emphasize, and expect kindness in our school community.
We also know that children learn best when home and school actively partner with one another. Hence I’d like to invite you to read Ferrucci’s book and to join a group of parents to discuss it in the library on October 25 from 8:15 - 9:00 a.m.
Kindness sounds so basic, yet as we rush about our lives, it can too easily get lost. Ferrucci maintains that “we all are in the midst of a ‘global cooling.’ Human relations are becoming colder. Communications are becoming more hurried and impersonal. Values
such as profit and efficiency are taking on greater importance at the expense of human warmth and genuine presence. Family affections and friendships suffer and are less lasting. Signs of this decline are everywhere, visible especially when they touch us in the small catastrophes of life. You make a phone call to talk to a person and you hear a digital voice presenting a list of options… You wait for a letter from a friend and receive an email. The farm you love is gone, and in its place stands a cement building. You notice older people are not as well cared for and respected as they used to be. Your doctor concentrates on the test results instead of listening to you and looking at you. And rather than playing ball in the backyard, kids move in the virtual world of video games… I am convinced that we are going through an Ice Age of the heart… the causes of which are many: new living conditions and forms of work, the establishing of new technologies, the decline of the extended family, the great migrations in which people are uprooted from their birthplace, the weakening of values, the fragmentation and superficiality of the contemporary world, the accelerating pace of life.”
Amidst our lives in a world of exponential change, I look forward to exploring with you and other TCS parents how we can stand against this tide and ensure that our children are in the forefront of a renaissance of kindness in an all too shrill world.
Recent News
List of 5 news stories.
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Kindergarten Students Serving Others!
Kindergarteners have been participating in a 3 part HOHO (Helping Others; Helping Ourselves) project lead by Ferris and Laura Butler. Students packed boxes to be shipped to veterans and their families. The boxeswere filled with child friendly, donated items. Also in the boxes were handwritten letters from the students along with a handmade American flag craft. The Butlers carefully orchestrated this project, and we are very grateful for their time and efforts. -
Spring Athletic Award Winners
Congratulations to all our spring athletics award winners and to all our Cougar athletes who participated in sports and clubs! This spring, TCS offered Boys’ and Girls’ Lacrosse, Pickleball Club, Running Club, and Volleyball Club. Providing so many athletic opportunities took a village—thank you to our amazing coaches, volunteers, and parent drivers for making it all possible! And thank you to our students for setting an example of dedication and sportsmanship!Read More -
Summer Trips for Upper School Students in 2025
It is with great excitement that The Country School announces the addition of 2025 summer trips for our Upper School students!Read More -
The Country School Celebrates 90 Years and Installs Jay Parker
Read MoreThe Country School is proud to be celebrating its 90th school year. This milestone year also marks the beginning of a new chapter with the appointment of Jay Parker as the 7th Head of School. -
Conversation & Homecoming - Saturday, February 24, 2024
Read MoreThe Country School, Talbot County Free Library, and the Avalon Foundation, sponsors, join with fourteen other community organizations to present Conversation & Homecoming with Carole Boston Weatherford and her son, Jeffery Boston Weatherford, a program free and open to all.
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