Working at St. Bernard's

"St. Bernard's is a nurturing oasis of support, education, and character development.  It is a school that relies on a trust-based connection with the community, fed by the human touch.  Thirty-eight years ago I stumbled upon this school looking for a place to do my student teaching, a place that could help me tap into my strengths and support my growth as a teacher.  Well, I've been at St. Bernard's ever since, and I am still learning and growing thanks to my colleagues and the boys.  This is truly a special school, one that I will always call home."

"In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote of the Scholar, 'Gladly would he learn and gladly would he teach.'  In my 35 years at St. Bernard’s, I have learned far more than I have taught.  In honor of the boys, their parents, and my colleagues, I continue to learn and teach, gladly, at this place that I love."

I love St. Bernard's for its old-fashioned emphasis on knowledge—but also for its enthusiasm and joy. The boys are curious, energetic, and full of fun. It's all here: playful assembly skits, poetry recitation, recess mayhem, and deep discussions of Buddhism's Four Noble Truths. Hard to define, never boring—it's a happy and timeless place. I'm so grateful to have taught years of fifth grade boys here.

What keeps me at St. Bernard’s after 20 years? The easy and obvious answer is that it’s this extraordinary community - made up of colleagues who have become like family, of talented and hard-working boys and their families, of Old Boys who have grown up to become friends - that has made the notion of leaving unthinkable. As I’m marking this 20-year milestone, however, I’m also prompted to reflect on how it felt to be here when I first arrived. I vividly remember a conversation a few months into that first year with Stuart Johnson, who asked me for my general impressions of the school up to that point. I remember saying to him, “It feels like I designed the place.” Despite having spent many years in school and university settings as a student, lecturer, and administrator, I had never imagined finding a professional home that could provide an outlet for all of my interests at once: playing the piano and singing every day, listening to music with students and explaining its history, discussing the lives and works of my favorite composers and poets, assisting with Shakespeare performances and class plays and arguing over grammar in the faculty room. In addition, I have received generous support and time away for travel abroad, both as a scholar and performer. From the beginning, the astonishing array of opportunities presented by St. Bernard’s has continued to grow steadily. While in the beginning I taught only music classes in the 3rd-9th grade, nine years ago, I was able to add teaching 8th-grade Critical Reading as well. In the last two years, I’ve joined the Latin department and have become the weekly Bible Story teller in the Junior School. In no other place could I imagine having the freedom and encouragement to do all of these things at once, activities which bring me a great sense of fulfillment. Becoming and remaining a part of this wonderful, quirky place has been one of the great privileges of my life.