Interview with Scott Small, Head of Upper School
Recently, we caught up with MICDS Head of Upper School Scott Small to learn more about his educational leadership philosophy, his passion for MICDS, and about what his aspirations are for our Upper School students. Check out the Q-and-A below!
Q: How did you come to lead the Upper School at MICDS?
A: When the position opened up in 2011, I was wrapping up my 12th year of teaching and coaching at MICDS. While I did not really have ambitions to be a school administrator, I did feel compelled to ensure that I was serving students and colleagues well and felt like this role was potentially an opportunity to expand that service to a community that I care deeply for. Applying for the Head of Upper School position ultimately was an opportunity to either transition to a role with broader impact and service or, if not chosen, at least to reaffirm the commitment to the community that I hope my work in the classroom reflected.
Q: What makes the Upper School at MICDS distinctly unique and special?
A: There are so many things that make our US community special. To highlight one piece that flies under the radar sometimes: the pride that our students take in championing their community to visitors. During hiring season, one of our unique practices is to have our student leadership interview teaching candidates. Without fail, our interviewees cite their interactions with our students as the highlight of their visit and are often enthusiastically surprised by the unprompted and unscripted poise and passion that our students lead with.
Q: Beyond the academic curriculum, what are the three most important things you hope students learn before they graduate?
A: 1) The value of intellectual curiosity. I believe that asking questions is almost more important than finding answers. If you are curious, you are a problem solver and are eager to learn. That curiosity will not only benefit you in your growth, but it will make those around you better thinkers as well.
2) The importance of both taking care of yourself and holding yourself accountable in the process. Honesty, accountability, and resilience not only prepare us to be competent people, but they ensure that we are worth following when we decide to step up as leaders in our community. The MICDS education is certainly about becoming a better thinker, but it is also about becoming your best self and ensuring that you are prepared to live a life of purpose and service.
3) The incredible value in knowing others and embracing your community. One of the things that makes MICDS such a remarkable place is the diversity of thought and opportunities to learn from each other that stems from the relationship building that happens in classrooms, on athletic fields, through artistic endeavors, and in social spaces. Learning is not just about knowledge, but it is also about the intelligence that emerges from being an empathetic, compassionate, and inclusive peer.
Q: How does the Upper School define and foster resilience in students?
In the Upper School, we see resilience as a mix of knowing what your supports are and being able to ask for help, along with the self-affirming awareness that being appropriately challenged is a part of what helps us grow and learn. We have so many faculty and staff members who are eager to support our students, and our students do a great job of supporting each other. Those two foundational commitments provide an important support network that helps us all navigate the inevitable challenges that play a critical role in growing up. Resilience is, at least in part, understanding that dynamic and acknowledging that sometimes we might need a little help while we are always going to keep moving forward.
Q: Describe your philosophy on educational leadership.
A: If we are earnest in our commitment to graduating young people who will excel as students and as humans, then our educational environment must promote empathetic, intellectual curiosity, and a passionate commitment to engage in global problem-solving. Establishing such a culture, paying intentional attention to the meta-curriculum of a school, and building greater purpose and meaning across content all represent powerful opportunities to impact outcomes for each of our students.
Q: What is one thing you would tell your high school self now that you are and have been the Upper School leader?
That’s a tough one, because I grew up in an era so different than what our kids face (no cell phones, no social media), but I think I would just want to convey to my younger self that every opportunity to meet someone new or try something new is an opportunity for personal growth and to broaden one’s perspective. There are so many things to do at MICDS. Pushing oneself slightly out of the comfort zone opens up remarkable experiences that you can watch our students thrive in as a result each and every day.
Q: What are you most proud of at MICDS?
A: I am most grateful for the learning ethos that I get to be a part of daily. It is easy to take that for granted, but I know how much hard work our faculty and our students put into nurturing and preserving a learning environment that is even greater than the sum of its parts. From the example that my colleagues set in establishing truly profound classroom experiences to the response that this engenders from our students, each school day yields some remarkable intellectual breakthrough or validation of the commitment that we make to our collective social-emotional growth as well. I don’t think we always appreciate how special this truly is, but it is born of phenomenal effort, and that is something we should all be proud of.
Q: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at MICDS? What are you passionate about outside of education?
I love spending time with my family—my wife and my two daughters are everything to me and make me laugh, make me think, and, I believe, make me a much better person. We also have two dogs that drive us all nuts, so family time is paramount. I also enjoy running and attempting to stay in shape.
To get to know Mr. Small even more, view his Fun Facts graphic or meet him at one of our upcoming Admissions events.