Skip to main content

Capacity for Change


Tyler Holder '14's recent Chapel talk to our seventh and eighth graders was an inspiring personal story about the capacity we all possess to change for the good.

In his younger years, school didn’t come easily to Tyler, and he described some of his struggles. Tyler then shared how, with the guidance of caring teachers, administrators, coaches, family and most importantly, his own determination, he decided to change. In particular, he recalled the caring but strong connections and conversations he‘d had with teachers, coaches and administrators in his sixth-grade year, which led to his resolve to change course. He successfully turned it around, graduating from Saint David's, followed by Kent ('18), where he served as President of the Student Council and Tufts ('22), where he graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Political Science and Government. He currently is employed in the field of international relations.

A few years after his college graduation, while teaching English in Korea, Tyler found himself out of his comfort zone and deeply unhappy. Again, he improved his situation by shifting his mentality, drawing upon the resolve he had discovered when in the sixth grade. He was able to appreciate the good in his new situation and finish his time in Korea in "spectacular fashion."

"I recognized I was the only one capable of making my life better," he told the boys. "Whether you go to boarding or day school, or will be back here in September, you have many new challenges waiting for you. If you just want to improve your life or are not happy with where you are in life, you and only you have the strength to change your circumstances." Tyler made note that during each boy's journey, many people from the school - teachers, fellow classmates - may provide support but, "understanding that you can take your own life by the hands and shape it into something better is a wonderful realization."
 
Tyler delivered an important message about self-knowledge and determination that will stick with the boys in the years to come. It brings great joy when our young graduates return to share their thoughts and reflections on lessons they have learned since graduation. And, I love how our Alumni Chapel talk series provides such a full-circle moment for alumni, connecting them with boys who are now sitting in the same literal and metaphorical spaces that they once occupied.


 

Popular posts from this blog

The Wisdom Within - A Matter of Trust

The Teaching Boys Initiative (TBI) is a cornerstone of Saint David’s School’s strategic vision, aimed at developing a robust framework of evidence-based best practices in boys’ education. The initiative’s primary goal is to empower educators with the knowledge, skills, habits, and dispositions of reflective practitioners, enhancing their professional growth and the overall quality of teaching and learning for boys.  In TBI's new quarterly blog series, "The Wisdom Within," our faculty share stories that inform, inspire, and encourage reflective practice using evidence-based approaches in teaching and learning for boys.  The following inaugural entry, "A Matter of Trust," was written by reflective practitioner and Master Teacher Tom Ryan, who has been inspiring generations of Saint David's boys for more than 53 years. A MATTER OF TRUST …but, I digress. I cannot possibly begin any writing piece, and/or class, without some digression that, as I have said to my s...
Read more

Jack Mullin '12 : Reflections on a Mom's Love

The Chapel talk tradition at Saint David's provides faculty and alumni with the opportunity to share with our boys meaningful and inspiring personal stories: their experiences, lessons learned, challenges overcome. The annual Fifth Grade Mother-Son Chapel gathers our fifth-grade boys and their mothers or mother figures for a special shared pre-Mother's Day experience; a Chapel Talk by a young alumnus who reflects upon the role his mother has played in his life. This year, we welcomed former Student Council President Jack Mullin '12. Jack's family has deep roots with school. His older brother Patrick graduated in '08 and his dad, Terry, in 1973. Jack's talk centered on the impact both his alma mater and his mother, Immy, have had on his development into the man he is today. Below are excerpts that I would like to share: "My family's multi-generational lineage is a testament to the incredible sense of community Saint David’s fosters, and I too hope I have...
Read more

Strong Values

You can feel it in the air: the indescribable yet readily recognizable excitement of the start of a new school year - in our boys, teachers, families, administrators, and staff. Below, I share excerpts from my opening letter that speak to our 2024-25 school-wide theme, "Strong Values:" "To-morrow I cease to be a puppet, and I become a boy like you and all the other boys."* We teach boys. That’s what we do. And we want our boys to think for themselves. And we want that thinking to be rooted in and guided by “strong values”—our school-wide theme this year, found in the last line of the mission’s second paragraph. In keeping with the school’s classical tradition, these strong values are shaped at Saint David’s by the cardinal and theological virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and courage, along with faith, hope, and charity. To many Western philosophers, possession of these virtues makes a person good, happy, and thriving. Something we want for all of our sons. ...
Read more