Summer Reflections: My First Consultant Role

By Chris Ouellette, M.Ed., NEALS Board Member

Happy August Folx! After taking a year away from the NEALS organization to focus on family, I’m excited to return to the fold! Our Board recently spent a few days together in Wolfeboro, NH, planning and preparing for the year ahead. We're looking forward to offering a range of monthly events and written pieces. With that in mind, thank you for taking a moment to read as I reflect on my first year-long consultant role!

In May 2024, I was honored to be selected as the Visiting Scholar for the Student Support Services department at a school in the Midwest. The position was made possible through a generous alumni gift, aimed at strengthening and refining the school’s support lens, a meaningful and complex endeavor. The work of student support in independent schools offers a powerful lens through which to examine both student growth and institutional challenges. While it highlights meaningful impact, it can also surface tensions within a school’s overarching goals. A natural push-pull exists as schools strive to find the right balance between academic rigor and necessary support. Faculty and staff often bring differing understandings and entry points around neurodiversity, special education, accommodations, modifications, and inclusion, differences that can lead to moments of uncertainty and difficult decision-making about what is truly best for students. Striking this balance is not simple; it demands courageous, ongoing dialogue about pedagogy, equity, and deeply held experiences. When schools are able to center these conversations around students with honesty and purpose, the balance between rigor and support becomes not only possible, it becomes fully attainable. 

It was an absolute privilege to work with another school community throughout the 2024–2025 academic year. The alumni-funded gift that supported this initiative was exceptional in its focus: advancing Student Support through a practical, actionable lens. I deeply valued the opportunity to engage with various stakeholder groups, listening to their hopes, their tensions, and need for greater clarity. This work allowed me to navigate complex scenarios, support strategic decision-making, and celebrate important professional milestones alongside this community.

The experience also presented personal and professional challenges. The academic year began with the profound loss of a parent and the simultaneous transition into a senior leadership role at my home institution. Balancing the competing demands of both communities proved difficult at times, resulting in a temporary communication gap that required honest dialogue and recommitment to move the work forward. 

Supporting a community in weighing ideal solutions against realistic constraints is a learning opportunity in itself. These moments often bring with them strong emotions, divergent opinions, and the friction that comes with meaningful change. Within that tension lies the opportunity for growth. When we frame our problem-solving through the lens of long-term vision and student-centered purpose, the result is not just compromise, it is a stronger, more resilient program shaped by shared intention.

As we get ready to head back to school in just a few weeks, take a moment to soak in the words of Bob Marley: “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” Let the rhythm carry you through these final summer days with my Summer 2025 Spotify Playlist.

Cheers,

Chris