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“My father was a teacher in New York City forever. I swore I'd never teach,” says Peter Meade '71, a biology graduate who received a Ph.D. in biology from Georgetown University. He is the new general studies principal at Hebrew Academy Community School of Margate in Florida. Although he published research on cerebral palsy and worked for several years as a Washington, D.C., consultant, Meade was drawn to teaching-in spite of himself-and has been an educator since 1980. He has taught at every level, from sixth grade to graduate school.
The Hebrew Academy has 350 students and includes preschool through eighth grade. Meade is developing a new “vertical” curriculum and enhancing the language arts program. “I want to make sure people look at this school and say it is not only great in Judaic studies, but also in general studies. We don't have far to go; we're already very good,” he says.
Meade previously served as headmaster of Canterbury School in Maryland and taught at Donna Klein Academy in Florida before joining the faculty of the Hebrew Academy.
“I still use a quote from one of my physiology professors at Lafayette, who used to say that human beings have just one function-to pass on their genes. When a student becomes too self-important, I tell him that,” says Meade. “But I add that you can also pass on your mind and heart.”