Milton Magazine - Milton Academy

Other cultural critics weigh inMilton’s house heads speak.*The assetsAdults are always accessible. “My advisormeetings are never short. Students arein my home frequently.”Students see us as people. “We’re teachersand we live with them as well. Manyteenagers have never interacted withadults in this way; they learn to know uswell and to trust us.”The brotherhood and sisterhood bondsare so strong. “This week [graduationweek], they were both so excited and sosaddened to leave the dorm. They can’treally describe the experience and theirfeelings about it.”Bonds between our students are muchstronger because they stay in one dormfor all their Milton years. “The consistency,and having older and youngerstudents living with them, makes thisexperience different from other schools.”This is a four-year conversation—an education,really—about what a communityis. “It’s a process. It’s a learning curve.They ultimately develop an understandingof what a community is, how to takeresponsibility, and what will happenwhen they don’t.”Students know that the adults in thedorms are choosing to live there, yearafter year, with teenagers. “That’s astrong commentary on how we feelabout what we’re doing. There’s such aconsistency that students are likely tointeract with the same adults for fouryears.”Milton students love the traditions of thehouses. “I’m always amazed at how theyactively participate in creating and sustainingtraditions and rituals.”Upperclassmen help lowerclassmen.“The cross-class connection is huge, andit works. The opportunities in this settingto learn about official and unofficialleadership are unparalleled.”Among the dorms, there is consistencyabout standards. “A ‘no’ is a ‘no’ acrossthe board. Perhaps this is easier thanparenting, in that this consistency is possiblehere.”The social challengesTechnology: video games absorb boysmore than girls; social networkinginvolves girls somewhat more thanboys. “Adults are excluded from theseactivities.”Cell phones: at first glance, they’re agreat way for parents to keep in touch.“Connecting with parents three and fourtimes a day ironically leads to much lessindependence and ownership of dailydecisions.”Digital communications: emails andtexts often put a spin on a situation thatisn’t right. “Students have to untanglesomething they never intended. Keepingface-to-face communications alive takeslots of time, but it can thrive in a house,and we work to sustain it.”Contemporary culture and mores: themessages seem to be getting steadilyworse. “For girls, regarding body imagein particular, the onslaught is relentless.”Intensity of the college process: it’s morecompetitive than ever. “Society asksstudents to juggle so much. Everythingis denser and faster. We work hard onkeeping that fast pace at bay, and helpingstudents find a balance between thestress that causes anxiety and the stressthat stimulates your creativity and keepsyou on your toes.”Parents: coaching parents is a big part ofour work. “Parents are trying to navigatenew frontiers in raising their teenagers,many without helpful experience. Weearn their trust in this process, ultimately,and many express tremendous appreciationfor what they’ve learned.”* House heads in the conversation: BradMoriarty (Millet House, formerly CentreHouse), Chris and Michele Hales(Forbes House), Ned Bean (GoodwinHouse), Heather Sugrue (HallowellHouse), Lisa Baker and Tarim Chung(Hathaway House), Karin Roethke-Kahn(Hathaway’s new house head in 2008),Steve Darling (Norris House), Ricky andJohn Banderob (Robbins House), WellsHansen (Wolcott House)Milton Magazine 7