A Dedicated and Detail Oriented Faculty

As you may or may not know Wakefield School is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS). As an accredited school every ten years we must undergo the process of reaccreditation which entails conducting a thorough and comprehensive self study to determine the degree to which our school is living up to its mission in a number of areas set forth in standards written by VAIS. The process of conducting the self study requires committees of the faculty and administration to prepare written reports which are then reviewed and approved by the full faculty.

This past Monday students were allowed to stay home to celebrate the Martin Luther King holiday while the faculty came to school to work on our self study. One of our sessions was spent reviewing edits to the reports of two committees whose work had been approved pending these edits. One might have thought that approving these edits would be a relatively easy task taking little time. However, as is the way of the Wakefield faculty, each word and sentence were analyzed in depth as each member of the faculty ensured that the words and grammatical tools worked together to clearly convey the intended message. We wondered as group if we should use the word “previous” or “previously”. We debated comas and semi-colons, word order, and syntax. Somewhat heated discussions were waged about the order of paragraphs and events or stories not included. In short, the process of approving previously approved work was not a quick process. In the end the faculty approved the new and improved reports and all were satisfied that the reports conveyed that which they were meant to convey in a clear and comprehensive way.

Why am I sharing this story with you? Because as I sat in these meetings listening to my colleagues debate the intricacies of sentence construction I thought how fortunate our students are to have teachers that are so committed to the details of a project. I wondered to myself, if they are willing to give so much of their time and energy to ensure that this report is as near perfection as possible then imagine the time and attention to detail they are willing to spend on their students and their lessons, for teachers did not become teachers because they love to write narrative reports, they are teachers because they love to work with students.

I was further impressed with the knowledge that my colleagues posses. My long forgotten grammar lessons are alive and fresh in the minds of our teachers. I am not just speaking of our English teachers but all of our teachers. Further, this is not the only occasion in which I have been impressed by the intellect of Wakefield’s faculty. Historical and literary anecdotes are regularly thrown out at meetings and in casual conversation. Teachers are engaged in their discipline for fun outside of school and are, in many cases, leading local experts in their field. Two examples that come to mind are: Amanda Gonczi, Science Department Chair and leading local expert on reptile rehabilitation; and John Hood, Chair of the Foreign Language Department and published author in classical studies. Our faculty is extremely smart and highly engaged – and not afraid to show it. They are teaching what they love and what they live.

I feel fortunate to be surrounded by such talented and motivated peers. I know that the students who are fortunate enough to spend time in their classrooms will benefit tremendously from the enthusiasm and experience our teachers bring to the classroom.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Sarah

Deadline for Admission and Financial Aid Applications: Friday, January 29. All applications materials must be submitted by this date in order to be considered for the initial review of applications. Applications completed after this date will be considered on a rolling basis as space and/or funds allow. Click here to be directed to the admission section of the Wakefield website for information on the application process.

Open House: Friday, February 12 at 9 am. RSVP here or call 540.253.7600