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Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Much of what I learned about teaching came from my father. In 2014, he was recognized by the Vermont Council on the Humanities as Teacher of the Year in the Humanities. More than a generation of students passed through his classroom, and many were deeply inspired and transformed by their time with him. He was one of those teachers who communicated deep caring and high standards simultaneously.
Sometimes those messages were paired with an inside joke, sometimes they were delivered at a moment in which a kind word was all that was needed to keep a student carrying on with a tough task. Among those who were fortunate enough to spend time with him were the daughters of Paul LeBlanc, who was then President of Marlboro College, and who has profoundly transformed Southern New Hampshire University over the past 15 years.
Knowing Paul’s reputation for effective change-making and visionary leadership, I visited him at his office in Manchester last week. What I saw was breathtaking: deeply purpose-designed spaces and technology that enables human interaction and speaks to young people on their own terms. The trip was transformative for me, echoing what I imagine Paul’s daughters experienced in my dad’s classroom. I walked away seeing a different landscape, a better future.
There is something to be said for paying it forward. I suppose our future depends on it. I certainly look forward to providing those opportunities for the students I work with each day, and I’m grateful for the giants who have made time for me over the years.
Why Salmon Return Home
I spent last week visiting various Darrow alumni and friends in the Pacific Northwest, at the opposite end of this continent from the Mountainside. I met people who graduated (or had a spouse who graduated) in the 1940s, 1950s, 1970s, 1980s, 2000s, and 2010s. Some of these folks did not graduate from the School, and yet were still interested in getting together to share their memories of Darrow and learn about what is happening here today.
Given their distance from Darrow in both time and miles, I started wondering about what makes us so attached to the places of our youth. I think the answer is simple: it’s where we build and discover ourselves. Boarding schools, in particular, offer a crucible for self-formation unlike any other. Without the direct influences of parents but surrounded by caring, involved adults in a supportive community, teens have the structure and the independence that they need to develop and stretch towards adulthood.
So, even those who didn’t graduate from their boarding school, or who may not have returned to campus in decades, recall those formative years like an ancestral memory—the teachers, the coaches, the fields, the seasons, the friends, the classes, and the buildings. The drift of the ensuing years may carry them far, but like salmon swimming upstream they will always remember where they became who they are.
As we approach this season of giving thanks, I realize that I’m thankful for the chance to be an integral part of that time for the students who are here now, and for those yet to come.
Simon Says... 