Reely?!?

Sometimes I imagine that the Instagram algorithm that generates my feed has a form and personality – kind of like the characters in Monsters, Inc.  My algorithm is kind of a weird amalgamation of all the things that interest me, maybe wearing a Rhoback, University of Michigan Gameday polo – as that has been in my feed front and center for the past week or so.  Anyway, I guess in the ideal, if AI got it right, our algorithms would be an exact match of our personalities, interests, and tastes.  For now, it gets close, but it is not quite right.

The other day, a reel from a wannabe educator influencer popped up in my feed.  In general, the teacher was “taking a stand” – announcing all the things that they would NOT be doing this year.  For example, they would NOT stay late - unless compensated, they would NOT take on extra responsibility - unless it was stipulated in their contract, and so on.  I get that the individual was trying to send a message about setting appropriate boundaries in support of a healthy work-life balance; however, this should have never popped up in my feed as constructed – as it infuriated me.  Maybe the algorithm had it right, and this was click-bait – but, in my career in education, I have always taken great pride in the fact that what I do, in the end, is always for the good of my students.  To answer the calling of a career in education, one must pay attention to boundaries; however, from my perspective, any individual worth their salt, in any vocation, must always go above and beyond basic expectations.  As a caveat, my father was a labor union president, so I understand that workers should not be exploited – but going into a new school year dictating what one WILL NOT DO could not be further from my description of “looking forward to a new school year.”

I am extremely fortunate that this one-off post is so far from the ethos of the faculty and staff of The Beech Hill School.  For better or worse, we have accepted the reality that the value of what we do is not necessarily equivalent to our cash compensation; however, to a person, we aspire to be the best educators possible.  We all understand that high quality teaching begets high quality students, and high-quality students beget individuals of character and substance that will lead us into the future.  Imagine a student going into a school year telling their teacher – my goal this year is to do no more than 10 minutes of homework a night, to keep my weekends free from reading, and to never volunteer for interesting opportunities in the community!

Students absorb, and eventually, to some degree, reflect the lessons and values of their teachers.  At BHS, my fellow educators and I believe this to our core.  I know that we are extremely excited for all that we will be doing this year!

My Last Trip

This Tuesday, just before midnight, I pulled into the driveway, having left Maryland many hours earlier.  My daughter had a two day lacrosse goalie training in Columbia, Maryland with an outfit named Goaliesmith.  As I turned off the car and entered the house, my role as a youth sports father drew to a close.  For years, I had been taking my kids to hockey, lacrosse, baseball, and other sporting events throughout New England – and in recent years, the country.  Some would see this as a humble brag, and others would see it as lunacy.  However one might judge it, the fact remains that my wife and I dedicated time, energy, and resources to our children’s athletic endeavors.  Around fifth grade, my children’s interests and commitments to extracurricular activities began to grow exponentially.  Now, my youngest is about to head to college – where she will continue to play lacrosse – but my job in getting her to games, practices, and such is over.

There are many lessons that I have learned through the years regarding youth sports and activities, but one that is most applicable to this forum, is that middle school is a time when parents should support more deeply their children’s interests.  It is never too late to try new things, as my daughter who played varsity field hockey and varsity basketball for the first time as a senior in high school would say, however, she was the exception, not the rule.  Middle school is a time when opportunities for kids are abundant and is also a time when the opportunity to participate at more significant levels present themselves.  In a similar way, middle school academic subjects become more focused and more challenging, youth activities at the middle school level also tend to require a greater commitment.

At The Beech Hill School, we do our best to refrain from offering regular programming after-school, in the evenings, and throughout the weekend.  We do this purposely, so that parents can find programs in their communities for their children during these hours.  At another time I will address the “youth sports industrial complex,” specialization, and other related issues to youth activities and programming.   During middle school, however, whether it is theater, sports, music, Scouting, robotics, chess, etc. – parents should expect an increased load in supporting their children’s extra-curricular passions.

