A Teacher Affects Eternity
The coming days will be exciting ones for the whole school and include chances to celebrate the Class of 2026: Senior Thesis Symposium, Senior Art Show, Senior Dinner, Field Day, Senior Week events, Prom, and Commencement a week from Monday. While these goodbyes are bittersweet, we are looking forward to being together.
Over the weekend, more than 100 BUA alumni, parents, parents of graduates, faculty, and staff gathered to mark an important milestone: Dr. Jim Davis’s 30th year at the school. It was a beautiful testament to the remarkable impact a teacher can have. We heard from three graduates who told stories about how Dr. Davis lit a lifelong passion for history and philosophy; transformed their writing; and gave them the tools to see through spurious arguments from others and make strong ones themselves. They described seeking him out for comfort and advice when navigating the emotional ups and downs of adolescence; he listened with an open heart and never once talked down to them. They shared how they have reached out to him as they passed through college, graduate school, early careers, and family life for advice. In some cases, he was their inspiration for them choosing careers as teachers themselves. Whether in their workplaces, at home with their own families, or in front of classrooms, these alums are passing on what they learned from Dr. Davis. Their testimonials gave life to Henry Adams’s famous quote, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”
It was a nice coincidence that the event came at the start of Teacher Appreciation Week, as both offer a chance to think about the impact teachers have and express gratitude. For my part, I want to say thank you to Dr. Davis and all of my passionate, inspired, devoted colleagues. This is hard work that is often underappreciated and undervalued in our society. And it is among the most important, purposeful work a person can do. We are blessed with a remarkable group of teachers, advisors, and mentors. Please join me in thanking them for all that they do.