From the HEAD OF SCHOOL
“Connection requires time, space and focus, and being in the state of flow enhances our ability to engage, grow and become more community minded.” commitment to focus are necessary.
that can be transformative and last a
Our goal then becomes achieving a
lifetime. But connection requires time,
state of “flow” instead of optimizing
space and focus, and being in the state
efforts to multitask.
of flow enhances our ability to engage,
The concept of flow is a highly
grow and become more community
focused mental state when you
minded. Pushing distractions aside is
are so involved in an activity that
challenging, but it is worthwhile and
nothing else seems to matter. Time
underscores what makes Blair special:
slows down, and your senses are
The people we meet here shape who
heightened; you are in sync with the
we are and who we become, and they
of boarding-school life is that, at
task at hand. Many describe this state
add value to our lives.
any moment, you can be involved in
as being “in the zone.”
One of the greatest aspects
As we look toward the 175th
so many different things…and the
The pandemic has taught us that
temptation is to do it all. I love the
technology can connect us in powerful
year, the importance of building
vitality and pace of days at Blair and
ways, but it also can fragment our
authentic relationships and achieving
our faculty try to fit in as much as we
focus and disrupt our flow. This is
a flow state to amplify connection and
can each day: teaching, coaching,
one of the reasons we at Blair are so
carry forward the best of Blair’s culture
advising, conducting, directing, doing
committed to keeping our phones in
is always on my mind. When my family
dorm duty, offering extra help sessions,
our pockets and earbuds out of our
first visited Blair, we immediately felt
meeting with prospective and current
ears when we walk on the pathways
at home, and that remains true for
families, attending Skeptics and alumni
across campus. If we think about how
today’s students and faculty, as well
gatherings—the list goes on and on.
we want to approach our day, our
as so many generations of alums.
On any given day, there is so much
anniversary of Blair’s founding next
interactions with one another and our
Plans are underway to celebrate this
happening, and I love the energy
work, we need to be mindful of the
incredible milestone throughout our
of it all. And, as I shared with our
ever-present temptations to juggle
next school year, and I hope we have
students at a December Chapel, I try to
so much at once without truly being
the opportunity to welcome you home
maximize my time, be efficient and do
present in any of it. While we can
to Blair. Together, we will look back at
more with each minute—in fact, I pride
convince ourselves that our devices
our long and shared history and ahead
myself on my multitasking ability.
enhance productivity and that we can
to Blair’s exciting future and all that is
give full attention to multiple tasks at
yet to come.
However, performing multiple tasks at the same time well is actually not possible. While it is natural for us to try
once, we really can’t. One of Blair’s core values has
to move at a fast pace and make the
always been the power and impact of
most of the minutes of every day, our
connection—with classmates, teachers,
faculty are continually encouraging our
advisors, coaches and faculty in the
students to focus more on individual
dorm. The value of the boarding-
tasks and be more purposeful with
school experience lies in the deep
how they spend their time. This isn’t
relationships our students build with
always easy, but we all need to be
one another and the adults in our
reminded that to be more productive,
community. Our daily schedules at
make meaningful connections
Blair are packed with opportunities for
and, ultimately, find joy, a shift and
students and faculty to forge bonds
Peter G. Curran Head of School
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