The Man, the Myth, the Legend. Last week, Dr. Bolton and I had a tender chat next to the crackling fireplace. We conversed at length about such profound topics as Swiss cheese and gardening. Please, dear reader, I entreat you: read on. You will come to learn much about our very own Dr. Douglas Bolton, interim Vice Principal at MLHS, including his distinct philosophy on education.
By the way, have you ever done journalism, anything like that?
Yes! I was in charge of the district publication when I was at Elmwood Park. In fact, I designed the district newsletter. I was assistant superintendent for curriculum instruction there, so I’ve had experience on the building level as well as a former teacher.
So, I just wanted to start off by asking: what is your impression of Mountain Lakes? What do you love most about it?
Well, I really enjoy the students here. I’ve been to many different high schools, and what impressed me the most was how honest the kids are. And, for example, when I walk out in the morning, they’ll see me and they’ll say “Hello, Dr. Bolton – good morning, Dr. Bolton…” Some kids in other high schools will walk right by me, avoid eye contact, head down. These kids are very grateful. They tell the truth, they don’t lie. They don’t lie when they come in here, trying to get out of [a punishment]. They face the music, they face the punishment, and they do show up. So that’s unique; you don’t see that across the board in most high schools. You really don’t…that character trait is shown consistently in Mountain Lakes.
Now, in the way of advice, what tips would you give to your students—in the future, the present, in life, in general?
Well, I think the whole purpose—a major part of my job—is basically to give detentions and work out tardies. And I try to teach it as a life lesson. I’m also a professor at Rutgers University, so…you know, teaching is, I believe, a part of life, and I need to get kids to realize that they’re in school for a purpose. And it’s not to see if we can catch you or, you know, give you a punishment. The whole purpose is to make you a better person. So beyond high school walls, you’re going to take what you’ve learned here and apply it, whether it be in the world of work (and you certainly can’t come in whenever you want to in the world of work. If you go out for lunch, you’re expected to come back within a certain time period. The boss shouldn’t have to monitor your activity), or in education.
Let me tell you, I’ve been in the field of education for 32 years, and I had this superintendent one time. I was his assistant. He didn’t care how late you stayed at night: you could stay till 9, 10 o’clock working on projects…but if you were even a minute late in the morning, he’d have a secretary mark it down. And then when my evaluation came, he’d pull out of his drawer: “Here’s the dates you were late,” et cetera, et cetera. Didn’t ever ask for a reason why you were late. Old. School. You’re late, you’re late. Doesn’t matter why…The job was so demanding, and I was wearing so many hats [filling so many roles] that there was no way I could have worked within the tight box of 8 to 5. So, uh, I got the lesson. I try to prevent kids from falling into the same experiences I faced in life. You might be great at your job, but you’re accountable for being on time to your job. The reason it’s important now is because at the next stage, you’re not going to be monitored by your parents when you go to college, if you do. You can sleep in if you want, you can skip class if you want, there’s no detention, no parents to reprimand you…
So let’s work together to make this a better experience for all of us. And it’s really developing the right attitude. I’ve seen some tremendous changes. Kids with 30 or 40 absences before are coming to school on time. They’ve brought in notes, or accepted that they could have done a better job. And it shows accountability to the teachers, too: if the students are there, we expect the teachers to be on time. The administrators have to be on time. I come in every day at 7:15. I don’t have to be here until 8:00! But I come in early to set an example. I’m not a guy who flies by the seat of his pants. There’s always unexpected things and expectations that happen.
But, in the kids’ defense, before I came here, there was nobody in this office. Mr. Searles had moved down to guidance. So as a result, like anything else, if nobody tells you you’re doing something wrong, you continue to do that and it becomes a habit…You know, it’s like a funnel [the morning traffic]. Too many kids and their parents getting into that, uhm, you can see them coming down the roadway trying to pour into one entrance, it takes so long, even with Sergeant Gil out there. The only solution is you’ve got to get up earlier, even if it’s two or three minutes. I tell them, “If you’re a couple minutes late, come to my office, I’ll walk you down to class. I’ll be your pass.”
Good. So I understand that your previous experience in education and administration has influenced your philosophy?
