TaborTalk Blog

I applied for the Idemitsu Scholarship on a whim, never dreaming I’d actually get it. Even after the “Congratulations!” email from Mr. Downes and a celebratory phone call with my dad, I didn’t really believe it was happening. It didn’t hit me at any point during the months of online prep, or when I was packing and printing my itinerary, or during the 20-something hours of flying. Reality only sank in after I saw the first Japanese ad in the airport and realized I had no idea what I was looking at. All of the excitement and nerves that I should have been able to process and come to terms with over the previous six months overwhelmed me instantly, and I was torn between the emotions of “Oh my gosh, I’m in Japan!” and “Dear Lord, I’m in Japan. By myself. For a month.”

My journey on the path to education as a personal life mission and career choice has an origin that spans long before my earliest memories. Did it begin when I learned to speak my first words? Did it begin when I learned to walk? Did it begin when I entered pre-school? The answers to these questions ultimately do not matter. What does matter is that, somewhere along the way, I learned that knowledge is not just a noun – some thing to be passively obtained. Knowledge is a verb – a communal act of discovery whose true power cannot be realized without intention. I became an educator, in large part, because of my own teachers’ investment of time and genuine care in both my family and me.

As the Class of 2017 starts the next chapter of their lives this month in college, the College Counseling Office wanted to share a few pieces of advice for a smooth transition to make the most out of the next four years! 

There are a few precious days each spring when I am awakened by the sound of progress, of literal and figurative moving forward. I think it has to do with the harbor being mostly empty of boats, or perhaps the density of early spring air. But with the windows open, in the quiet and blissful few moments before the mental gears engage and then start to spin, from somewhere out there, it comes in through the screen, light as a breeze and nudging me into waking. It starts with a sort of knocking sound. Then there are a few splashes, the slight hum of an outboard. Voices next. The ordered confident barking of a coxswain, maybe a little coaching in between. Together now. Pick it up. Power ten! Let’s Go!

Ever since I discovered Youtube and Youtubers I have been addicted to them. I would watch my favorite vloggers, beauty gurus, and comedians online habitually. I always thought they lived lives that were full of fun and adventure. For the longest time, I wanted to live exactly like them - by recording my days and adventures and making everyday an experience.

When I was a little girl, I was never one who took to dolls or princesses or any stereotypical female interests. My younger brother had a superhero phase consisting of him yelling out the names of his favorite heroes in a song he would make up.

From the desk of college counselor Lauren Boucher:

We are about half way done with senior projects already, but it feels like I have been working on mine for an eternity. For my senior project I am working on my public speaking skills while traveling to different schools and talking to students about the importance of self-love. I have always weirdly enjoyed public speaking and have aspired to give a TED Talk in my lifetime. After meeting Alexis Jones last fall, and later Emily Greener in the spring, I was inspired to actively pursue this dream. Therefore, I took the opportunity to do so through a senior project, turning lessons I have learned over the years into the subject of my talks. I have narrowed my topic specifically to the importance of self-love, because I have found that it is the core lesson I have needed to learn so far in my lifetime.

Last year, for his senior project, a friend of mine by the name of Josh Hillebrecht ’16 restored a 17’ Swampscott Dory. After his graduation, he gave it to me with the caveat that I had to build a sailing rig for it. So, when it was time for me to submit my Tabor senior project application, I knew exactly what I was going to do. At least that's what I thought.

We hear frequently about the critical state of the world’s oceans and marine life in peril. Yet too often, we are left feeling helpless - not knowing what we can do to make a difference. This week, Dave Bill and I delivered an Ocean Stewardship lesson to Nautical Science classes and to the Beijing, China exchange students from RDFZ School about ocean acidification.  As the oceans absorb rising levels of carbon dioxide from the air, in turn, the excess carbon dioxide lowers the pH of the water. This absorption of CO₂ changes the water chemistry and affects shelled animals and reef building corals negatively.

Nine exchange students from RDFZ School in Beijing, China spent the week at Tabor, visiting classes, taking part in afternoon activities, and staying with local host families. We gave them a little assignment to help them to practice their written English and story telling: