Educational Model

Proctor's strategic plan emphasizes neurodiversity and metacognition within "an academic model rooted in a unified language for learning." This goal builds on Proctor's distinctive strength – ensuring that learning support is pervasive throughout our demanding college prep curriculum.

The Hays Speaking Prize showcases Proctor students' remarkable courage as they share personal narratives before the community. Beyond teaching public speaking, this 26-year tradition cultivates vulnerability, authentic self-expression, and a culture where students celebrate each other's successes.

Our “Neuroteach” faculty Professional Learning Community study group is exploring whether current homework practices align with the neuroscience of how the adolescent brain learn best, recognizing that dull, frustrating, or excessive homework can impair learning and impact sleep. Assignments that create opportunities for reflection, discussion, and collaboration, effective effort, intrigue and engagement, curiosity and play, and integrate the arts, however, can be an invaluable part of the learning process.

During this year's Proctor Project Period, students engaged in 35 diverse projects from bridge construction at Elbow Pond to business pitches before "Shark Tank" investors, dog sledding in Maine, and electric guitar building. This intensive week serves as a microcosm of Proctor's educational philosophy, where embracing a "beginner's mind," challenge, and learning from mistakes enables students to discover both new abilities and unexpected dimensions of themselves.

In this thoughtful exploration of mimicry learning, Yousef (Dillo) '25 and English Department Head Shauna Turnbull examine how students can progress from passive imitation to independent critical thought - a transformation essential for navigating today's unfiltered digital information landscape.

Yousef (Dillo) '25 and Interim Head of School Steve Wilkins explore how gamification can harness the brain's natural reward systems to enhance learning. Through Dillo's personal experience in his College Physics and Calculus class and using the lens of the neuroscience of learning, they examine how game-like elements such as incremental challenges, group competition, and frequent rewards can transform student engagement.

Our faculty's deep dive into Neuroteach this winter has illuminated critical dos and don'ts in teaching. What emerged most powerfully from our discussions is the need to consistently check for student understanding: frequent low-stakes assessments, helping students self-assess, utilizing reteaching loops, ensuring every student works until they understand, and refusing to settle for low-effort grades.

Interim Head of School Steve Wilkins and student contributor Yousef (Dillo) '25 explore how dopamine, while often associated with immediate rewards, plays a crucial role in sustained focus and learning by providing small rewards along the journey toward a learning goal, particularly when we enjoy the challenge.

Proctor's MLK Day celebration featured poet Mia Willis exploring art's role in activism, examining how creative expression can both empower communities and challenge existing narratives and culminating in students courageously sharing their own poetry and music.