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Headmaster's Blog
List of 30 news stories.
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The Butterfly Effect
In each of your lives, you will have many butterfly effects. You will make small decisions — perhaps inconsequential at the time — that will impact the trajectory of your life. Further, it may impact the lives of those around you.Read More -
You never know who you'll see at Grassroots on Saturday Morning...
The common denominator is that Brookwood came into being and survived because the community came together with a common purpose to make this a great school.Read More -
Inspire
A theme should be pertinent to the school, should be timely, and should be aspirational. (No one wants their school to proclaim that they want to “Stay the Course!” “Seek Mediocrity!” or “Let’s Hope we Make it Through Alive!” as the theme of the school year.)Read More -
From the Mountaintop: Hiking with Dogs
This past year, in a devotion, I shared the story of Jefferson and encouraged our students to think about the three legs that work, rather than the one that does not. Put differently — focus on your strengths, feel grateful for the gifts that you have, and inspire others with your perseverance.Read More -
Open Letter to the Class of 2018
I believe as you spread your wings and move into adulthood that each of you will leave your mark on the world. You have dynamic qualities within your class that will serve you well.Read More -
Snowflakes, Aristotle, and New Year’s Resolutions
Read MoreHere’s the thing: success in life comes not from grand resolutions, but rather, daily habits:“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” -
Mid-Semester Report
As our students prepare to review their progress at the nine-week interval, I’d like to give you a sense of the growth and development that the school has seen thus far this year.Read More -
Make Each Day Your Masterpiece
Make each day your masterpiece. And eventually, I suspect you will build a masterpiece that everyone can see.Read More -
Build
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An Open Letter to the Class of 2017
Imagine for a moment that your entire class has gathered for your twenty-fifth reunion and that your are now attending that event. The year is 2042.Read More -
Face Time
At Brookwood, we are proponents of instructional technology and relish in the opportunities that technology can bring to the learning environment. We are also proponents of leadership, and know that the value of the face-to-face relationships leadership is paramount.Read More -
Almost Grown
Read MoreIt struck me, as I hope it did the students in that class, how much possibility each of them has to shape his or her future. Each of our students has the potential to create, innovate, and live lives of purpose and significance. Each one of them is the author of his or her life story, with many open chapters to write. -
90's Playlist
Read MoreSo.. why Brookwood?Adults of my era tend to be skeptical of institutions. As such, their choice to send their children to an independent school comes from thought and examination, rather than out of blind trust. We do seek a strong educational foundation for our children as we know that this plays a key role in success in later life. We seek a balance; we see that whole child development (physical, social, spiritual, as well as academic) are essential ingredients in childhood. We value that independent schools are run by educators and are immune from most governmental intrusions. We seek innovative thinking, characterized in STEAM education, and critical thinking, characterized in a small classroom environment. Finally, we seek community, which we have seen erode in our culture over the course of our lives. -
If I Could Make a New School Rule...
Read MoreIf it were not leaders who dared to have big dreams, we would not have Brookwood. -
Books Are Good
Read MoreNot all books are good, of course. Much of what I read has to do with education and parenting; there are stacks of books written about these areas that are, at best, useless, and at worst, downright harmful.For this reason, I would like to share with you a few titles that I have read recently that have influenced my thinking: -
Lead.
However, at Brookwood, we see a much broader view of “leader.” We know that leadership takes many, many forms, and we want each of our students to see the leadership potential in themselves.Read More -
An Open Letter to the Class of 2016
As you well know, there is a lot to celebrate with your class. Yours is the largest senior class to graduate from Brookwood. You have impressive college admission stats. You have set academic and athletic records. You have left indelible marks on our memory of theatrical, debate, and musical performances.Read More -
Annual Meeting 2016 Takeaways
What was the point of that story?... and other takeaways from the Annual MeetingRead More -
Backstage: The Magic Behind the Magic
The point is that life backstage is richer than the audience can imagine. It is where friendships are formed, bonds are made, and where magic truly happens.Read More -
The Value of an Independent School Education
Read MoreThe world famous musician Louis Armstrong was once asked to define jazz. His response was, “Man, if you gotta ask, you’ll never know.”That simple response conveys the very real sentiment that sometimes your dedication and passions are a function of your feelings, rather than an empirical understanding. -
The Rock Star Servant
Some of you will recall the pre-Spotify days when one had to be very intentional about one’s selection of music. When I was in high school, my friends and I would carry our carefully-curated cassette tape carrying cases around in our cars. The twenty or so tapes that one could transport were emblematic of our tastes, passions, and even identity… and we ALL had our rock guitar heroes.Read More -
New
New is all around us. The back to school feeling is one that, I believe, has stayed with many of us since childhood and has always been one of newness, excitement, and possibility.Read More -
That Mountain Air
This got me thinking… why do we have summer break, anyway?! (I’m not being rhetorical, I promise.)Read More -
An Open Letter to the Class of 2015
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Ummmm... Dr Watts, what does that say?
I have bad handwriting. I mean really bad handwriting. I am most thankful for computers and iPads because now I can actually read my own notes.Read More -
The Space Between
In the mid-1990s, I attended college and graduate school in central Virginia, which at the time, was a hotbed of touring musical acts that were encapsulated under the title of “jam bands.” Among them was a group of musicians from Charlottesville, known as the “Dave Matthews Band,” “DMB,” or to those of us who believed that we were on more familiar terms with the band, simply “Dave.”Read More -
So, you wanna go to college...
Have you ever wondered what colleges are really seeking in their applicants? I had the opportunity recently to observe a panel of four college presidents in a moderated discussion on the future of education.Read More -
On Fax Machines at Duck Hunts
At the 2015 Annual Meeting I made the comment that, due to the uncertainty of the future workplace, parents are increasingly overloading their children with activities in the hope that they will somehow find the combination of skills they need to survive as adults.Read More -
Resolutions for the Mind, not the Ego
When we moved into our house in Thomasville, we inherited an aging refrigerator with an external ice dispenser. The ice dispenser worked only upon occasion, delivering one or two cubes as a consolation—always missing the cup underneath—and yielding a loud electronic whine in the process until eventually, all it did was whine unceasingly without producing a single cube.Read More -
All About that Base
Reflection on Christmas TreesRead More
Brookwood School
Located in Thomasville, GA, Brookwood School is a private school for grades JK-12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.