27. The Dalton Student

Faculty and Staff assembled in the Martin Theater, Spring 2018
I recently celebrated my 60th year as a Dalton teacher. What amazes me is that while the school has modified its curriculum and tried new approaches to learning, close student/teacher relationships endure, nurtured through small classes, interactive rather than teacher-led instruction, and, most of all, Labs. In my House, I enjoy four year relationships with most of my advisees. House Alums return to talk about “life in college” and one visits regularly to tell students to “live in the present,” “use Labs,” and realize that the “close relationships that you develop with teachers” gives students a head start in dealing effectively with professors and later with bosses.

Some of my observations (and that of recent alums) regarding Dalton vs. non-Dalton students: Time management skills — most non-Dalton students arrive at college with no idea how to use unstructured time; writing a research paper — again, most students found this daunting as they had little or no experience; community service and collaborative work — emphasized at Dalton long before it became “fashionable;” sports team opportunities — an option for almost everyone (not to mention chess, robotics, Model Congress); the Arts — real opportunities even for those with minimal talent.

While the fundamentals remain, we’ve had some trade-offs: With increasing college pressures, we’ve lost time to reflect and in avoiding the “more is more” credo, we’ve had to cut certain things. But, I’m happy to say that while staying true to the School’s mission and the importance of the Assignment, House, and Lab, we’ve become a more diversified community — with lots of effort ahead to make this work for everyone.
—Judith Slater Geller ’51, Middle and High School Science Teacher

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