BrewsterConnections - Brewster Academy

A Message From the Head of SchoolIt always seems that when the 4 th ofJuly rolls around, summer feels like itis on the down side, with the opening ofschool just around the corner. While thereare still a few weeks to go before we areback in regular session, it isn’t that longbefore we welcome back our returningstudents and say ‘hello’ to a new crop.For me, that’s one of the beauties aboutbeing in education, the opportunity tolook at a new school year as a chance forrenewal; not only for self, but for everyoneconnected with the school. If I were tocount, and I’m not sure that I reallywould like to, this September will markmy 51 st consecutive first day of school. Onecould say that it really shouldn’t countas my 51 st first day given that much ofthose years have been spent working ineducation and not going to school. But Itend to differ in that opinion. If there isone thing that I have come to understand,and appreciate in that time, it’s howmuch I continue to learn each schoolyear, albeit, not always in a traditionalclassroom, but in a classroom of sortsnonetheless. It’s that constant learning,and associated challenges, that makeworking in education so exciting andinvigorating.In looking back at how much eachgeneration of students has changed, andme along with them, I am also struckby the similarities of students across theyears. Despite changes in technologyand shrinking of the world, adolescentsstill go through the pains of growing upand continue to work through the sametrials and tribulations that they have forgenerations. Granted there are differentpressures on kids today than there were20 years ago, and different distractionswith the advent of the Internet and useof cell phones, to name a few, yet cutthrough it all, kids are much the same asthey have always been. What keeps theadults hopping is remaining up-to-datewith how adolescents manifest theirgrowing pains and the way in which theyreact to their circumstances versus howthey did in the past. It’s that constantsense of flux and managed chaos thatmakes for interesting times and equallyinteresting rewards.As we approach the opening of schoolwe do so with tremendous optimism builton momentum gained over the past fewyears. Part of that momentum has beengarnered from our past, while also fromthe present, and certainly our future.From our past, momentum has beengenerated from the Brewster Model andour strategic plan continues to definehow we review and refine our curriculum.Overlaying the implementation of ourstrategic plan has been a crisping of ourmessage regarding our value propositionBrewsterConnections • Summer 2007