Teaching at Every Level: Head of School Dave Baad Returns to the Classroom
April 8, 2026
Even in his role as The Ann and Lee Hobson Family Head of School, Dave L. Baad remains, at his core, an educator.
This week, he stepped back into the classroom, drawing on his background as a history teacher to support fifth graders as they prepare to begin their current English unit, Understanding Historical Fiction Through Close Reading. As students begin their study of Esperanza Rising, a novel rooted in real historical events, Mr. Baad helped set important historical context that will deepen their understanding of the text once they start reading it.
Through a discussion that spanned the Dust Bowl, the migration of “Okies,” the Mexican Revolution, and the broader realities of life in the 1930s, students were able to begin connecting the historical forces that will shape their reading experience. This foundation supports the broader goals of the unit: students will work to understand how a text is shaped by its historical and cultural context, while also analyzing how authors use stylistic elements—such as metaphor, simile, hyperbole, and personification—to create meaning. Their work will extend beyond the page as they practice annotation, make text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections, and build skills in summarizing, predicting, researching, and presenting.
Just as meaningful, though, was the setting itself.
For fifth graders, there is something memorable about seeing a school leader not in a formal setting, but in the rhythm of an everyday class—asking questions, building context, and engaging alongside them in the learning process. It reframes what leadership looks like and underscores a simple but powerful idea: that teaching and learning remain at the heart of ESD, at every level.
