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[quote=Anonymous]I think it started because when the school was founded the families involved (including administrators and teachers) were all friends.  Then it became a sort of tradition.

When we applied, I liked the explanation one teacher gave about how it mattered in class.  He said that  it was jarring the first time a student took issue with something he'd said and prefaced his remarks with "Well, Kevin I disagree because..." But his next reaction was to notice how the first-name basis contributed to an atmosphere were debates were serious and substantive.  With rank-pulling and deference out of the mix, teachers are challenged by students and that dynamic is good for both.

As a college professor, I've felt the same way.   Automatic respect isn't really useful from a pedagogical standpoint -- it often encourages students to be more trusting/less critical than they should be.  If they don't tell you what they're doubting and why, you lose an opportunity to explain more clearly.  And it isn't hard to earn respect by knowing the material and doing your job well.  In that case, what students are learning to respect is mastery.  [/quote]

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