Sabbaticals allows faculty to break from the Tabor routine and return with new ideas and experiences.
By Nick Veronesi ‘13
Mr. Howland and Mr. Arnfield are going their own separate ways during the second semester, with Mr. Howland being awarded a sabbatical and Mr. Arnfield taking advantage of the Braitmayer Fellowship.
Mr. Howland completed the sabbatical eligibility requirement of being a teacher at Tabor Academy for 15 years, and he says “his wife helped me see the sense and value in taking a sabbatical, as well as Mr. Becker, who has also done a sabbatical in the past.”
Mr. Howland also looks forward to “doing something different, something that I have been unable to do in the past. I also want to do some volunteer work or a part-time job during my time off.”
Mr. Arnfield will also take a break from teaching, but for another purpose. He has received the Braitmayer fellowship, which gives a faculty member the opportunity to complete a Masters degree or a research project.
Mr. Arnfield has gone with the latter, as he plans on building a wood fired ceramic kiln.
Since arriving at Tabor Academy in the summer of 1999, he has been an important part of the visual arts program, as he has taught students ceramics, studio art, and art history, but he believes the time off will help him enhance his skills, especially as a ceramic artist.
“Being awarded the time and support to undertake a substantial research/creative work project represents a significant and ongoing learning and growth opportunity for me as a ceramic artist and as an art educator,” he says.
When Mr. Arnfield first arrived at Tabor, all of the kilns were electric, and Mr. Arnfield classified the results as “homogenous, uniform, and mundane as Levittown suburbia and American cheese.” After Shosuke Idemitsu ’52 donated a gas-fired kiln in 2002, ceramics became more unpredictable, and eventually more popular.
For his project, he is planning and hoping to build a wood-fired kiln where students, in late October and late April or early May, may participate in the two-day firing process.
“I envision this kiln project providing a significant catalyst for my students and me as we reach toward a greater understanding of the value of disciplined work and community through the transformative power of creativity and art.” Mr. Arnfield says.
While both teachers admit that they would miss “contact with our students”, they are as excited as ever to do their own thing until September. We wish them luck and success!
This article was reprinted with permission from The Tabor Log, our student newspaper.
