Since 2019, John Austin has been the head of school. Students regularly see him riding his bike around campus, watching sports practice and games, sitting in his office in the Main School Building, and attending sit-down lunches; however, what does he really do?
For Dr. Austin, every day is different, but he still has routines that anchor his days. For starters, Dr. Austin is a morning person. “I tend to go to bed early. I am early to bed, and early to rise,” he said. So, each morning, he wakes up early and arrives at his office around 5:00 to prepare for the day. At this time he answers emails, prepares for meetings, creates the assignments for his Art of Political Argument” course, and reviews his daily schedule. Then, he enjoys taking a long walk through campus while the sun rises and gets back to his office before 7:00.
During the school day, Dr. Austin teaches a senior elective called the Art of Political Argument. Dr. Austin explained what his course discusses, saying, “It introduces students to the classic ideas of conservative, liberal and radical thought, and extends the reach of student’s reading while deepening their understanding of the rhetoric of public argument.”
The rest of his day is filled with meetings with leaders of other schools, phone calls, and occasional travel to multi-school conferences. Dr. Austin said, “I try not to travel as much when I am teaching because I do not like to miss classes.”
While in his office, Dr. Austin spends his time working on multiple projects. One of his current projects is the renovation of the Dining Hall. Dr. Austin said that his role in that particular project is to “make sure that the project will be completed well and on time.”
After school, Dr. Austin rides his bike to different co-curriculars and regularly attends games and meets on the weekends. Students are likely to see him on the lower fields during co-curricular hours watching the myriad of sports practices that happen there. The end of his day is grounded by sit-down dinner, where he enjoys discussing the day with the students at his table. Dr. Austin sits at tables 26 and 27, close to the podium. His students enjoy their conversations with him, saying that he is very friendly. Sophie Brennan ’27 said “Dr. Austin is really nice. I am a first waiter, and he always helps me set the table.”
Another recent project that Dr. Austin was working on was publishing “A Framework for Schools.” This framework is a resource to “help schools thrive in a world of pluralistic contention,” emphasizing the importance of clear structures and guidelines for discussions in educational settings, and focuses on the role of discipline and authority in a successful learning environment. To work on this framework, he often held meetings where he met with other heads of schools, professional organizations, and regional teaching organizations. In his framework, Dr. Austin argues that having a balance between social experiences and academic rigor is vital in a school community. One of his most recent initiatives was the financial aid and accessibility initiative. This initiative aims for Deerfield to have a more diverse community, full of different perspectives; it also will allow everyone the opportunity to attend Deerfield. Dr. Austin said, “Deepening the school’s mission is… what these campaigns are about.”
