Oftentimes, when walking past Main Hall, our Head of School, Mr. Becker, can be seen diligently typing away behind his standing desk. Initially, I wanted to know more about Mr. Becker’s day-to-day, but our conversation revealed that his day can vary drastically. In turn, I decided to inquire about various topics related to life at Taft.
Q: Could you walk me through what a typical day as Head of School looks like for you?
A: One of the things I really enjoy about the job is that almost no two days look the same. Most people at school live by the daily schedule of A block and B block; I don’t. So, I’m connecting with colleagues and the students here on campus. I’m connecting with alumni and other folks around the country and around the world. A lot of Zoom for that. Or working on projects like campus planning that require coordinating with people from all over the place. Every day brings something different, so there isn’t a simple or straightforward answer to that question. If you actually look at my calendar for a day in the life, it’s really full. Every minute is typically spoken for.
Q: What advice would you give students to make the most of their time here?
A: I would say spend 10 minutes every day and a minimum of 30 minutes once a week to plan your days around your priorities. When using my planner, I start by outlining my goals for the week, requiring me to break down everything into very specific steps. And then, for each week and each day, I come up with my top three goals and add them to my calendar. Adding them to the calendar is important; otherwise, these things won’t happen. Students learn a lot when they write out their calendars. One realizes that there are a few things one really needs to be ready for and prioritize.
Q: As it is still early in the school year, what advice would you wish to give students to make the most out of their time at Taft, in terms of enjoyment and overall experience?
A: Everybody at Taft works really hard and has lots of goals. That’s a little different from when I was here. So, I would say, first and foremost, prioritize relationships and joy. Otherwise, high school will go by, and you’ll think, I got good grades, but I didn’t really enjoy it. Second, focus on developing executive function skills. If you don’t have them by the time you get here, then go see someone in the MAC to help you develop them, because it’s a teachable skill. If you don’t know how to juggle, you can learn to juggle. If you don’t know how to plan and execute your time, you can learn that too.
The reason I emphasize enjoying your time at school is that if you don’t prioritize the things that matter most to you, your time is going to get allocated in ways that you don’t actually want.
Q: What’s your favorite Taft tradition or event?
A: I’m conflicted on this because I think that we are, as a school, pretty thin on tradition. I look around, and I don’t see a ton of traditions, especially after the fall. Once we get through Red Rally, I’ve been talking to students about this for the last couple of years, people are like, uh, formal? Okay, cool. I think formal is important. So, I want us to have more traditions. I really like the change that we’ve made to focus a little bit more on the Super Sunday Color Teams. I could imagine that it becomes more of a tradition.
I think sit-down dinners for me are also ones I like a lot. When I was a senior, we did it four times a week. So I really like it, I get to meet different students and get to see different students meet each other. And it also reminds me in ways that there isn’t that much left that reminds me what school was like when I was here. So, I like that. I love assembly. I think that’s a tradition. I like the way we do assembly, school meetings, all those. I love any time the whole school is together.
Q: I’m only asking because it’s a pressing topic, and I feel a lot of people want to know what your opinion is on Saturday classes.
A: Well, so I’ll give you some historical evidence. The first thing that my prior school (Frederick Gunn School) did when I left was to get rid of Saturday classes. So, you could say that I was the reason that the school kept Saturday classes as long as it did. As a traditionalist, I don’t know that my opinion on this matter should carry the day. We should do whatever’s best for our community in terms of our goals for learning and growth.
Q: On a lighter note, is there a story behind the big bowl of candy in your office?
A: I find that students are pretty intimidated about coming to the Head of School’s office, so I’ve got to do something that somehow demonstrates, “Hey, come on in, eat some candy.” Obviously, eating too much of it is not healthy, but in small doses, not a big deal.
I never went into this office when I was a student here. But it’s just a little way to make the office a little bit less scary. People say, Oh, can I steal some candy? Well, it’s not stealing if they’re facing out to you, asking for people to eat it. You just have to introduce yourself. That way, it helps me get to know people.
Closing Reflection
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to sit with Mr. Becker and chat with him despite his busy schedule. Our conversation offered a glimpse of life at Taft from his perspective, and I hope my peers can benefit from his insights as much as I did.
Editor’s Note: The conversation above has been edited for clarity and length.
