Jeremy Besch
Head of School
The Park School of Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Photo by TBC Photo
Seventeen of my 22 years in education have been at Park, a progressive school. Since July of 2018, I’ve been head of school, a feat I’m more proud of than anything else in my professional career. I’ve “grown up” at Park professionally, am nearing the tail end of raising two boys there, and I’ve had a lot to do with where the school has gone and what we’ve done. I recognize the beauty of how my learning to do education and school leadership has evolved in the process.
I’ve been thinking a lot about our new science building, the Knopp-Hailpern Center. Like my professional career, it evolved over time—a nearly five-year process that was democratic and community-centered, challenged by obstacles of varying degrees, and requisite of creative thinking and problem-solving. True to our progressive roots, it was a slow but worthwhile endeavor, and it taught the Park community a lot about patience and the thoughtful pursuit of goals. Personally, the amount of attention and energy it required of me as head of school was one of the bigger surprises of my first year.
As a rookie head, I’ve found it helpful to consider the inevitable obstacles and subsequent frustrations of headship through this progressive lens. Each hard step carries with it a lesson that provides valuable opportunity for growth and learning. This is especially true when the steps (or missteps) are frustrating. With the science center, for example, there were “historical” processes that demonstrated the need for such a mindset, as well as more contemporary difficulties. None of these were much within our control. Even so, they required patience.
Funny enough, this is a lesson I know well already—and that I know I know. Years of managing student life at Park taught me that most crises aren’t crises and that slowing down for a thoughtful approach almost always makes things more manageable. My thinking brain tells me that it only makes sense that the same truth would apply to “crises” of school leadership. Of course, my in-the-moment-let’s-fix-this-fast-and-move-on brain can hijack such an approach in pursuit of solutions we wanted yesterday. It’s been good practice to force the issue by consistently reminding myself that mistakes and obstacles are unavoidable, solutions are nearly always attainable, and the process of finding them carries value beyond the solutions themselves. If that sounds familiar it’s probably because it’s one of the most important mantras we use with our students.
Perhaps trying to tie the bow on the end of a long building project wasn’t the best way to start my career as a head of school. But then again, perhaps it was. The chance to lead my community through the frustrations of such a project has been great practice in problem-solving, collaboration, and the resilience we hold so dear. I’ve gained enough experience to know that the independent spirit of Park is what’s given me the opportunity to lead and grow. I’ll always be proud of that, and really grateful for it, too.
What’s your independent school story? Share it with us. Send a note to [email protected].