There’s a trope that’s thrown around when you get older: that it’s too late to learn as an adult, that intelligence is fixed past a superficial age barrier and that new knowledge is somehow reserved for younger people.

But “lifelong learners” don’t see education this way — and the school, too, through its professional development programs, aims to inspire teachers not only to continue their education to advance their own careers but also to strengthen the learning environment for students.

For many faculty members, that support makes pursuing advanced degrees, such as a master’s degree or a PhD, both feasible and worthwhile. The school provides financial assistance for graduate programs that align with a teacher’s role at the school, reinforcing the idea that investing in educators ultimately benefits the entire community.

Associate Headmaster John Ashton, who, along with several other individuals, handles the professional development program, noted that the institution backs pursuits that fall into three major categories: guest speakers, faculty-identified pursuits and graduate school. Of course, each decision regarding professional development is governed by the belief that teachers, in addition to students, should continuously seek knowledge and skills for growth.

“At St. Mark’s, we’re fortunate we have resources available to fund summer professional development,” Ashton said. “The goal is to fund them to as high a degree as we’re able to. We also try to keep it sort of somewhat consistent, so we may have over 30 professional development pursuits in the summer.”

This institutional backing played a key role for Associate Director of College Counseling Josh Shandera, who recently earned his master’s degree while working full time at the school. His decision to return to school was one he had considered for years, especially given the nontraditional pathway into his profession.

“I had thought about graduate school for a long time. I have a degree in biology, and there’s no preferred route to becoming a college counselor,” Shandera said. “The program I was looking at was very flexible. So all of those pieces fit together, and I decided to go for it.”

Shandera ultimately pursued a master’s program in educational leadership, a field closely tied to his work with students and families navigating the college process. He explained that the school’s financial support was contingent on the program’s relevance, ensuring that professional development aligned with faculty responsibilities.

Director of Inclusion and Diversity Lorre Allen has had a similar experience with professional development through her ongoing journey of obtaining a Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA). Like Shandera, Allen remarked that she had set aside earning her DBA as a long-term, overarching goal.

“Getting my doctorate degree has been on my list of goals to accomplish,” Allen said, “I think I made the decision a couple of years in, working with students; I wanted to be my best that I could be for the St. Mark’s students that I work with. And to be honest, there’s some inspiration to continue to learn that came from being in a place like this.”

Beyond coursework, Shandera said graduate school offered a broader perspective on how educational institutions operate, giving him insight into leadership and decision-making at the administrative level.

“I was tasked as part of my program with getting some additional insight into school leadership, management and operations, so I was interviewing various faculty members, the CFO, directors and department chairs just to understand a little bit more about the school and how things functioned and operated here,” Shandera said. “I was given a lot of opportunity and access to get a little peek behind the curtain and understand more about the actual institution and how it’s managed.”

Balancing graduate studies with a full-time job, however, proved challenging. Shandera often found that the workload required careful time management and adjustment.

“It was harder for a year,” Shandera said. “I mean, it’s a lot to balance as far as going back to school, having to do homework, doing papers and group projects, scheduling Zoom meetings and readings and also getting my own work in some field.”

Although Allen never found juggling school and work too stressful, she believes that her colleagues’ backing played a critical role in encouraging her to persevere through her studies. The process was like a marathon, grueling, demanding — but with community support sprinkled throughout.

“I have my colleagues, my friends that are on my side of my life who are like: ‘keep going, keep going,’” Allen said.

And now in her mind, she is almost there. The finish line — the month of May and the graduation stage — is nearing. The prize — two coveted letters in front of her name — shines ever so bright. But Allen remains thankful to everyone who has accompanied her along her multi-year run.

“It’s the motivational support that has been absolutely amazing,” Allen said. “The school has been absolutely amazing in supporting me, to the point where I could bounce questions off of colleagues.”

Despite the demands, Shandera emphasizes the broader value of professional development, both for individual educators and for the school as a whole.

“Professional development, to me, is a matter of continuing education, staying up with trends and learning more,” Shandera said. “(The school) is really generous in professional development; they know that it’s important to the faculty. And benefiting faculty, in turn, benefits the school, the community and the students.”

Allen echoed this sentiment, adding that she views lifelong learning as a means to strengthen both herself and the school.

“I consider myself a lifelong learner,” Allen said. “I thought I was strong before, but I guess I’m just a little bit more. Don’t let fear stop you (from) accomplishing your goals.”