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ANT IC IPATION
DOUG L AS R AY English Teacher/Director of Summer Programs Faculty/Staff Member since 2010 In his essay “Tradition and the Individual Talent,” T.S. Eliot says, “No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relationship to the dead poets and artists.” Similarly, as a relatively new faculty member at Springs, my practice as a teacher is part of a 60-year tradition of excellence. My work in the classroom is in conversation with lessons of Cooper, Fleming, Lusco, Sheppard, Stegner, Tuohy and countless others who encouraged critical discourse before my time. I am thrilled to build on this tradition and to do so heeding Ezra Pound’s dictum: “make it new.” Springs began as an experiment in progressive education. As a faculty member who teaches and learns in a global, digital, informationflooded, and diverse world, my job is to be innovative in preparing students to interpret any “text” or situation with confidence and great skill. What this means in a practical sense for a teacher in the 21st century charged with teaching students 21st century skills is complex and constantly changing. Consequently, it is important that our faculty members have the time, space and resources to know how our particular disciplines are changing, how the educational landscape is evolving, and what our “best practices” can and should be. Understanding that learning environments facilitate students’ growth and technological
innovations shape the ways teachers teach and students learn, our school and faculty also need to employ technology, which has become so vital to everyday communication and connectivity. Finally, it is essential that the diversity of our community supports a values-enhanced education. With global, digital interconnectivity, students encounter a wide range of “difference” all the time. In teaching English, I am not only teaching grammar and poetry. I am teaching students to be culturally competent, humane members of society. We, as a school, have a rich history of encouraging students to be critical readers of perhaps the most difficult texts they’ll encounter: themselves and the people around them. We will continue to forge sharp minds and generous hearts.
Chuck Williams, Director of Technology What will be important for education in the future, both at Springs and universally? It will be important for students to stop being simply consumers of content and to become creators of content. The ability to create, manage, control and direct digital content will be crucial to their success.
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FAC ULTY/STA FF
English Teacher Michelle Williams teaching under the trees
Kelly Jacobs, History What do you think about the Campus Master Plan and its impact on teaching/learning at Springs? Twenty-first century skills are all about problem solving, collaboration, and information/ technology literacy. The classroom space, seminar space, and technological capabilities in the new classroom areas are essential for us to meet the demands of what it means to be well-educated in the 21st century. Harvey Woodward and Doc Armstrong would approve!
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RE FLE CTION
REFLECTION & ANTICIPATION
JOHN LUSCO
A N T I CI PAT I ON
As reflected in the previous pages, Springs has a lengthy history of dedicated, quality faculty members. Their names, photos and words serve as reminders of their excellence and long-standing commitment to students – and the ways they have shaped lives over the past 60 years. While reminiscing about the influence of faculty and staff, it is important to anticipate what ISS can do to attract and healthfully retain such individuals in the future. The Armstrongs, Luscos, Bairds, Coopers and Sheppards of Springs’ future will be attracted to the school’s tradition of academic excellence and citizenship, no doubt. But they will also want to be a part of an institution with facilities, technology, professional development, and other educational tools that support them in this endeavor, given the ever-changing, global world in which students live and learn. As the school implements its Campus Master Plan and puts technology and professional development strategies in place, the entire Springs community has an opportunity to come together in an effort to support today’s teachers and those of future generations.
REFLECTIONS & ANTICIPATIONS
To facilitate personal and academic inquiry, we will always be considering how our courses meet our students’ needs and the school’s mission. Indeed, we may see the gradual dissolution of disciplinary boundaries and a move towards a more integrated, interdisciplinary, and collaborative curriculum. I am excited to be shaping the tradition of Learning Through Living at Springs and look forward to providing students the highest quality education possible. When I dream with my colleagues and students, I am confident that a Springs education can be at the vanguard of shaping the next generations of bold, bright, generous and innovative lifelong learners.
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Latin Teacher and Former Dean of Students Faculty/Staff Member since 1966
John Lusco
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When I arrived at Indian Springs in 1966, I was astonished at the number of great teachers here: Armstrong, of course, and Fleming, Draper and Stegner, just to name a few. If I am completely honest, I admit I was a little bit intimidated by them. But they made me feel at home, and I’ve been “home” ever since. This is my 51st year of teaching Latin.
Founding faculty member and current ISS historian Mac Fleming in the classroom with Springs students from the mid-1950s
Being at Springs is akin to being part of a vast family. As faculty and staff members, we are close, experiencing life together with a common goal of the health and achievement of all of our students. And we are family with students and their families, too. Nothing is more humbling than hearing from an alum who said that I had a positive impact on his or her life. There is no doubt that the students and alumni make a difference in mine every day. I have also witnessed how students consider each other family. Time and time
REFLECTION & ANTICIPATION R EF L EC TI O N
“The teacher helps the learner…by developing an environment which influences the student to make a strong commitment to values, to seek a larger knowledge, and to acquire a firm purpose.” Taken from a 1950s admission piece, these words still ring true. The relationship between faculty and students has been at the core of the Springs experience for 60 years, inspiring students to lives that embrace values, knowledge and purpose.
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Mike Lantrip, Math/ recording arts What are your greatest hopes for Springs in the years ahead? I hope that the school’s philosophy maintains and emphasizes the basic values of truth, beauty and honor, that the educational focus is real-world oriented, forward thinking and global, and that the relationship between the students and teachers remains the special, heartfelt bond that we “Springers” know and appreciate.
Quality and commitment have been the hallmarks of the Springs faculty and staff throughout time. The current 40 faculty members hold 37 doctorates and master’s degrees, and many engage in professional development that further strengthens their credentials. More than half of the faculty and staff live on campus, demonstrating a presence to students beyond the “normal” school day. Whether or not they reside on campus, they engage students in and out of the classroom — eating with them, attending their games and performances, sponsoring their clubs, and supporting their dreams, evidenced by college recommendations, award referrals, and job references. In the process, they become the students’ challengers, cheerleaders and colleagues.
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My thoughts on my first day at Springs are the same today. We have great teachers, and I am happy to work among them.
FACU LT Y/STA F F
Mac Fleming, History/Archives What has stayed consistent throughout Springs’ history? One of the fundamental objectives of the institution has always been to teach the student to teach himself. The original board, administration and faculty are no longer with us, but the original object of the school is still with us.
This special section showcases faculty and staff who have served throughout Springs’ 60 years and includes their observations and hopes for the school’s future. In their words, you will see their commitment to helping students embrace values, knowledge and a firm purpose. s p r i ngs
What is it about this place that creates family? One reason is because we are a boarding school and so many of us, whether we reside on campus or not, live, eat and experience life together. But there’s even more to it. In and out of class, faculty and students learn together, and in the process, we learn about each other. We challenge each other, explore the hard questions, inspire each other to excellence, and have the freedom to experience Learning Through Living. We are a community of scholars and a family in the best sense of the word. I am pleased to be a part of Springs’ past, present and future family.
REFLECTIONS & ANTICIPATIONS
While being present, faculty and staff members also encourage an atmosphere of personal responsibility among students. Fully embracing the school’s motto of Learning Through Living, they support the students’ efforts to govern themselves and to navigate the sometimes tricky waters of academics, accountability and citizenship. And students are always the better for it.
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again, alumni tell me that their friends for life are their Springs friends.
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