Thursday, September 11, 2008

When you gain, you also must give back

The 2008-09 school year has commenced. As I wrap up my first week, I must note and comment the Upper School's move to our new building on campus. I, after a decade of sharing rooms with my colleagues and being in a small office with three other colleagues, now have a brand new, spiffy, gigantic room all to myself. I teach all of my classes in the same room and no other teacher teaches in my room. I have a desk in my room and am completely self-contained. This is true for each and every teacher.

Therein lies the rub. It's lonely. In the old building, everyone was on top of everyone else ALL THE TIME. Our Math Department office was situated right at the junction of two hallways so just being at my desk meant that I heard everything that was going on and more importantly, students would just drop in and visit.

Our new building, and might I put out there officially that it is grand, beautiful, well-designed and spacious, has changed the feel of the Upper School community. The hallways are empty and it feels sterile. Two of my colleagues are in a completely different building. Until this afternoon at lunch, I hadn't seen Steve G. for two full days. He and I used to sit right next to each other in our old office.

What we all have gained in creature comforts and privacy, we've lost the organic interactions that used to occur a couple times an hour because everyone's paths inevitably crossed each other. I liken our move being the equivalent of going from an inner city high density neighborhood to now being in a gated community in the suburbs.

I just need to accept that I need to make the effort to go and find my colleagues and get up off my behind and make those old connections happen. But I put out the charge too all member of the HRS Upper School to make the effort to remake and perhaps create a new community and school culture.