A Visit with J.P. Watson

    One vignette from the Vermont native’s life spoke volumes to me as we talked several weeks after his arrival on July 1.
    Watson comes from a family of doctors and educators, he explained, and he went to Middlebury College with dreams of pursuing a career as a teacher and coach.
    Over time, he rethought his goals and, after graduation, enrolled in the University of Vermont College of Medicine.
    “During my second year, I started questioning whether I was 100 percent committed to medicine,” he said, “so I asked for a year’s leave of absence to pursue teaching.”
    He landed a job at the newly created Vermont Commons School in South Burlington, his hometown. There, he taught math and helped create their intramural tennis and soccer programs.
    He had found his calling, his passion. He followed his heart.
    But one thought remained in his consciousness.
    “My decision (to leave medical school) was the most difficult decision of my life,” he said.
    Why is that? I asked.
    “Because I knew I had taken somebody else’s opportunity,” he responded. “That’s the way I looked at it then.  I still do.”
    Watson’s professional journey took him next to the Hammond School in Columbia, SC, then to Athens (GA) Academy, Heritage School (Newnan, GA), and Westminster School (Atlanta).
    Along the way, he’s taught, coached, chaired departments, retooled advisory programs, and served in a host of administrative roles.
    Getting Watson to talk about his personal accomplishments is tough duty.
    Badger him enough, though, and he’ll admit that he was an all-state high school soccer and ice hockey player at and that his tennis team won the state title all four years he competed.
    He’ll even acknowledge that he was an All-New England chorus member and that he played four years of soccer and a year of ice hockey at Middlebury.
    His résumé shows that he graduated cum laude in biology and earned a Master of Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.
    Ask him about his philosophy and his commitment to his calling, and the words flow easily and earnestly.

    About paying forward the opportunities he’s had and the mentorship he received.

    As educators, we’re in the growth and development business. Our medium might be English or biology or math, but we have to provide those unique, special opportunities for individuals to help them seek out their areas of greatest interest.
    As I’ve moved into administration, I’ve seen how adults can go through these same transformations that enable them to maximize their potential.  

    About his involvement with Rotary International.

    The concept of service above self means pay-it-forward. It’s our obligation to provide the opportunity that’s been provided  us and to even develop more opportunities.
    In Rotary, it’s a four-way test.  Is it the truth?  Is it fair to all concerned?  Will it build good will and better friendships?  Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
    If we can live our lives with those guidelines and constantly think about the growth and development of the people around us, it’s tough to make bad decisions.

    About his time in the classroom.

    I love being in the classroom.  Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve created opportunities to fill that love, whether it’s substituting for a teacher, coming in and talking about a special topic, or going on trips with students.   
    It’s all about relationships.  Being a teacher is a great way to build those relationships, not just in the classroom, but on the bench out in the hall or on the playing field.

    About the challenges of his new position.

    The greatest challenge anybody faces coming into a new place is that you don’t have those relationships.  You have to think about how we can establish relationships quickly.  
    The big part of my job in onboarding myself is building relationships with faculty. I’ve invited them to come and talk, and I just listen to their story and ask them questions.  They’re free to ask me questions as well.  The only agenda is to get to know each other.
    The second one is to develop relationships with our leaders.  That’s our senior class.  Not just those who are elected, but all of them.  How I develop those relationships quickly will be to eat with them, have a breakfast with them, a lunch with them, see them in their spaces.
    I’ll meet with each of the teams to say, “Hey, here I am.  I want to know you.  I’m excited about the work you’re doing.”  Those relationships are essential to our success.
    The key to not being overwhelmed is to realize you can’t take it all in, you can’t know everything, and being comfortable with that.  
    And realizing there’re a lot of great people here you have to rely on and learn from who have been in the growth and development business a lot longer than I have.  

    About who he is.

    I’m a genuine, caring person who’s interested in the success of our students. We’re charged with the awesome responsibility of setting the stage for their success. That’s an incredible obligation and responsibility. If we push ourselves as adults, then we’re able to stretch our students, the young people in our charge.
                      -- Weldon Bradshaw

    (J.P. and Caroline Watson recently celebrated their 18th anniversary.  They have two daughters, Rebecca, a seventh grader, and Sarah Elizabeth, who's in the second grade.)