6 minute read
“OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED”
“Other duties as assigned” – four words job-seekers often overlook at the end of the job description; four words leading to Pandora’s box of surprise responsibilities, and the four words that distinguish a Wesleyan employee. A Wesleyan employee is one who does not measure value in bullet points fulfilled, but rather measures value in relationships cultivated. A Wesleyan employee is one who embraces those four words instead of avoiding them.
+ While serving as headmaster, Zach Young dressed as a Wesleyan student and students dressed as Young, carrying brooms. The hiring process at Wesleyan is thorough to say the least – cover letters, resumes, applications, essays, phone calls, in-person interviews, teaching samples, and more. Wesleyan job descriptions reflect the rigor and dedication required, but the “secret sauce” may be found in the final words of the job description – “other duties as assigned.”
In 1996, when Wesleyan School opened its doors in Peachtree Corners, the school employed 74 pioneers eager to establish a culture of excellence. Nestled in the corner of a modular education unit was the office of Headmaster Emeritus Zach Young, and though Young’s lengthy list of responsibilities was demanding, he could rarely be found in his office.
Instead, Young was volunteering to vacuum a new staff member’s office on his first day. He was dressing up with students on themed spirit days. He was picking up miscellaneous trash and trimming bushes while insisting on grateful stewardship of our campus. He was sweeping sidewalks and literally paving the way for students and teachers to do their best work each and every day.
CHRIS CLEVELAND, HEAD OF SCHOOL
“Zach deeply loves Wesleyan. His commitment to our mission is what motivated the sweeping and trash pickup that we remember fondly,” says Chris Cleveland, head of school. “His example set the tone and established the expectation that every Wesleyan employee will also embrace our commitment to be a Christian school of academic excellence. Filling in as needed around campus is part of supporting that mission.”
As all faculty and staff, including Cleveland, learned from Young’s example, these early teachers and staff set a foundation for service, and Cleveland continues the same habit.
From a job description perspective, the week following Christmas break is a busy one for the head of school. He must welcome students back to campus, reenergize faculty and staff, and reengage the community. He introduces prospective families to Wesleyan at Open House. During the Athletics Circle of Honor inductions, he celebrates the athletic legacies left by our alumni. And don’t forget about the hundreds of emails and dozens of meetings.
And yet, even during this busy week, Cleveland still jumps into “other duties as assigned” to bolster how Wesleyan delivers on its mission. Though not required in his job description, Cleveland spent part of almost every afternoon opening doors in lower school carpool, greeting students and families. Still dressed in coat and tie from the Saturday Open House, he was found keeping the scorer’s book at the boys basketball game. With a warm grin, he helped a colleague install new office furniture as she recovered from an injury. The head of school’s office, which is now found in the corner of Gillfillan Hall, is still often empty, because Cleveland is committed to actively serving Wesleyan.
+ Chris Cleveland, head of school, keeps score for a boys basketball game.
Though Cleveland’s office may often be empty, high school classrooms and offices during lunch rarely are. “Chat with and host students during lunch” is not enumerated on any job description, yet teachers often welcome students into their rooms over lunch. Conversations range from recapping yesterday’s big game to checking in on personal stressors, and each conversation represents Wesleyan teachers’ willingness to go the extra mile in pursuit of fulfilling the mission of the school.
Sometimes “other duties as assigned” include starring in themed Christmas videos that invite alumni to a Christmas celebration. These beloved videos require teachers and staff to give their time, energy, and talent to memorize silly lines, bundle up in festive costumes, wield goofy props like water guns and matchbox cars, and traipse around campus, even sailing across the pond on a unicorn float. What does movie-making have to do with being an educator? Well, not much, but Wesleyan believes engaging the Wesleyan alumni strengthens the whole school, so faculty gladly participate.
Speaking of movie-making, the middle school faculty nearly broke the internet in 2018 with their “Greatest Showman” performance. During the first middle school assembly in August 2018, middle school teachers welcomed students back from the summer by breaking into a middle-school-themed version of “Come Alive” complete with costumes and choreography.
“I knew that asking our teachers to sing and dance on stage might be a little bit of a stretch for some of our faculty, but their response was incredible!” shares Joseph Antonio, middle school principal. “I am grateful that the middle school faculty wants to do whatever it takes to connect with and engage our students, and I believe their energy is contagious.”
In fact, the performance was so contagious that August 2020 brought the “10 School Commandments”– a Hamilton-inspired duet written by Caroline Clancy, middle school modern and classical languages teacher, and performed by Antonio and Indyasia Fowler, middle school science teacher.
JOSEPH ANTONIO, MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
+ Greg Lisson, director of Christian life, posing as Ralphie from “A Christmas Story” for the 2019 Alumni Christmas Party save-the-date.
+ SCAN THE QR CODE TO WATCH THE 2018 “GREATEST SHOWMAN” MIDDLE SCHOOL ASSEMBLY
+ Laura Jensen, lower school teacher, supports Bric Levitzki ‘34 at his tennis match on the weekend. + Madison Thomas ‘09, lower school teacher, cheers on Keira Callahan ‘31, Eleni Karolis ‘31, and Hannah Grace Hene ‘31 at a soccer game on the weekend.
COLOSSIANS 3:23-24 Lower school teachers also go out of their way to pour into students. Even after a busy week of teaching, planning, and grading, many teachers find themselves on the sidelines of a youth soccer game, in the audience at a ballet recital, or singing “happy birthday” at the unicorn-themed party on Saturday, or even attending special church events with their students on Sunday.
“It’s just who they are,” explains Dr. Jason Erb, lower school principal. “It’s just woven into who we are as a school. We desire to exceed expectations and to work in the way Paul describes in Colossians 3.”
Wesleyan hires only 4% of the candidates who apply, and it is not hard to see why. The school seeks the best and brightest teachers and staff who love Jesus, love students, and love what they do. When these passions align with the mission, faculty embrace not just their job description, but even the “other duties as assigned.”
