Head of School Reflection
By Dr. Terry Macaluso, Head of School
We have extremely kind children at EPS. My birthday—and it’s a significant one—is today. Here’s how significant it is. Within the past three months I’ve received a number of messages from Medicare, Social Security, AARP, assisted living facilities, real estate agents—telling me what my condo is worth and asking if it’s “time” to sell, and the Neptune Society, introducing their free planning guide. I’ve also received a voice mail from my lawyer and another from my tax account asking if we should “sit down and review my documents.” A certain dread accompanies birthdays that end with a “5”—unless, of course, the “5” is a single integer.
Yesterday, while working in the Commons, a 6th grade student approached and said, “Dr. Macaluso, may I interrupt?” I said, “Of course, how can I help you?” She leaned in over the table and in a whisper said, “I know it’s not until tomorrow, and I also know we want to be very subtle about this, but I just want to wish you a happy birthday.” And then she was off to class.
I’m not entirely certain how she came to understand my sensitivity on this matter, but I can imagine that there may have been a discussion or two. The more interesting thing to me is that she was so poised, so generous, and that she used the word, “subtle!!”
Where do these kids come from—and how can we get more of them?