During the 1996 academic year, an ad hoc faculty committee was convened to discuss and present a proposal for a Teaching Fellows Program. The main purpose of the program was the belief that Deerfield should be committed to the development of new teachers. Given the exceptional teaching of the Deerfield faculty and the conviction that an apprenticeship relationship is the best way to develop the craft of teaching, the program model is based on a closely mentored relationship between a veteran faculty member and a teaching fellow.

A fellow teaches only two sections of the same course, works closely with the teaching mentor in class preparation, and attends a section of the same course taught by the mentor. To allow the mentoring teacher time to work with the fellow, the mentor teaches one section fewer than a full-load.

The Deerfield faculty member who volunteers to be a mentor is involved in the interview and decision process for the fellow. Fellows and mentors communicate over the summer about the course that will be taught.

In all other ways fellows are considered full members of the faculty. They reside in dormitories, coach athletics or work in community service, perform the normal dining hall responsibilities, and are involved in other activities that are part of a boarding school environment.

The fellow appointment is for one year and four or five fellows are chosen each year. The success of the program can be gauged by the number of former fellows who continue in teaching. As full-time openings at Deerfield have developed, over half of the fellows have remained as members of the faculty.

For application details, see program announcement in Open Faculty Positions listings.

The Wallace Wilson Fellows Program

Established in 2000 by Wallace Wilson from the Class of 1947, and enriched by additional gifts from Mr. Wilson’s stepson William Mathis from the Class of 1984, the Wallace Wilson Visiting Scholars Chair supports a year-long fellowship program. Distinguished educators from a variety of disciplines come to Deerfield to teach, involve themselves in the life of the school, and complete scholarly projects of their own. The intention is to expose our students to scholars from many disciplines but also to allow the Fellow time for personal scholarship. There is a slightly reduced teaching load and some assigned activities that are part of boarding school life. During the year-long appointment, Wilson Fellows are considered full members of the faculty and are awarded housing and standard benefits.

Previous Wilson Fellows have included:

• Malcolm McKenzie, retired Headmaster of the Malu a Pula School in Botswana
• Sam Weisman, Filmmaker
• David and Hillary Matthews, Mr. Matthews is the retired Headmaster of the Tiger Kloof School in South Africa
• David Marcus, Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist and Author
• Gloria Barrett, Authority in Mathematics and Mathematics Education

If you are interested in becoming a Wilson Fellow or would like to suggest a candidate, please contact the Dean of the Faculty John Taylor at jtaylor@deerfield.edu or call 413-774-1420.