Memorial Day 2025

On May 27, 2023, I wrote my “From the Head’s Desk” thoughts from a hotel room in Raliegh, North Carolina.  I was in Raliegh for a lacrosse tournament.  Not my lacrosse tournament, mind you, it was my daughter’s.  In fact, for years now, I have had the good fortune of taking both my children to all sorts of events – baseball, hockey, robotics – you name it, my wife and I have dedicated so much time and energy to our children’s endeavors. It was always a labor of love, and quite honestly, I enjoyed every second of it!

The entry that I wrote that day was about Memorial Day and my uncle – Richard A. Johnson Jr. – or as I have always known him – Uncle Dickie.  As I shared then, I never really got a chance to know him, as on August 10, 1969 – exactly four years to the day of my birth, Private First Class, Richard A. Johnson Jr. lost his life on Mutter’s Ridge in Quang Tri Province of Vietnam.  I encouraged my readers to remember those that gave all on Memorial Day, just as I always take a moment to remember my namesake, my Uncle Dickie.

It is hitting me a little different this year, and as much as I am thinking of Uncle Dickie – I find myself thinking about my Grandma and Grampa Johnson.  This year, my son is 19 – the same age that Dickie was when he died, and my daughter is 18, the age that Dickie was when he enlisted.  The world was certainly different when Uncle Dickie was growing up – and there most certainly were not travel sports and other such nonsense – but I know now what 19 years raising a child feels like.  I can’t even fathom the horror of hearing the news that my grandparents had to bear in August of 1969.

This Memorial Day, I will cook out, I will have fun, I will kick off the summer – but I will also take some private time to consider those that lost their life so that I can live mine.  And of course, I will take some time to think of Uncle Dickie.

Lessons from The Derby

I love the Kentucky Derby and hope one day to be at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.  I don’t recall exactly when I became enamored with the Run for the Roses, but I know that it has been so long that I can’t really remember a time when I did care about it.

For those that care about such things, I thought that this year’s Derby was incredibly exciting.  While the horses did not come in as I hoped, I thoroughly enjoyed the tightly contested race.  In the hours leading up to this year’s race, I found myself thinking about the trainers and their relationship with their horses.  These trainers – teachers by another name, are tasked with preparing these marvelous young horses to achieve greatness.  Like any other teacher or coach, they must find a way to unlock the full potential of their charge, preparing them for a monumental test.

I understand that racehorses are bred to do what they do.  Thus, it makes it hard to make too many parallels with teaching children; however, I am awed by the way that the trainers speak of their horse’s personality and the way they must individualize their training based on that understanding to achieve peak performance.  I do think that this is a parallel that can be drawn from horse racing and is fully applicable to educating middle school students.  Rather than just giving their horses a cookie cutter approach to preparation, trainers develop a unique plan that fits the unique nature of their horse.  Obviously, horse trainers must work hard to figure out their horses, as horses are not only a different species, but they can’t speak.   While middle school students are not a different species, adolescents are not just younger adults.  They see the world differently and good teachers seek to understand how their students understand the world in which they live.  Even though a middle school student can communicate more than a horse, good teachers must seek to understand what is motivating behaviors and shaping perceptions.  Often it can be quite surprising and is almost always differs from an adult perspective.

In my estimation, good middle school teachers work just like champion trainers D. Wayne Lukas or Todd Pletcher.  They pay close attention - listening, looking, and doing all they can to figure out ways to help their charges find success.  The better they understand the student/horse they are teaching/training, they greater the likelihood of success.

Defying Expectations

The stereotype would have one believe that middle school students are not keen on interacting with adults, and when forced to, they are few words.   This is often reinforced by the afterschool drive-home “conversation” that starts with, “How was your day?” and concludes with, “Good.”

At The Beech Hill School, however, we try to help our students break from this expected behavior.  Because of our size, our students are always engaging with adults throughout their day.  Likewise, because our faculty do so many things, our students come to see them as multidimensional – human, even.

The students’ ability to interact with adults was on full display this past week, when BHS hosted over 30 local leaders to campus for a Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce event.  I had asked that our students volunteer to welcome our guests and to offer a brief tour.  I was overwhelmed to see that most of our students, representing all four grades, jumped at the opportunity.  They made an incredible impression on our guests, and clearly defied any preconceived notion of apathetic, meme-spewing teens.

I was so proud of our students at BHS, and more importantly, I could see how proud the students were of both their community and themselves!