Early in his career, former Proctor Academy Head of School Lyle Farrell (1952-1971), worked alongsideDr. Samuel T. Orton, who pioneered the psychometrics and pedagogy of reading disabilities. Farrell would take what he learned from Orton and establish at Proctor the nation's leading tutorial support system for college-bound, dyslexic students in the early 1950s. Through intentional programming aimed at helping young dyslexic boys, the predecessor to Proctor’s Learning Skills program, changed countless lives, many of whom would become benefactors to Proctor because of their life-altering experience at the school.

A few years ago this article crossed my desk.  The message seems to ring as true today as it did when I first read it. The feature study of the article highlighted in the podcast from NPR discusses the work of educational psychologist Jim Stigler's work studying the difference between how different cultures approach the notion of intellectual struggle.

Just two weeks ago we wrote this post on the desire for our graduates to possess Balanced Virtues in their lives. It featured David Brooks and his recent book, The Road to Character. While we never want to highlight one person's views too much, Brooks recently gave Dartmouth’s Commencement address sharing powerful words we just had to pass on to our school community.

 When I was appointed Director of Admission in the spring of 1983, the office secretary--a woman named Rose Chapman--decided it was time to quit and move to Florida. I immediately began interviewing candidates for a position that demanded an extraordinary set of diverse skills. Charlie Durell did more than fill that position; she reinvented it to exceed all expectations.

Proctor's 2,500 acres wood lot is perhaps our greatest physical asset. It provides a sense of place valued by faculty, staff, students, and especially our canine friends! Each of us appreciates this land differently. Some of us work in it while others harvest it. Some hike it, others run it. Our children explore it. Frances O'Gorman chose to journal about it. 

At this year's graduation, guest speaker Luke Wood shared his thoughts on lessons he's learned over the course of his successful music career. His first point was that magic exists; there are moments when creative genius is unlocked and the result is nothing short of pure magic. These moments exist in the studio, on the athletic field, in the classroom, or simply in conversation. 

We have long known there is something called "Proctor magic". We can't define it. We can't even really describe it. But if you've spent considerable time on Proctor's campus, you know it well. There is something about this school that unlocks the best in students in a way no other place seems to be able to do. More accurately, though, the magic doesn't lie within this place, but within the people who make up this community. One of the most 'magical' members of this community is Patrice Martin. 

And just like that graduation is over. Summer is near. Faculty are conducting end of year meetings. Advisors are mailing letters to students recapping the academic year and reviewing grades and teacher comments. Reunion weekend is a few days away -  a time for faculty to reconnect with past students and rekindle the relationships that defined those students high school years.  This time of year reminds us why we work in education, and specifically, why we have chosen to work at Proctor.