Readers, I do not relish the writing of today’s post, for it is on a topic that saddens me deeply. I am writing in response to a choice that was made public last night at a televised meeting of the school committee. It is a choice that concerns the work of Beth Delforge, Fine Arts Curriculum Director for the Marblehead Public Schools. Her position is one of several being cut – whether it will be reduced to one day a week or eliminated entirely remains to be determined – in order to fund three new administrative positions for the school system.
I cannot overstate Beth’s impact on my adult life. She has been a steadfast mentor and friend to me. I will spend the rest of this school year enjoying every moment with my mentor and attempting to adjust to the notion of a school without Beth – which already sounds to me like an alien landscape. I have lots of questions about how a leaderless department can maintain the quality that has brought such acclaim to our community. But those are questions to be explored through the appropriate channels, and this blog is not such a channel.
It would be a mistake, however, to fail to recognize the impact that this woman has had on our community and on my life in particular. The halls of our music department are lined with framed photo collages that Beth has lovingly assembled, year after year, documenting the great work of our students. Before she begins the next chapter of her professional life, it is important that we document her great work in our town.
Beth hired me in the spring of my senior year of college. It was her first year as Fine Arts Curriculum Director, and with the principal’s support she sought to expand the high school music program. Together, over the next ten years, we would develop seven new music classes, charter a chapter of the Tri-M honor society, and increase enrollment in choral ensembles by 400%. Meanwhile, Beth was also busy creating unique district-wide professional development opportunities, promoting and supporting a stunning visual arts department, and advocating tirelessly – for a decade – for a theater arts teacher, who has finally joined our department.
I’ve spoken on numerous occasions of my tremendous good fortune to land in a school system that has valued the arts enough to fund an administrative position. With Beth’s advocacy – and here I must also acknowledge the tremendous contributions of our Fine Arts secretary Cindy Thompson – I’ve had the luxury of focusing solely on my teaching. I am learning that this singular attention to professional mission is a rarity in public education these days. I have been fortunate indeed.
For ten years Beth Delforge has pushed me to reach for what others might consider impossible. She has encouraged me to dream big, wild dreams of what our choral program could be, and then she has helped me outline the steps towards my goals. She showed me how to seek out grants that would support the expansion of our a cappella program, numerous school-wide enrichment opportunities, and the creation of an in-house recording studio for our music department. Although she is not one to seek the limelight, there should be no misunderstanding: every one of our ambitious and exciting endeavors has had her fingerprints all over it.
Beth has been far more than a cheerleader to me. She has been a trusted source of wisdom and advice. Whether grappling with the wording of an email, a puzzling piece of curriculum, or classroom management, my first instinct has always been to walk across the hall to her office. When I make mistakes, she lets me know in no uncertain terms – but she has always done so in a way that makes me feel like a valued and trusted professional. I have made every effort to model that approach in my interactions with my students, for I have also experienced a more punitive management style, and I firmly know which one I prefer.
Beth is the embodiment of passionate teaching and lifelong learning. Her daily presence has shaped the teacher and the learner that I am today. I suppose there comes a time in every mentoring relationship when the student must fly solo, and Beth has certainly given me the support and the freedom to learn how.
But I don’t like it one bit.
