It’s very ironic that I have the blog this week for Proctor Academy's European Art Classroom because Dave always makes fun of me for not reading them. I click the blog for the pretty pictures like these:  

Last week, we published a post on the need to practice social courage in our day-to-day lives. As we unpack this complicated concept of social courage, the notion of helping establish boundaries for our students becomes increasingly important. Students may dislike the boundaries adults impose in their lives, but deep down inside, they know they need them. Our role as educators and parents is to help them understand why.

Week Three….What CAN’T I say about week three? Good God (quiet chuckle and head shake) this has been the craziest week so far of Ye Old European Art Classroom! Surprisingly all this excitement had little to do with the fact that we were traveling to Normandy (a western region of France).

You would think that two weeks of being constantly together as a group would get old. Yet as we wander the streets of Aix looking for our own, special café to call our home-away-from-home, or painting amongst a vineyard, the mountains that decorate the horizon, I notice that as each day passes, each and every one of us grows happier and happier. We truly are in a paradise; every new day I spend here, Aix comes to feel more and more like home.

Flying over the South of France only 9 days ago was the first glimpse I got of the mountains and the surrounding water of the Mediterranean Sea. Was I really here? When I was offered the spot on this wonderful program only a little over a month ago I had many things running through my mind. Excitement. Disbelief. Fear. Could I make this possible? Could I go?  

On December 6^th, deer hunting season came to a close in New Hampshire, and that means that running on the Proctor woodlands trails becomes a slightly different endeavor. Gone are the orange hats or the reflective vests strapped on dogs. Gone is the worry of taking a high trail along Ragged or even one of the Nordic trails across the river. Running becomes a little simpler once again.

Proctor is a school that believes character emerges through experience, mentors, and self-reflection. Character cannot be mandated. It roots and grows from within in accordance to the environment without. Its emergence is no small source of anxiety for parents and educators who watch character emerge quickly in some, painfully slowly in others. It is clear that boundaries play a part in character development, but rules are not the definitive means to that end. Still, discipline matters.

We know coming back from vacation can be challenging, especially after relaxing with family and friends. With the start of the Winter Term, we kick off a new athletic season (perhaps the most exciting at Proctor!), new classes, and have a chance reflect on the first term. A little solace for those students making the return trip to campus today? They are not the first, nor will they be the last, to arrive in Andover after a Thanksgiving vacation!