Should Milton Mirror the Intensity Around Us?
In theory, learning is fun. Plenty of learning, though, comes as a result of struggle and frustration. Every spring, our seniors remind us about the effect of fun on their motivation, commitment and achievement. Their senior projects show us, in living color, the power of self-designed learning, as they develop and carry out projects to culminate their Milton experiences. Senior projects span a range of efforts, from making movies to researching in science, from interning in medical institutions to writing poetry, from creating code to caring...
read moreUnsettling, in the Best Possible Way
Immersing myself in a new and uncomfortable situation often comes with some lofty goals. It also, almost always, comes with plenty of trepidation. After all, a “new place” might be geographically distant from anything I’ve known, linguistically mysterious, and just plain intimidating. I know that I perhaps have humbling errors in store and will likely fail often. Yet, somewhere in my head or heart, I know that confronting these challenges is exactly why I chose to put myself out there, and very quickly I start to feel like I’m learning...
read moreThe Lived Truth: When Mine Is Different From Yours
When my younger brother, Richard, graduated from college, he worked for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York. Senator Moynihan—a liberal Democrat—regularly had breakfast with the staunchly conservative Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. Today’s political culture would label these two senators enemies. Legend has it that the first half hour of their shared meals involved their ridiculing one another’s positions with passion and, often, spectacular humor. Once that exchange was out of their systems, they got down to...
read moreThe Discipline Behind Changing Wisely
by Todd B. Bland The range of Milton’s alumni accomplishments — personal and professional — is remarkable. You are diverse, impressive, courageous individuals. As a collection of stories chronicling your lives, Milton Magazine is a great resource. It shows us, in real time, how alumni are leveraging their education, their passion, and their skill to develop creative and meaningful lives. Hearing your stories is a favorite part of my job. It helps me see the value of Milton’s educational values and traditions, writ large in...
read moreTo See Clearly, Rely On “Clean Mirrors”
by Todd B. Bland Recently, a student writing for The Milton Paper asked me about my legacy — how I’d like to be known, once my tenure at Milton is complete. My list of goals is long, as you might imagine. Toward the top of that list is helping us all — as individuals and as an institution — be self-aware. We’d all agree that a data-wise leader is a more effective leader. The same is true for anyone undertaking an important endeavor: The more you know, the better equipped you are to move ahead purposefully, responsibly....
read more“Leave Room to Be Surprised”
by Todd B. Bland Every Wednesday morning, I look forward to sitting around the Harkness table with the 14 students in my section of Senior Transitions. This course is designed to help Class I students manage the complexities of senior year and the college admission process, and focus on how to make a smooth and healthy transition from high school to college. Senior Transitions is one of four courses in Milton’s Affective Education program that all students take over their Milton years. During this year, we focus explicitly on life questions:...
read moreThe Gift of an Oral Legacy
by Todd B. Bland The Camp — built by my great-grandfather, Hiram Bingham, as a retreat for his wife and seven sons — has been a family gathering place for more than five generations. So many of my childhood “firsts” happened during annual visits to the Camp; so many meaningful memories took root there. There, I learned through stories about my family’s intriguing adventures. My mother and father, aunts, uncles, great-uncles and great-aunts told stories, but my grandmother’s and grandfather’s were the most powerful. In the...
read moreAttracting Teaching Stars
As educators, Nancy and I were treated like rock stars by Milton families and friends in Korea, China and Hong Kong last spring. Every educator deserves to feel like a rock star. Every teacher deserves to be celebrated for having chosen to teach. How do educators in the United States feel about their careers? In America, baby boomers answered the call to educate at rates ahead of any generation since. Today, 40 talented faculty members who have each been dedicated to Milton for more than 25 years are a source of our strength. How will we fill...
read moreMilton’s Culture Is Rooted in the Faculty
One thing I love about Milton, a characteristic that drew me here and connects me deeply, is the sense of accountability that alumni, students, faculty and staff feel for their own lives, and the life of the School. Daring to be true seems to be a standard we require of ourselves. How has this come to be? How does Milton nurture a culture centered on this value? I believe that for generations our faculty have modeled and fostered this value, and I am proud to preserve their legacy. Role models in my life were the people who cultivated in me a...
read moreOn Purposeful Percolating
An article by Carolyn Johnson in the Boston Globe titled “The Joy of Boredom” made its way to my file because of how it highlighted two insightful thinkers. Richard Ralley and Ned Hallowell have written extensively about the danger of modern society’s fear of boredom. They argue that our desire to be stimulated, constantly, threatens our potential for creativity. Mr. Ralley, a lecturer at Edge Hill University in England, notes that, “The most creative people are known to have the greatest toleration for long periods of uncertainty and...
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