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Meet & Greet Dr. Gregory Martin

Ranney’s incoming Head of Upper School / Assistant Head of School for Academics Dr. Gregory Martin, of La Jolla, California, will be on campus February 28 and March 1. Parents of current Middle and Upper School students will receive details about Meet-and-Greet Sessions to be held with him. In the meantime, the following Q&A provides a look into Dr. Martin’s personality and perspective.
 
Can you share a bit about your family upbringing?
Family is one of the most important parts of my life. I continue to be very close to my mom and dad, and my two sisters. In fact, part of the appeal to move back East was to be closer to them and my extended family. We spend a good chunk of our summers together at the Chautauqua Institution—one of the oldest lifelong learning institutes in the country. There, we are treated to a wide array of lectures and concerts while our children attend camp and learn more about themselves through fun and engaging situations.

With multiple higher education degrees, including a doctorate in English Literature, what have been the key takeaways from your education?
I pursued both my Master’s and Doctorate for essentially three reasons. First, I love a good challenge, and I see academic achievement as a wonderful challenge of the mind and of one’s social abilities. There is a sense, in some circles, that pursuing advanced degrees is a lonely journey, and while I did have to put my head down and do a great deal of research, synthesis, and writing, I also had to be adept at navigating academic social structures. The second reason I pursued the degrees is because I loved Shakespeare, poetry, and writing. It was simply a great way to keep learning more about arguably the greatest Western artist.

Finally, my wife, Courtney Byrne, was an inspiration to me, and my family was very supportive. So I suppose my takeaways are that learning is always about ideas and how to share them with others; it’s about pursuing something for which you have a deep passion (and one never knows when that fire will be ignited); and it’s about listening to the people around you who care about you and have a sense of what will make you a complete person.

Your educational philosophy statement quotes Plutarch’s widely shared teaching that “the mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited.” What bolsters your passion for teaching?
Plutarch goes on to say, “Why would a person sit idly by another’s fire if s/he could ignite her own?” (loosely quoted). In the end, my firm belief is that students have to ignite their own fires if they are to be authentic, meaningful, long-lasting flames. In schools like Cincinnati Country Day, La Jolla Country Day, and Ranney, there are passionate faculty who introduce students to what’s possible by sharing their own passion for ideas, arts, athletics, ethics, and each other. Our larger task is to help students identify what some of their passions might be.

As an administrator and a leader, how do you approach change in a school environment?
Change is, of course, one of the many constants in our lives, and one of the many conditions of the world for which we work hard to prepare our children. At the same time, we know that safety and stability provide a strong foundation for meaningful learning. To walk this fine line, we need patience and we need to listen and observe carefully so that we know when to re/act and when to slow down and allow situations to unfold naturally.

Several years ago, I opened a fortune cookie, and the message was “A pound of patience is worth a bushel of brains.” Calm patience is very often one of life’s most valuable character traits. Having worked for four different heads of school over the past six years, and having hired and then re-hired my entire Upper School team, I have lived through a great deal of change in a school setting, all while strengthening academics and extracurricular programs for future students. Patience and a belief in the inherent goodness of our faculty and our students made this possible. Ranney has a strong and experienced head in Dr. Griffith, a solid Board of Trustees, a passionate and hard-working faculty, and intelligent, creative, caring students. Relying on patience to allow these great people to do great things together while knowing—when necessity demands it—when to act, is how I plan on working through change.

How do you envision growing relationships among and between faculty not just in the Upper School, but across departments and divisions at Ranney?
The first step will be to sit down with faculty and staff individually or in small groups to learn more about them as both people and professionals. One important aspect of leadership I’ve honed under my current head of school is “to put an arm around someone.” Another way to connect to faculty is to meet them where their passions lie—in the classroom, out on the ball field, or in the theatre. In fact, I recently observed one of our French faculty members, and it was an utter joy to see her in action, to see the students laughing and enjoying the process of learning aspects of a new language. As educators, we teach, coach, and mentor because we love children and we love our discipline(s).

I also think it’s important to eat and play together—breaking bread as a community is arguably the best way to come together, so I look forward to meeting people over lunch.

What are you most excited about with regard to joining the Ranney community? What are your children most excited about?
Wow! Where do I start? I’m looking forward to working with such great administrators, faculty, staff, and students and to building great relationships with parents. Courtney and I were blown away by the people in the Ranney community, and we are really looking forward to finding interesting ways to connect with people.
On a personal note, I’m excited to partner with Dr. Griffith to help execute the mission and implement the many facets of the strategic plan, including academic initiatives to launch a Physics First science track, specialized diplomas in STEAM and Global Studies, as well as expanded course offerings through distance learning and experiential education (read more). I was also impressed that four of the five strategic priorities at Ranney focus on people—students, faculty/staff, and parents. Just as importantly, the strategic priorities set the stage for coming together as a community—a key factor for our family in making a move to the East Coast. I’m most excited, in short, to join such a wonderful community of people.

The things the children are most excited about are mowing lawns, raking leaves, and shoveling snow again! In all seriousness, Lucy, our oldest, is really interested in musical theater, so she’s looking forward to learning more about the performing arts program. Frances, our middle daughter, is keen on lacrosse and the visual arts and is hoping to find great opportunities at Ranney. We’ve shared with Huck that the school has a successful robotics program, so he is looking forward to learning more about the way Ranney focuses on technology and its application to solve problems in fun ways. Most importantly, though, our children are all very social and curious about what future friendships are in the stars.

On a lighter note, what is something that Ranney Upper Schoolers may not know about you, yet, may find interesting?
This is a bit of a confession—I’m a dilettante. I know this word can have a negative connotation, but I really do enjoy many different types of activities. For example, Huck turned me on to a new card game last year that some students (and maybe some adults) in the community will know—Magic: The Gathering. I have always loved strategic games, so Huck and I started a strategic games club in La Jolla. I learned to play ice hockey as an adult in Cincinnati, and I haven’t been able to play much in California, so I’m looking forward to joining an adult league at the Armory. I sail here and there in the summer, so I’d love to get out on the water with Ranney’s sailing team. I may start looking around for volunteers to help me build a wood-burning pizza oven on campus (with the town’s and Dr. Griffith’s blessings, of course!). I built one at Cincinnati Country Day, and it was a wonderful community builder.

Wherever I go, I try to learn something new that’s linked to the region. For example, although I’m terrible, I’ve learned to surf in La Jolla. I’ve heard curious stories about ice sailing on the Navesink, so I’d love to learn a new skill unique to the Red Bank region!

Read the prior announcement about Dr. Martin's hire.

Upcoming informational meetings for parents about the transition from Middle to Upper School are being held Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. in the Paulus Library and Friday, Feb. 3 at 8:45 a.m. in the Student Center. See all Transition events.
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society.