When was the last time you were called 'childish'?

In this delightful eight minute talk, Adora Svitak raises some good questions. Now, I have Peter Pan as one of my heroes (yes, I don't want to grow up) so this admittedly does appeal to me.



The reciprocal relationship I think is key. Dealing in an environment of mutual trust and understanding can generate wonderfulness. It starts with respect for the other. It deepens by listening to the other. Within the conversation, understanding can develop and enrich both sides. The 'power of we' can grow far greater than either one alone could have achieved.

What do you think?


Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the video


Franklin, MA

Core values (video)

Spend less than ten minutes to view this video by Amanda Baggs.

My viewpoint in the video is that of an autistic person. But the message is far broader than autistic people. It is about what kinds of communication and language and people we consider real and which ones we do not. It applies to people with severe cognitive or physical disabilities, autistic people, signing deaf people, the kid in school who finds she is not taken seriously as a student because she does not know a lot of English, and even the cat who gets treated like a living stuffed animal and not a creature with her own thoughts to communicate. It applies to anybody who gets written off because their communication is too unusual.

For more on Amanda Baggs check out this wikipedia entry

The core values of the Franklin Public Schools were just revised to be expressed as follows:

Student Achievement
All students are entitled to academic excellence, appropriate facilities and quality materials and instruction.

Social / Civic Expectations
Students will become engaged, responsible citizens who respect the dignity and diversity of all individuals and cultures.

School Climate
Through our words and our actions, we create a culture of civility, thoughtfulness, appreciation and approachability.

School / Community Relationships
An active commitment among family, community and schools is vital to student learning.

Community Resources for Learning
We partner with all members of the community to exchange ideas, solve problems and build a comprehensive educational experience.

Government that you can trust

With my work here on Franklin Matters to share information and to create an informed community, the fact there is still mistrust of government is an issue to be addressed. The ethics changes made by Governor Patrick and others are a step in the proper direction for the state level. This Common Cause effort should help us on the national stage.



What change would you like to see to enable a government you can trust?

New Committee to develop 5 Yr Projections (audio)

From the Franklin Town Council meeting 5/7/08, Chairman Chris Feeley introduces as new business a motion to create a new committee of 2 Finance Committee, 2 School Committee and 3 Town Councilors to develop a 5 year projection. There is some discussion amongst the council and I suggest to add 2 additional members to represent the Town folks to bring them into the process to help build some trust in the numbers.

Time: 6 minutes, 4 seconds



MP3 File

"Franklin voters will be able to start trusting again"

Yes, I did say that.

During the Town Council meeting 5/7/08 when Chairman Chris Feeley proposed a committee to prepare a long range projection for Town finances.

I'll have the complete audio file up some time this week. In the mean time, you can read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

My "live blogging" recap of the meeting can be found here.