NEW LEAF ACADEMY

NEW LEAF ACADEMY

A new school led by Delphian alumnus Korbin Springer in Austin TX

I’ve wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. In fact, as a nine-year-old, I wrote on my Delphian admission application that I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. I longed to bring the quality of education that I received as a child to the children of my city.

This dream became a reality when I opened New Leaf Academy in 2020, where I have been the acting Head of School for four years now. I have found that running a school takes a lot of different talents. One day, I may need to call upon my early education to help a student with math; the next, I have to run payroll, tour a prospective family, fill out a legal form, or even fix the air conditioner. It is a lot of thinking on my feet and creativity. Running New Leaf Academy is about 1/2 academics, 1/2 marketing, and 1/2 problem solving—I guess I could still use some work on my fractions.

To start at the beginning, I was home schooled before I went to Delphian, so I did not have much experience with leadership. Delphian gave me the chance to lead and most importantly to fail as a leader. I made mistakes in leadership positions that I learned from. By the time I graduated Form 8 I had grown so much as a leader; so when it came to real life and real consequences, I was able to lead with confidence.

Also, and perhaps most importantly, Delphian helped me learn how to work hard and adapt to various situations. This allowed me to develop a strong work ethic and excellent ability to learn, which has been invaluable when I had to do things like teach myself how to build a website, how to apply for non-profit status, how to maintain a septic system, etc. I could not have done that without the tools that Delphian gave me.

I graduated from Delphian in 2014 and attended the University of Texas at Arlington for one year before transferring to UT Austin, where I graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s degree in American Studies with a Religious Studies minor. I also did an apprenticeship at Oak Crest Private School and completed specialized supervisor and executive training at my church.

I would be lying if I said the Delphian School or even university prepared me for everything I would face in life or running a school. The world changes too fast, and we cannot hope to prepare the next generation for each problem that is to come. What Delphian did was put me in positions outside of my comfort zone that prepared me to work hard and take on leadership roles.

In my opinion, there is nothing more important than education. The present and future problems that the world faces will only be solved by bright, self-determined thinkers. That being said, education is not always the most lucrative profession. I am no martyr, but it has taken quite a lot of dedication just to get my school going, and we have just begun to scratch the surface of our potential. I want others to join me in the goal of making a smarter, saner world. It takes guts and it takes care, but the world needs it.