Well, it develops as you go along, and as you get privy to certain experiences and school cultures. Every school culture is different. The hardest part of the job is really getting to know the culture and where your philosophy fits in. You can’t operate from a box! Your box has to be able to expand. I have a repertoire from my past experiences of what’s worked, and I put these things together and made my own philosophy from it…I have to get to know, too, what the principal would do in a situation. Remember, as the title implies—assistant—part of my job means to assist. I’m not assisting if I’m creating problems because I want to do things my way. I’m not assisting if the teachers don’t trust me and won’t work with me. I’m not assisting if I get the kids all riled up when they go home. So in order to assist, you really have to be a good listener, you have to really understand the culture under which you’re working, and you have to pick strategies that will work to improve and sustain the excellence.
I agree. It’s very difficult to find exactly what the atmosphere is.
You will never find another Mountain Lakes(!). I don’t care how far you look. It’s a unique place. It’s really a unique place!
I just want to ask a few more personal questions.
Go ahead.
Such as, what do you like to do in your free time? What interests you outside of school?
Big sports enthusiast. One time I was a coach— I was an athlete, then I coached. And then, uh, now I watch a lot on TV [laughs]. So, you know, I follow the Olympics for example. I’m a big March Madness guy, basketball…
Superbowl?
Yeah, I love the Superbowl, of course. Wouldn’t miss it. My Buffalo Bills didn’t quite make it again this year…
Aw, rats.
So…you know. You know what “Buffalo Bills” stands for, don’t you?
It’s, like, the cowboy…?
“Boy, I Love Losing Superbowl.”
Oh. [Laughs] That’s a good acronym. That’s how I’ll remember it.
Yeahhh! You know, you’ve gotta have a little humor, when you tell people, eh, “Oh, they lost four in a row! Well, they had to be good enough to go four times in a row!” you know? How many teams do you know even made it four consecutive years? I mean…Either we didn’t do a good job of coaching in the final game, or our players didn’t show up prepared or ready. In some cases our players just got physically outplayed. They’re bigger, stronger, and well…it is what it is. But I love sports – I love gardening, when the weather gets nicer. People will drive by and remark about the flowers. It’s something I do with my wife, and I enjoy it as an activity we can do together. We jog together when the weather gets warmer. I love boating. Boating, kayaking and canoeing.
Me too.
It was really great to see the lakes up here. I would drive by and I never really knew what a beautiful community this is…Lots of beautiful homes. This is kind of a sacred rule. I mean, not a lot of people realize how beautiful this town really is.
I also like gardening myself. I have a little vegetable garden outside.
Oh, that’s good!
Not really into flowers myself. I like seeing the vegetables. Brings me a lot of joy.
Maybe that’s a possibility when I get older. I mean, my first job, I was a yard boy. I maintained gardens, lawns, all kinds of that sort. Anything around the house. It taught me a lot so when I became an adult, I learned how to do some of these things. “Well, I don’t get involved. I pay to have someone do these things. My parents do it—” Nooo! I roll up my sleeves, and you know…well, you’d be surprised! Gardening is more a way of relaxing, recovering. Same with running. I don’t really care about my speed, or how many miles I cover. What I get is the opportunity to get away and just think, and to clear my mind from the tasks of the day, or pressures of that sort. I really look forward to it.
Now, I’m not the health and fitness guy I used to be, but at least—as I say—I continue to follow athletes in various sports. I love the NBA, I love professional football…let’s see, I like college level basketball. I try to do those things to keep me up to date. One of the things I can use when I’m talking to a young audience is college sports at the next level. So, that interests kids and excites kids to know, “Hey, this guy’s not too far out of it.” And the fact that I’m working at a college and in a college setting gives me that rapport with kids. I’ll see the next generation coming through – even give them some tips on what to watch out for. How you can be a good student too, apply what you’ve learned in high school. Make a difference, you know?
Right.
And that’s kind of fun and interesting.
Do you have any kids?
I don’t – I got married late. I was 53 when I married. The children of this school are my children.
[Laughs] Exactly.
It’s my responsibility to make sure they do more good things than bad…so, those are my children.
And my final question—I’ll try to throw a curveball—what is your favorite cheese?
Cheese?
Yeah.
Swiss cheese.
Swiss cheese?
Without a doubt.
I— my answer would be gouda. It’s rich.
Oh, okay.
It’s tangy.
Uh-huh.
Why do you like Swiss?
Wellll…I like it because it’s kind of a flat taste. It’s not tangy. It’s not, uhh…
It’s right down the middle.
Yeah, I mean you can throw it on almost anything and it goes. You can throw it on a sandwich, you can throw it in a salad, or somethin’. Otherwise it’s like Oooh! A wake-up call. Whereas Swiss doesn’t interfere. Put it on pasta; melt it maybe.
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