When I walk through the campus here on our beautiful hill, I do so as a Middle School English Teacher and most recently, as Dean of the Middle School. I watch as students make themselves more aware, almost daily, of their surroundings and the diverse community that they share.
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Imogen Rex, M.S. Virtues Ceremony
Iam reminded by their uniforms and by their heavy backpacks of my time as a student. Although the campus is different, and so many other things like sports and experiential learning have grown and developed, much of the tradition lives on through students who are here now almost 20 years after me. At some point during the school year, each of my classes twigs that they can find old yearbooks in the library which contain true, if not flattering, photos of their teacher, Mrs. Rex. Some say they like my early 90’s hair styles and others just stare in horror. What is always the same in this situation, is the amazement that they feel when they realize that I had my turn in learning Words of the Day, Great 100’s and what Cornelia et Flavia are doing in chapter 12 of Ecci Romani. These things have not changed.
What has changed at Wakefield since 1991, are the methods by which this knowledge is reached. Seeing Mr. Clubb and his 6th grade history class going door-to-door with a flag announcing St. George’s Day is just one of the unpredictable norms that you will find in the halls of this school. It is a great pleasure to join the boys and girls screaming in delight as they sway down Compton’s Rapids on the Shenandoah kayaking trip, and then to simply watch them ten minutes later quietly paddling, each lost in his or her own world. Working with students who truly care about each other, and who strive to make each day better for someone else is one of the great privileges of teaching the students at Wakefield. It never ceases to make me smile when I watch students studying furiously in the halls in the mornings or at lunch, and one of them is trying hard to help another come up with a way to remember some tricky tidbit that is bound to show up on the test. Helping them to make associations between the subject matter in the class and something in “the real world” makes each day in the classroom both an adventure and a challenge. It is likely that an amazing connection will be made during a discussion in Literature.
My experience as a student at Wakefield was unique, but what I enjoy about the school now is the opportunity to work both in and outside the classroom with students who seek more out of every day knowledge than simply what is presented in the books. Whether they are on the sports field, in the classroom, working on community service, or simply soaking in some early spring sunshine, Wakefield students are constantly taking in the world around them.
Imogen Rex
, Middle School English Teacher, Dean of Middle School, Middle School Field Hockey Coach, Wakefield Alumna