At Proctor, the challenges of a rigorous, college preparatory curriculum are balanced by support systems. Extra help is available (usually in the evening before study hall hours) from classroom teachers, and students are ultimately rewarded—through honors effort grades—if their motivation is great. Students who excel in specific academic subjects earn community service credit for offering peer tutoring. Professional tutorials are offered by learning specialists through the Learning Skills Department. These classes pair two students (who have some similarity of learning issues) with a tutor four times per week. Organization, time management and greater academic self-understanding are generic goals, but each Learning Skills class is ultimately student-centered, responding to spontaneous issues, topics and challenges. Less intense Learning Lab classes—with eight students per learning specialist—also meet four periods per week.
The broad availability of academic support at Proctor creates a “level playing field” on which any student can achieve real academic success! The lifeblood of these systems, of course, is communication. Teachers with concerns spontaneously write
“Notices To the Advisor,” copies of which go to the student, dorm parent, parents at home, learning Skills teacher and the student’s team captain: the advisor. The advisor is responsible for coordinating appropriate support services.