Lighting a fire: New principal ignites a passion for learning

Jay Gordon, Jr., Grace

For Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber, learning has always been about much more than reading, writing and arithmetic.

“Education is about relationships,” says Christopher Dock’s new principal. “The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. We’re not about imparting knowledge as much as we are about lighting a fire and getting students excited about the world, about relationships, and about being lifelong learners.”

Dr. Swartzentruber’s administrative style reflects this emphasis on relationships. “It’s important that my door is open, and that people feel welcome to come in and talk with me,” he says. “I like to make decisions as a group rather than as individuals whenever possible. There is always wisdom in seeking the counsel of others, so the focus in my first year will be on listening—hearing ways that we can use our relationships to make this an even better school.”

While he is new to his position—he officially became Christopher Dock’s sixth principal on July 1—Dr. Swartzentruber isn’t exactly new to the school. “I came to Dock the first time on a Mennonite Schools Council exchange with [former principal] Elaine Moyer seven years ago,” he says. “I visited for a day, and my first impression was of the facilities and grounds—the wonderful campus here is amazing, and truly a blessing.”

On a more recent visit, as part of the Mennonite Education Agency and Middle States Association accreditation team that visited Dock last year, Dr. Swartzentruber came away with a new appreciation for the student-faculty relationships at Dock.

“The school’s culture is distinct,” he says. “[The accreditation team] could see that Mennonite and Anabaptist values were important to both faculty and students, and that the faculty cared deeply for students and had very positive relationships with them. There was an appropriate respect, but also very close bonds. We were even invited to play stickball at lunch; that was another great sign of community!”

Several experiences have helped shape Dr. Swartzentruber’s perception of the opportunity here at Dock. The first of these was growing up in Kentucky, where his father pastored a mission church. Another was the 11 years he and his family spent in Asia—three in Bangladesh and eight in Indonesia—on a missions assignment with Mennonite Central Committee.

“Any experience in another culture broadens your perspective, and can change your whole outlook on life,” he says. “When we see how other people work at the same things we’re working at, possibly using a different approach, it informs our journey.” It also helped him develop the ability to think critically—which should be an important part of every student’s education.

“Critical thinking prepares a student to deal with issues that don’t exist yet—to deal with life,” he says. “A school needs to provide an environment where young people learn to apply critical thinking skills; to ask, ‘What are we doing with the information we gather?’”

In addition, both mission experiences “allowed me to come onto the Dock campus with a real sense of how privileged we are to have a school like this. In Asia we lived in a small village where school only happened when the teacher showed up. In Bangladesh, college students weren’t sure how long it would take to finish a degree because the school would close for up to a year at a time due to political unrest. Those things have changed my sense of appreciation for what we have here. We have no disruptions from the outside, and we have tremendous support from the community.”

That support is especially important in times of transition—particularly when one occurs in the midst of a difficult economic time. “A growing school should always be in transition,” he says. “We should be firmly rooted in our values and traditions, but always asking how we can improve.” Transitioning leadership during a difficult economic period “provides an opportunity to rediscover the reason for our existence,” he adds. “We need to continually rediscover and articulate the value of this school. I see this as a time when we can look at the impact Dock has on the lives of students, with teachers who are mentoring and building relationships and becoming friends for a lifetime, and consider the implications of that for our community and the world. Economics will not overshadow the significance of the work that’s happening here.”