A Principal Who Believed in Equity and Dialogue
Talking with Dr. G, the former elementary school principal showed us how education, diversity, and community all come together in powerful ways. Dr. G led schools in a town where families from around the world, especially from Asia and Europe, were raising their kids. At one of the schools he opened, students spoke more than two dozen languages. He worked hard to make sure every child felt included, even pausing the daily Pledge of Allegiance because many kids weren’t U.S. citizens. For him, respect meant creating a space where no one felt like an outsider.
His career reflected this same commitment. He started teaching in Brooklyn, later built gifted programs, and then helped launch new elementary schools in Princeton. He remembered how international families shaped classrooms, from children learning English as a second language to one-child families from China moving into large homes, creating both challenges and cultural richness. Later, as interim head at an international school, he was inspired to see families from Taiwan and mainland China learning peacefully side by side despite political tensions back home.
Beyond school life, he opened up about politics and social change. He had marched in Washington after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and protested the Vietnam War, describing himself as a lifelong liberal. He said he worries about how divided America feels today, with people only listening to one side of the news. He supports efforts to bring conservatives and liberals together for honest conversations, believing democracy only survives if people learn to listen to each other.
The conversation also touched on bigger global issues. He talked about community suspicion when a Chinese university opened a program in town, but said fears eventually faded. We compared free speech challenges in China and the U.S., noting how censorship takes different forms in both places. He also shared his own family’s migration story during World War II, when relatives were turned away from the U.S. and had to resettle in Cuba and Canada. Those personal stories connected with his memories of Cold War “duck and cover” drills, showing how each generation faces its own anxieties.
Toward the end, the discussion shifted to technology. We explained how students use tools like AI to help with research and writing, and he asked thoughtful questions about whether AI is helping us learn or making us too dependent. It turned into a cool exchange where we were teaching him about the future while he shared wisdom from the past.
What stood out most to me is how open-minded Dr. G is in his 80s. He wasn’t afraid to challenge traditions, like pausing the Pledge, or to take bold stands on equity. At the same time, he admitted that society and schools are never perfect, and that listening, empathy, and dialogue are what truly move us forward. That message feels really important. His story reminds me that building community isn’t about everyone being the same, but about respecting differences and having the courage to speak up when something doesn’t feel right. It also showed me that learning doesn’t just go one way; sometimes the older generation teaches us, and sometimes we teach them. And that’s how growth really happens.
