How Connections Matter

Here are three quick vignettes that illustrate a larger point about Harbor.

The father of a lower school boy was pleasantly surprised by the mindset of the Harbor faculty.

“I asked Mrs. Weir if she would come in early once a week to help my son with the saxophone and when I suggested that I pay her for her time, she simply said, absolutely not, it’s part of my job…that’s what I do.”

A parent of a fourth grade student was shocked at how the faculty spent their personal time thinking about their students. As she put it:

“Mrs. McBrien sent us an email at like 11:30 PM on a Sunday night telling us that our son seemed a bit disengaged and down. She said that at one point he had expressed an interest in ships and felt that she could use that interest to get him excited about learning. She then went on to personally design an enrichment project about ship navigation that linked directly into the unit the class was studying. My son was thrilled! He felt energized about the class and knew that his teacher was looking out for him. I honestly couldn’t believe it, and I remember asking my husband where this teacher found the time and energy to put so much thought in to just one student.”

The father of a new student recently remarked that he was amazed at how many faculty took a special interest in how his daughter was feeling.

“They were not going to let her fall through the cracks or be unhappy. It didn’t matter if a teacher actually taught her or not, they all just reached out to her. Madame Chiet at the lunch table facilitated new friendships, Coach Decker helped her to be an important part of the team, and Chris Pryor consistently and sincerely chatted with her about her feelings, her frustrations and her goals.”

Stories like this are so common at Harbor that it’s easy to forget how unusual they would be at many other schools.  When Mr. Pryor speaks about the power of connections at Harbor, this is what he means.

Harbor’s nurturing environment allows for the development of a wide range of enriching student-teacher relationships.  Harbor faculty members actively support their students as they arrive at the many crossroads in their educational experience.  They become personally invested in the success of every child.

Connecting with students in a variety of environments outside the classtoom is not the exception to the rule.  It is the rule.  Teachers are coaches, theater directors, fieldtrip chaperones, club sponsors, mentors, counselors, and advisors.  In short, Harbor teachers really know their students and understand what they need to thrive.