Forty-six years ago I entered the field of independent school education as a part-time teacher at Green Fields School in Tucson, Arizona. Head of School Nancy Masland took a chance on my college-dropout self and hired me to teach PE, coach a variety of sports, and fill in here and there. Truth to tell, I was the “plus one” accompanying my husband, who was the real catch. Our combined salary was $8,000. We had an 8-month old daughter, Hillary, and bought a house for a grand total of $19,900. The enrollment of Green Fields never broke 100 while we were there (it is now thriving), and consisted of grades 3-12. To say we started “in the trenches” is an understatement. And yet…I would not now be a Head of School in Incline Village, Nevada, beginning my 46th (and final) year in education had I not experienced such a remarkable beginning.
This past week was the first of the year. I am cognizant of the weight of that statement. I will retire on June 30, 2018. The choice is mine, with the support of a strong Board of Trustees. My goal is to shepherd Lake Tahoe School through one more year and hand a healthy, thriving educational environment to a well-qualified and equally passionate successor. Between now and then, I find myself revisiting the schools and students (nine of them) with whom I have worked over nearly five decades. It is for that reason that I have started this blog. Whether or not any reads it is not important. What matters to me is a forum in which to share memories and lessons learned, to give credit to the multiple generations of students, teachers, administrators, and parents who taught me along the way. If doing so reconnects me with any of those former souls and/or provides a bit of wisdom to help teachers just diving into their own trenches, that will make me glad.
Glass Full 
Good start. I look forward to reading many more reminiscences. J
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