After an English teaching role opportunely opened up this recent winter break, Paul Buckley, a potential candidate, sprang at the opportunity.

He was remodeling houses in a brief stint of carpentry when he heard of a job opening at Branson. Buckley applied for the job and conducted interviews with English teacher and department chair Giles Scott and Director of Studies Jeff Symonds.

“I was immediately struck by how happy they seemed, and how much they seemed to love working with each other,” said Buckley.

He saw his “own beliefs about education” reflected in the way Scott and Symonds talked about it. Buckley was subsequently hired and began teaching two sections of ninth grade English, and an upperclassmen elective the week after winter break.

During the interview process, Buckley assessed himself on his embodiment of Branson’s core values. Kindness stuck out.

“There needs to be more kindness in the world, and more kindness in the world of education,” he said. “I constantly surround myself with people who value being kind, and Branson checked that box even from the beginning of his interview process.”

Buckley graduated from Oakland’s College Preparatory School, Yale University and Johns Hopkins School of Education, whose Teach For America-style placement program landed him in Arlington, Texas. While there, he worked at Lamar High School where he was a treasured English and special education teacher for four years.

Buckley has always loved English. It was his favorite subject in high school, and his major in college. But, despite his affinity to the humanities, his initial inspiration for becoming a teacher came from his high school biology teacher, Dr. C. He expresses the importance of how “she believed in [him] as a human, and believed in [him] as a person. She was able to balance having really high standards for us, while being kind, caring, and compassionate.”

Buckley also emphasized his rapport with high school students.

“Being in high school is one of the coolest times in a person’s life. You’re at this really cool conjuncture of having one foot in the world of being a kid still, but also having a foot in the world of being an adult, and figuring out what you want to be. I feel really lucky to have this job, and be a piece in someone’s journey,” he said.

Although Buckley had just finished his third day at Branson when we spoke, he already boasted glowing reviews. He rhapsodized that “people have been incredibly welcoming, they want to know who I am, and want to make me feel comfortable, supported, and welcome. And that extends from everyone from the top of school leadership, to other teachers, to students … the physical beauty of this campus is really reflected in the people here.”