Alumni

An Interview with 2018 Deborah Dorsey Albert ’44 Award Recipient Skip Howe ’77

We recently sat down with current Calvert teacher Skip Howe ’77. In 2018, Skip received the Deborah Dorsey Albert ’44 Award for his outstanding contribution to the life and mission of Calvert School. The award in turn has also had an outstanding impact on him. In our conversation, we learned more.
How did it feel when you heard your name called as the winner of the Deborah Dorsey Albert ’44 Award?
I was shocked. I made my way to the front where Andrew was standing and turned and saw my family standing in the back. It was one of the proudest moments of my life since I work with such an amazingly talented and dedicated faculty and staff. It didn’t feel real for a few days.
 
Aside from the honor of being chosen for the award, there is a monetary prize as well. How did you decide what to do with those funds?
I talked with my wife, and she said that it was entirely my decision to make. I narrowed it down to a trip to Hawaii or starting a new hobby. I have gotten to travel quite a bit in the summer over the last ten years, so I decided on taking up a new hobby, and after a few days, I decided on wheel pottery.
 
Why pottery?
I have always wanted to do something art-related, but I had never found my niche. I had tried many things, but nothing ever felt right. Something about pottery felt like it might be a good thing to try, but I had never wanted to allocate that much money to a hobby since there is such a large initial investment to make when starting pottery. With the award money I felt free to do so.
 
How did you start?
My wife and I agreed that it made sense to take a class first, so we signed up for a once-a-week three-hour class that met for six weeks at Clayworks in Mt. Vernon. We had intended to wait until all six classes were finished before we bought anything, but we knew after the first class we were both hooked, and our journey began in earnest. In the ensuing weeks, I built a pottery studio complete with a large workbench, a wedging table, a utility sink, and over 100 feet of new shelving to complement the 100 feet already in place. I bought two pottery wheels so my wife and I could throw simultaneously, and I also purchased a well-used kiln that I nursed back to health that is now going strong.
 
How were your early results?
They were just about as you would expect – not good. As a matter of fact, they were rotten, but even as the bowls I was attempting wobbled and fell apart I had fun. I knew that I couldn’t get any worse and that through practice I would slowly improve.
 
How long was it until you saw improvement?
It was near the end of the six-week class, and I took a bowl I had thrown at home to show my teacher at Clayworks. As he held it, he asked if I had thrown it all by myself. I wasn’t sure if I should take his remark as a compliment or an insult, but I guess that he saw something in the bowl that he liked. After that I slowly started to improve and could eventually throw matching bowls from time to time.
 
How often do you throw pottery?
I throw about three days a week, but I do something pottery-related every day. For example, some days I watch videos that give me new ideas, glaze test tiles to try out new glaze combinations, trim pottery that is drying, or fire the kiln, just to name a few. There is always something fun to do with pottery.
 
What lessons has pottery taught you?
As a teacher at Calvert for the past twenty-plus years, I wrestle with very little in the classroom. I adapt my teaching each year to the new students and to new things I want to try, but while there are challenges from time to time, it is never really a struggle. Pottery offered a great experience in being a student again, with a teacher I looked up to with knowledge I wanted but did not have. It reminded me of the awesome responsibility that I have as a teacher at Calvert, and of the power of a teacher's words, which can build up or tear down.
It was not fun to struggle with pottery, but I knew that growth would only come through a lot of failed attempts. Pottery reminded me that it is okay to try and fail as long as you keep on trying, just like my students. Success and mastery will eventually come, even if it is mastery over a small element of a much larger domain. Pottery has reminded me that there are days when you want to give up, but giving up isn't a good option, especially when you have turned your home office into a pottery studio.
 
What message would you have for Deborah Dorsey Albert’s family who funded the award you received?
I would offer my sincere thanks. Their generosity has changed how I spend my evenings and given me a hobby that I look forward to each day. They have given me the freedom to pursue pottery which I will never master but an area in which I hope to continue to improve. Most importantly, they have made me a better teacher in the classroom. I needed to be reminded what a student faces each day, and although I am at a different stage in my life than my students, I can once again relate to struggle, growth, and the pride that a kind word from a teacher can bring.
 
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