by Lindsay Leal, Dean of Students at The Taft School in Watertown, CT
1. Who are your favorite writers?
Maggie Shipstead, Sally Rooney, Elise Loehnen, James Joyce
2. Who are your heroes in real life?
My parents, Barack Obama, Carol Burnett
3. Who or what motivated you to become an educator?
My own high school experience was not always easy or perfect, but I felt important and confident in my school environment and I think that changed me forever. My parents also valued and respected education. I wanted to replicate that for students.
4. Your idea of happiness…
Hot coffee with steamed milk and all of the New York Times puzzles ready to be completed.
5. In a nutshell, what is your definition of leadership?
Understanding your artistic medium – knowing what you have to work with (people and circumstances) and your ultimate goal for the outcome of your piece of art/project/issue. You have to be completely familiar and prepared for all your inputs so you can direct and guide to your desired output.
6. What do you most value in your friends?
Humor, peace, patience
7. What do you do for self-renewal?
“5 Things” – listing things five I am grateful for with my loved ones
8. Who is your hero/ heroine of fiction?
Scout Finch
9. What is your current state of mind?
Ready!
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Lindsay is a graduate of Westminster School and Skidmore College, where she double-majored in economics and women’s studies and played lacrosse. She also worked as a summer counselor at Cape Cod Sea Camps in Brewster, Massachusetts. Upon graduation from college, she began her professional career in digital marketing. Over the course of eight years, she worked at various agencies and publishers in New York and Boston. In 2012, she joined the Taft faculty as a mathematics fellow. In her time at Taft she has served as a class dean, dorm head, Associate Dean of Students and now Dean of Students. Lindsay teaches math, coaches field hockey, leads winter yoga, and lives on campus with her dog, Scout. Lindsay is part of the 25th Cohort of the UPenn GSE School Leadership Program.