O'Neal: A Way Students Learn to Be

John Elmore, Head of School
In a recent parent satisfaction survey, the greatest strength of the O’Neal School is the teacher/student relationships. In fact, this has been a valued characteristic for many years. It is emphasized by being sensitive to each individual family and student in all interactions throughout the year. With our teachers’ expertise in their field and in teaching a given, call it professionalism, understanding, responsiveness or customer service, families value the communication, empathy and sensitivity to their children – our students. 

We strive to make every interaction we have with the people in our community and beyond both encouraging and positive. This helps us to create the classroom, school and community that embraces and advances the characteristics that our families value most. Parents’ expectations are high, as they should be, and if they are not met, they remember.

Students also remember. I always ask teacher candidates during the interview process, “why teaching?” and I am struck by the number of people who say “because of my [BLANK] teacher.” A little over 30 years ago my high school biology teacher, who was exceptional, changed the way I looked at learning and broadened my view of what was possible in my hometown of Ekalaka, Montana. My middle school football coach was an extraordinarily kind and generous person with a sense of time and place. His inspirational talk before every game was to, “play today like it is your last game.” He was teaching us about perspective and the relative nature of what we were doing. What my biology teacher and coach have taught me is not the point. The point is that it had an impact and that I remember. Our students will remember something about at least one of their teachers at the end of this year – not necessarily the subject that was taught, but something that truly changed them.

So, at O’Neal we continually strive to join the value our families place on the relationships they have with each of us – and what we teach our students – to build our school community. In a recent commencement address for another independent school on the East Coast, the speaker described four traits he believes all successful people share:

1.      They have emotional intelligence and the desire to look beyond themselves.
2.      They focus on communication in all forms.
3.      They have the confidence to be humble.
4.      They understand and value the importance of reputation.

Notice that GPA, popularity, test scores, nor wealth were included. Also notice that these are not only traits we hope to inspire in our students but also traits we as teachers continually strive to develop in ourselves and in our colleagues. It is important that we, as a community, maintain consistency, expectations, values and habits of mind. As the aforementioned commencement speaker said, “School is not a place you went [graduates]; it’s a way you learned to be.” In a community that values relationships and common educational goals, O’Neal is “not a place our students go; but a way they learn to be.”

Our faculty and staff are mindful to promote just such a community at O’Neal.  In addition to the high academic standards in a supportive setting that is a given expectation at O’Neal, our faculty require it within themselves to have the emotional intelligence to get beyond themselves and truly understand and do what is best for each student and family. We know that positive, open communication with each family is essential. We humbly see their roles at O’Neal as a calling and approach them with passion. 
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The O'Neal School admits students of any race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by law to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by law in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.