with the end perhaps a bit closer for me but kids still in high school. I
imagine they'll be carrying out of my school feet first some day, but I
have in my mind a serious move perhaps once the kids graduate--except that
the "Who will have the old man?" question looms, and of course I'll be
paying those swelling college tuitions.
I've been really fortunate to have worn many hats over many years in one
school as my interests and skills have developed, but, having pretty much
moved out of the "key" administrative spot that I held as academic dean, I
occasionally feel a bit as though I am on the backside of a career when,
like Marti, I feel as though my knowledge, interest, and energy are far
from having peaked. Some writing and a wee bit of consulting keep me
feeling as though I am in the game and even giving back (there's
absolutely no money in the writing and the consulting is regrettably
infrequent, though I really enjoy doing it, so it really is mostly
giving), but, as others out there who do either of those things know, a
prophet has little honor in his own country, so at my own place some of
what I think is my best stuff isn't always utilized. (That's why there are
consultants, to come in and tell folks what their own people could tell
them but which they wouldn't pay attention to.)
Thing is, the best thing about my current job is that I get to talk to
kids all the time, but it's also the worst thing, because I am also
reminded how much I like being in a classroom full of them, and there just
isn't time for that the way our office works. I also occasionally miss
being part of major decisions or doing the intense problem-solving that
one hates as an administrator but that teaches us so much about all
aspects of our schools and the people in and around them. I LOVE thinking
about schools and how they work and why they do what they do and how we
could all do everything better, and sometimes when I'm spending my day
tracking missing application materials with college admission offices, I
really miss having to do that. I don't ever miss having to run a
department heads meeting, I'll confess, but I do miss the challenge of
getting things done in those kinds of settings.
Fortunately, I too have made my peace with the wealth question, if not the
debt question, and I guess it's time to make peace with the sleep
question. It's fun to ponder this stuff, thank you, Marti, for the
compelling post that brought this topic to life for me in a new way.
Cheers--Peter Gow
Peter Gow, Director of College Counseling and Special Programs
Beaver Country Day School
791 Hammond Street
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
www.bcdschool.org
Tel. 617-738-2755
FAX 617-738-2701
Webmaster: www.IndependentEducator.org
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