George Emeny brings a unique perspective to his work at Proctor. First, he taught here for twenty-three years, beginning in 1964. Then, he taught at three other schools over nineteen years. Now, he has "come home" (his words,) to Proctor.
A Renaissance man, George has expertise in highly disparate arenas. He's a skilled machinist and woodworker; he's a craftsman with hand tools; he's a blacksmith, a horseman and a student of Native American cultures. Oh, he teaches math. I find math to be...uhmmm...challenging. Sarah Whitehead (pictured below) tells me that a linear asymptote is an imaginary line that an exponential curve can approach but never touch. I have no reason to doubt her.
Here's a pie chart that I can understand. The silver segment represents "pie I have eaten..."
I digress. George's career path gives him a unique perspective on the nature of change at Proctor. When asked "How has Proctor changed?" his first observation is that the essential core is the same. (More on that later.)
These boys are talking their American lit. class through a novel's timeline.
The changes he cites are subtle. The student body has grown significantly, which threatens our ability to be flexible with individuals. This is tied to changing parental expectations. The demand for advanced placement credits and admission to most selective colleges are factors. This is honors physics:
In anatomy and physiology, we're dissecting pigs' hearts.
George wishes that more students had the time and inclination to explore Proctor lands...to scale The Bulkhead...to camp out or spend a weekend at The Cabin. These forestry students are setting off to observe seasonal transitions in the woodlot. More students should study forestry!
What endures at Proctor--despite threats posed by academic pressures--includes the pursuit of individual passions. Hunter is working on his kayak in the boat shop.
Returning to Proctor in 2007 was a homecoming for George. "None of the other schools at which I worked valued people as we do here." He cites the simple custom of saying "hello" in passing....the community's social etiquette. This must seem ironic to those who bristle or recoil at Proctor's overt informality!
George sees this as a trickle-down phenomenon. No where else has he witnessed the faculty treated with such honor by administrators. Kids hanging out at the Wise after assembly:
