Class Notes

She Makes the Numbers Workfor Her—and for CADeborah Gray began teaching at ConcordAcademy in 1977. She had met Bill andSusan Adams two years earlier, when she andBill taught in a summer program at St. Paul’sSchool in New Hampshire. Bill was head ofCA’s Mathematics Department at the time, andwhen a position opened up, he invited Gray toapply. “Concord Academy seemed a youngerversion of Oberlin College, which I have lovedsince my days as a student there,” said Gray.“I felt instantly at home.” Except for a hiatusfrom 1983 to 1993, Gray has been teaching atCA ever since.“During my time away,” she said, “I wrotesome unique graphical statistics software andtutored at New England College’s learning center.But each time I visited CA, I realized howmuch I missed classroom teaching. The head ofschool at the time, Tom Wilcox, would ask me,‘When will you be coming back to teach?’ AndI’d always reply, ‘When will you have a positionopen?’ So when an opening did occur for thefall of 1993, Gray received an offer to rejoin theCA faculty and “accepted with pleasure.” In hisletter confirming receipt of her contract, Wilcoxwrote, “Welcome home.”“I’ve always loved math,” said Gray, “thebeauty of the patterns, the elegance of a concise,logical argument, the connections, the applications,the counterintuitive results, the openquestions. And there’s always more to learn: thefield of chaos, fractals, and dynamics, a subjecttaught in CA’s Advanced Topics course, did noteven exist when I began teaching. There’salways something new in the pedagogy, too.We’ve gone from chalkboards, purple dittos,Tara BradleyDeborah Grayand transparencies on projectors to graphingcalculators, powerful computer software, andclickers for voting on conceptual questions.”Today Gray still looks forward to everyclass. “Maybe one student will ask a question Ihaven’t thought of before, or another will solvea problem in an entirely new way. Maybe they’llall revel in the intellectual satisfaction of masteringa particularly challenging concept,” she said.“Former students sometimes visit on breakfrom college and report that the math and studyskills they learned in class are helping themthrive. That’s so good to hear!”What inspires Gray most are CA’s students.“Their intelligence, creativity, energy, wit, andcandor never fail to energize me. Even if math isnot their favorite subject, they love learning.Year after year, CA produces an astonishinglyrich academic, cocurricular, and extracurricularprogram in a creative, nurturing environment—and on a tight budget.”Gray said she has always wanted to giveback to CA for the positive professional andpersonal experiences she has enjoyed at theschool, but she is not in a position to make alarge outright gift from her current funds. Shechose a creative solution by making ConcordAcademy one of the beneficiaries of her taxdeferredretirement fund. “Unlike individuals,nonprofits can receive tax-free proceeds fromsuch funds,” she explained. “And this allows meto contribute to a place I love without compromisingmy resources.”In explaining her sustained devotion toCA, Gray cited these Baha’i principles, whichhave long guided her life:— Regard man as a mine rich in gems ofinestimable value. Education can, alone, cause itto reveal its treasures and enable mankind tobenefit therefrom.— . . . [W]ork, especially when performed in thespirit of service, is [accounted] a form of worship.“I’m privileged to have found a communitythat so closely embodies the principle of unityin diversity,” she said. “CA deserves the best Ican give.”For information on how you can make a difference, contact the Advancement Office at (978) 402-2240.41C O N C O R D A C A D E M Y. O R G S P R I N G 2 0 1 0