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o often we hear from families, visitors, consultants, and from other heads of school that Proctor, to a degree unique in the independent school world, has a clear sense of its identity and mission. That’s not accidental clarity. We’re fortunate to have a mission statement that has allowed the school to chart a definitive course over decades. It’s specific, concrete in a way many mission statements are not, and we like it that way. We believe mission language that is too abstract allows for institutional drift and the constant internal questioning of “Who are we?”. That’s when the contours of a learning community can round off and a school can become less distinct. Bland. That’s never been Proctor.
I encourage all to reread the mission statement of this school (pg. 1) to better understand how we have retained a strong sense of identity. There are a couple of details worth noting, with the first being that Proctor puts Learning Skills in its mission statement, adding a level of program specificity that spooks most institutions. But that’s Proctor’s way. We’re not afraid of specificity. Through decades, and stretching well back to the middle of the last century, an individualized, supportive approach to students and their learning profile has helped shape the how of Proctor. Learning Skills has been the seeding ground for many of the school’s distinctive programs. It has helped shape the ethos of the community. It’s why relationships between students and faculty seem to have a different tenor here, less oppositional and more collaborative. It’s why so many faculty here become not just mentors and guides for a student during their time at Proctor, but years after a senior has graduated.
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Also named in the mission of the school is a commitment to the experiential, hands on process. It’s a logical limbing out. We know traditional pedagogical models need to be supplemented. We know that when you touch the heart, the mind evolves and this is why the experiential for Proctor has long pushed well beyond traditional structures. We’ve been building boats here for well over seventy-five years. We hammer iron in the forge. We send students to sea, travel in the mountains, and live in foreign