September 20, 2007
Dear Parents,
Consistent with the culture that has existed at St. George’s for nearly fifty years, I
have always had an “open door policy.” I learned the value of this approach from
Philips Smith, the venerable Headmaster Emeritus of Trinity-Pawling School who
first hired me to teach and coach. He originally explained this style of leadership at
the first new faculty orientation I attended. “My door is open,” he said, “which
means that I want to hear from you.”
I share this open door policy with students and faculty at the beginning of each
year, and I would like to do so with you as parents. If the door to my office is open
(which it almost always is), then I want to hear from members of the St. George’s
community. As an administrator, I want to hear the questions, concerns, and the
frustrations of the school community. Such communication allows the school to
respond to questions and concerns directly, with a goal towards improvement and
growth. Hopefully, it also builds trust.
Over the past summer, I had several occasions when I was visited by members of
the school community who wanted to express their questions or concerns
regarding various topics. In one particular situation, a parent came to see me
because she was hearing comments in carpool and other informal gatherings that
did not sit well with her vision of what she wanted for her children’s St. George’s
experience. She expressed frustrations that others felt comfortable expressing their
concerns about the school, but were unwilling to do so directly with a school
administrator. Thus, part of her impetus for seeing me was to seek clarification
about the direction of the school as it pertained to a specific concern that affected
her long-term confidence in us.
www.sgis.org
St. George’s Independent School, Collierville
1880 Wolf River Boulevard
Collierville, TN 38017-9052
tel. 901.457.2000
fax 901.457.2111
College Board Code 430-413
St. George’s Independent School, Germantown
8250 Poplar Avenue
Germantown, TN 38138-6139
tel. 901.261.2300
fax 901.261.2311
St. George’s Independent School, Memphis
3749 Kimball Avenue
Memphis, TN 38111-6420
tel. 901.251.2200
fax 901.261.2211
St. George’s Independent Schools Foundation
8235 Dogwood Road
Germantown, TN 38139
tel. 901.261.2385
fax 901.261.2371
The value of this meeting, and others like it, was that it provided the school with an opportunity to hear a
legitimate concern raised by a member of the school community. It also provided the school with the
opportunity to address specific concerns, either through reassurance or through readjustment of how the
school approaches particular matters. As importantly, though, the meeting allowed the school to be
actively engaged in the dialogue, rather than being omitted from the discussion entirely as is the case with
most “carpool caucuses.”
St. George’s is far from a perfect school. We are a school made up of fallible human beings. That said,
St. George’s is a school committed to its students and dedicated to overall excellence. Because of this
commitment and dedication, the school recognizes the importance of finding ways to constantly grow and
improve. This is what we ask of our students, and we must ask nothing less of ourselves as an educational
institution. While there will not be consensus on every decision that the school will make or each policy the
school espouses, this school’s actions emanate from a commitment to your children and a desire to grow
stronger as a learning community. To this end, we welcome your input, your questions, and your concerns.
Speaking on behalf of Judy Shelton, Ginny Henderson, the division directors, and the other administrators
at St. George’s, our doors are open.
Sincerely,
William W. Taylor
School President