It's What You Don't See

As soon as I saw this scene of football shoulder pads drying in the sunny courtyard, I knew I had to write this column. I immediately asked Erica to take the picture above.  Most people probably didn’t even notice them as they scurried by, but as soon as I saw them, I saw an entire story with a large cast of characters spanning months and years, symbolizing in one snapshot the very essence of what makes EDS unique.

Okay, I can hear you now, “Only Ned would make a mountainous column out of a molehill of pads!”  But seriously, follow me on this little internal dialogue I had with myself.  Q: Twenty some shoulder pads upturned in the courtyard sun.  Why?  A: I suppose they must be drying!  Q: But from what? Football season is over.  A: I don’t know. I guess someone must have washed them before they are to be put away.  Q: Who is our shoulder pad washer and how did they know to do this?  I would never have thought about that! A:  Me neither!  I guess our athletic director Carol Trammell did that. I wonder how you wash shoulder pads and how long it takes and how she thought to dry them in the sun. 

And my mind was off and running.  Probably none of the people who enjoyed the games this year or whose children played football would stop to think about this little but important and time-consuming detail or the hundreds of other details that went into starting our first ever football team – researching student equipment, practice equipment, finding coaches, developing a schedule, arranging fields, researching safety and liability issues, transportation, equipment storage, and on and on.  Most people see only the tip of the iceberg, the end result.

Then I think of all the work and activity you don’t see around here.  If you look beneath the surface, you will be amazed by the volume, scope, and pace of the work life of a teacher.  Think for a moment about planning lessons that will engage students all day -- preparing materials, responding to questions and managing unexpected disruptions, grading papers, correspondence with parents, decorating the room.  Remember also that EDS teachers are responsible for much more than just academic instruction. We expect them to be expert at interpersonal and conflict management, using random events as teachable moments for citizenship and ethical decision-making.  Then think about the attention required for professional development: analyzing student performance and test scores, reading up on the latest in brain research, curriculum, pedagogy and use of technology.  Add to that minor first aid and the care and attention of emotional bruises that are collected along the way. And on and on.

As parents, we see only the tip of the iceberg, even if it seems like the entire iceberg to us. We see our children’s homework, graded work, quarterly progress reports, and their mood and recollections at the end of each day. Just a few data points from this vast enterprise called EDS.

Then look even a little deeper at all of the details you don’t see that are in support of the classroom: religious stewardship, pastoral care, complex financial planning, ordering, billing, facility maintenance and management, fundraising efforts, long range planning, governance, technology infrastructure, scheduling, carpool and much more!

What you do see – the tip of the iceberg – is remarkable enough. We have plenty of data to confirm that our students’ academic preparation is vastly greater than most and on par with the country’s best.  We have collected an impressive track record of success and participation in athletics.  We accomplish this with remarkable financial efficiency, increasing the value of your investment.

But it’s all the stuff beneath the surface and behind the scenes that truly makes the amazing, mysterious, magical difference of an EDS education.  It’s the dedication of our faculty to go way beyond the call of duty. It’s the engaged, supportive, and hard-working parent body.  It’s the spirit of community in which we all roll up our sleeves and lend a hand when it’s needed.  But most of all, it’s the fact that we are on a mission and that everything we do is Christ-led and student-centered.

There are plenty of busy workplaces in the world. But as General Foley observed to us last week, “There’s something special going on at EDS.”  Just remember from time to time to look beneath the surface.