I loved school growing up. I'm not going to tell you I was always the best student. I could have worked harder, but I loved school. I loved the community of school. I loved going to school at all levels.

During the summer I would sometimes play school with a neighborhood friend whose mom was a teacher. And I credit that, I think, to the teachers I had. I always wanted to be an elementary school teacher.

 

I had some very special elementary school teachers along the way. I enjoy laughing with kids. I think kids have a natural joy about them, a natural enthusiasm, a natural curiosity about all things.  I love being around kids. You get an honest conversation with kids who often don't filter what they say. So I think they humble us. Children have a natural joy about life that's infectious.

Our two boys enrolled at Shipley two years ago. From the onset of the admissions process, it was getting to know the people that drew us into Shipley. 

Since then, Henry's teachers have been amazing. Great academics, but patient and kind. We have seen his academics take off. And I credit his team of teachers. 

Jack has had amazing teachers in their own right, they welcomed Jack and were funny and engaging with him.  And so the people drew me here.

I've spent a career, 33 years, in public education. Except for a small stint, it's all been elementary work.

I never thought I'd have the opportunity to be a leader within the school where our children go. Knowing what I've seen and experienced firsthand, and what my family has experienced, it was appealing to me.

But I would have to say, when I think about Shipley, I come back to the motto constantly. Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing. That's how I try to live my life. Being compassionate participants in the world. So I think all of those things excite me - to be with my boys, the people I’ve met, the motto.

I don't think there's anything more important than what a lower school does. It sets the trajectory for everything else that comes next.

We build a solid foundation in academics - teaching children to read, exposing them to great literature, getting them excited about good books and having conversations. Same thing with math and other subjects.

If a child leaves lower school, and doesn't love school, there's a problem. We have failed. Our tiny little classrooms are where children get individualized attention, where you create community, a love for school, of respect for one another, learning about each other, and then also the fundamental academic skills. We put it together here.

It’s like opening up a new can of Play-Do, and it's completely malleable. You can do anything with it. We have these great young students and we can do so much with them. We can expose them to so much. Give them opportunities to lead, to discover, to learn. That's why I love primary-age kids. They're excited and happy. It's contagious.

 

I think the world of elementary school teachers. At the elementary level, it's about engagement and the whole child. It's about getting students to want to buy in.  And that's really hard. 

You have to love children. I've often said working with new teachers, I can help a teacher with pedagogy or a lesson plan. The teacher has to love curiosity. A student might raise their hand to answer what’s two plus two, and instead they tell you something about what happened at home. And you have to be willing to work with that.

You have to understand children - how their brains work - and value where they are in their development - socially, emotionally, academically. And be incredibly flexible - you have to be able to pivot, be creative, and try new things.

Children aren't going to be ready to learn if their basic needs aren’t met or they don't feel like they're belonging in a classroom. If they don't have friends. So you have to understand all these pieces that go into making a child ready and able to learn. You have to know who's sitting in front of you.

I snowboard. I skied for 19 years. At this point in my life it’s safer for me not to do tricks. I am not going off the jumps or the rails. I wish I could tell you I was that cool.

We've got two boys, so outside of school there's a whole lot of soccer. It is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 12 months a year soccer, multiple teams. I love watching them play. That brings me joy because it makes them happy.

Spending time with my wife - I will always say she is my best friend. And I treasure time with her.

I like to run. I would not call myself a runner, but I do like to run. I've run a couple half marathons over the years. I’ve been running Broad Street every year for a long time now.

The beach is a happy place for me and my family. That's where I decompress. I do my best reading on the beach. 

I get inspired by kids learning. By seeing kids working together. By coming into school in the morning and getting high fives and fist bumps. That inspires me. Connecting with children. Creating an environment where kids can be happy and thrive.

I get inspired by good teaching. I get inspired by helping people and making a difference. I think the goal of a great administrator is to hold up that mirror for a teacher so the teacher can see the work that they have done. Helping them see what they did as an educator inspires me.

Quotes inspire me. I love a good quote. That's why I'm drawn to Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing. 

Big Ted Lasso fan. I love Ted Lasso from a leadership lens. I loved Downton Abbey. There's something about the British monarchy that I think is cool. I can watch Seinfeld over and over again. It drives my wife crazy.

Movies - I'm going to go with Dead Poets Society. Unbelievable, gives me chills. Remember the Titans. I watch it over and over again. A beautiful story. I love sports movies. Boys in the Boat. The movie was good, the book is even better.

Books. I love good children's literature. Jerry Spinelli is one of my favorites. I plan on reading Ringer to the fifth grade classes this year.

The Giver by Lois Lowry is a powerful story.

One of my favorite children's books is We Don't Eat Our Classmates, which is all about being kind to each other and how we talk to each other.

Anything John Grisham. My dad and I, when my dad was living, we would read all the Grisham books together.