Teachers, like parents, have every right--indeed, an obligation--to communicate disapproval of behavior as we see fit. Never, however, may a teacher express anything other than unconditional positive regard for the person we are in the business of nurturing as an individual. As a school, we took a notable stand on this issue 24 years ago, when--in the introduction to a glossy new admission brochure--headmaster David Fowler's remarks finished with the phrase, "...seeking the right balance of structure and love." I'm willing to bet that this was the first (and perhaps only) time that that word has so appeared. Positive regard is the key to engendering the kind of love we seek: students feeling the safety and drive to risk being their very best. It works. I can prove it here. Year after year, since the late '60s, Tim Norris has been coaching ski jumpers in a manner that has yielded consistent excellence, a spate of Olympic qualifiers, and today--for the fourth year in a row--both league and New England champions.

Tim is special, but he is not alone. Second year boys' hockey coach Mike Walsh's team just won its thirteenth consecutive game, including an upset of Division 1 Phillips Exeter Academy, and is ranked at the top of Division 2 going into a post-season tournament that we swept last year. Here's forward Rob Campbell undressing a goalie yesterday....

...before depositing the biscuit in the basket on his way to a hat trick:

Then there's David Kenney. In his second year as snowboarding coach, Dave cites his love for his riders repeatedly in assembly. In fact, that's all he talks about. He loves them. What do you guess they do in response?