To the Editor:
In reading Tony Wagner’s very fine Commentary “The Challenge of Change Leadership” (Oct. 27, 2004), I was surprised to see that he did not, in proposing several models of teacher collaboration, mention computer Listservs.
As a high school psychology teacher for 10 years, I experienced perhaps greater isolation at my school than most other teachers, because no one else taught my subject. In 1994, I joined a high school Listserv, PsychNews, that was formed that summer at a workshop in North Carolina sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
My collaborations online with other psychology teachers informed my teaching more than anything else I did. PsychNews subscribers frequently share lesson plans, activities, resources, and challenges. College professors and representatives from professional organizations occasionally, though infrequently, offer valuable advice as well as keep the community informed about upcoming professional events.
For me, and for many of my colleagues, the high school psychology Listserv reduces a great deal of the Lone Ranger mentality Mr. Wagner described.
Patrick Mattimore
San Francisco, Calif.
