A Message from the Director - The Putney School

Caleb ’15 and Maeve ’16
collaborate on a ginger
bread house construction
problem in Geometry class
A Message from the Director
Dear Putney alumni, parents, and friends,
Emily Jones
Director of
The Putney School
It often seems to me that progressive schools
turn out more teachers than do other kinds
of schools. I have no data on this globally or
nationally, but Putney has certainly turned out a
disproportionate number of educators over its
77-year history. Looking at our teaching alumni
in general, I see a preponderance of people
working at the university level, although many
others are teaching in schools, environmental
education organizations, community centers,
and museums. I expect that many, if not most,
of you have found yourself teaching others
about something you care about at some point
in your life.
I have an inkling as to why this may be so.
Progressive schools insist that students learn to
collaborate, and in any collaboration there is that
wonderful moment when one student engenders
discovery in the mind of another. My guess is that
the “reward centers” of the brain ping in delight
when this happens, making this one of the most
deeply satisfying experiences a student can have.
Whether in class, in the dorm, in the barn, or
sprawled on the grass, students at Putney are
constantly teaching each other, and they learn
to take joy in someone else’s understanding.
In this issue you will see that Lee Hirsch ’90,
whose profession is filmmaking, is clearly a
teacher; he set out to engender understanding in
people who determine school culture, and has
succeeded beyond anyone’s hopes. You will notice
that of the nine alumni whose lives are described
in this issue [from feature stories through the In
Memoriam section], five taught for all or part of
their careers. You will see that Natalie Silver ’12
describes her coach Michael Chevalier with great
clarity about what teaching is and is not, and
you will see that the “Gym Rats” he works with
understand the degree to which they can be
their own teachers.
The teaching profession has changed fundamentally
in the last 25 years, as technology provides the
information and teachers seek to help students
2 Putney post

learn to evaluate, analyze, and present it. I expect that progressivelyeducated
teachers may find this new world easier to navigate
because they already see their role as a collaborative—rather
than a hierarchic—one. As Natalie writes about her coach,
“With the others it was always expected that you would
meet their standard, not your own.” As the first fellows of the
Progressive Education Lab come to Putney [see News section,
page 7] it will be fascinating to see our teachers here become
teachers of teachers, and to watch our faculty learn from
helping to create this new generation.
All the best to all of you,
—Emily
Bela ’15, Liam ’14, and Alec ’14 find a
laser-targeting solution together
in the hallway of Reynolds as part
of an Algebra class exercise
Emily H. Jones, Director
2012–2013 Trustees
Tonia Wheeler P’99, Chair
Ira T. Wender P’77, ’89, Vice Chair
Randall Smith, Treasurer
Pat Dodge, Clerk
Kevin Feal-Staub P’15, Faculty Trustee
Janine Hamilton ’73, P’11, Faculty Trustee
Nicolas Engst-Matthews ’13, Stuent Trustee
Sophie Rodenbush ’13, Stuent Trustee
Lakshman Achuthan ’84
Wilfredo Benitez ’81
Jill Carr P’09
Lee Combrinck-Graham ’59
Tim Daly ’74, P’07
Freddy Friedman P’12
Joshua Rabb Goldberg ’75
Dana Hokin ’84
Emily H. Jones
Peggy King Jorde ’76, P’10
Josh Laughlin ’82
William New, M.D.
Franz W. Paasche ’79
Peter Pereira ’52
Robert G. Raynolds ’69
Marni Hinton Rosner ’69, P’04,’07
Anne S. Stephens W ’54
James E. Thompson ’74
Trustees Emeriti
Barbara Barnes ’41
Kate Ganz Belin ’62
Joan Williams Farr ’49
Sarah Gray Gund ’60
*George Heller ’42, P’70, ’72, ’74, ’79, G’99, ’01
Kendall Landis ’42, P’73, ’79
Bici Binger Pettit-Barron ’48, P’77,’ 79, G’07
*Deceased
Putney Post
The Putney School
Elm Lea Farm
418 Houghton Brook Road
Putney, VT 05346
802-387-5566
www.putneyschool.org
The Putney Post is published twice
yearly for the alumni, parents, and friends
of The Putney School. We welcome your
comments and ideas. Please direct your
correspondence to: The Editor, Putney Post,
Elm Lea Farm, 418 Houghton Brook Road,
Putney, VT 05346; 802-387-6238;
email: putneypost@putneyschool.org
Editorial Board: Christie Baskett, Rick Cowan,
Don Cuerdon, Alison Frye, Emily Jones
Publisher: Don Cuerdon
Director of Communications
Editor: Alison Frye
Alumni Relations Manager
Alumni Relations Manager: Alison Frye
Director of Development: Christie Baskett
Photographs: Don Cuerdon,
JD Mellowship, Katie Ross, Annie Petersen,
The Putney School Archives
WoodwardDesign
Please send address corrections and
new phone numbers to the Alumni Office,
The Putney School, Elm Lea Farm,
418 Houghton Brook Road,
Putney, VT 05346;
phone: 802-387-6213; fax: 802-387-5931;
email: cfogg@putneyschool.org
“ . . . To combat prejudices caused by differences
in economic, political, racial, and religious
backgrounds; to strive for a world outlook,
putting oneself in others’ places, no matter
how far away or how remote.”
founder:
carmelita
hinton
—Carmelita Hinton’s fundamental beliefs
for The Putney School in a letter to
the board of trustees in 1954