Leistler Continues Proud Tradition of Greer Chair Award

YONG DING/DEERFIELD SCROLL

“The way life goes is not always in a straight line,” History & Social Science Teacher John Leistler said during his Convocation speech on September 1. As the 2024 recipi- ent of the Greer Chair Award, Mr. Leistler had to deliver a speech at Deerfield’s Convocation ceremo

ny. Ringing the whole auditorium with stories of his voice and experience, he hoped to provide a unique message that would stick with students, faculty, and staff.

For Mr. Leistler, the auditorium was his classroom, and he viewed the “speech” as another meaningful lesson for the whole Deerfield body. “It felt to me like a class of mine, so it should mirror the way a classroom might be,” he said. In his “class,” Mr. Leistler brought in an artwork of the French Romantic painter Théodore Géricault. In the painting, the majority plummeted into an abyss of cannibalism, while a few overlooked ships of potential rescue on the opposite side of the horizon.

Through his presentation of the painting, Mr. Leistler hoped to underscore how these ships are always present at Deerfield and beyond, and the people—peers and adults—are there to help and look after one another. In an interview afterwards, he said, “It’s a legitimate thing to feel distress, but when you are feeling distress, I encourage you to always look for hope.”

The Greer Chair award brought forth another “class,” but also an acknowledgment to the recipient’s commitment in teaching. Language Teacher John Taylor, the 2025 Greer Chair award recipient, felt the recognition and gratitude people have in him. “This award really brought me confidence, especially when seeing the comments from the students. The moment of announcing the recipient was a very special moment for me, and I received congratulations from the entire community afterwards,” he said.

Mr. Taylor’s sense of gratitude was drawn full circle by cycles and relationships between students and teachers, he described. “I am very grateful and it confirmed that I’ve never lost my love to teach,” he added. For Mr. Leistler, he felt a similar emotion in finding gratitude for continuing the passion in himself.

The Greer Chair award was established in 1998 by the Greer family awarded to a faculty member who has had a significant impact on students—not only by exhibiting enthusiasm and understanding in his interactions with students in the classroom, but also by serving as a role model for students in their daily lives. Chief Advancement Officer Chuck Ramsay said, “I think they [the administration] wanted a way to recognize excellence among the faculty and to reward them.”

In 2023, the award was “[expanded to] also honor staff members on campus because they recognize that they’re a couple hundred people in this community who were not faculty, and that they make an impact on the lives of students,” explained Mr. Ramsay. Through this award, Mr. Ramsey hopes that the Greer family’s perpetual influence and effort will leave behind a lasting legacy and community.

The history of this award inherited and continued its traces to contemporary classrooms—the impact of teachers is significant in a class’s success, Mr. Taylor described. He pointed out the crucial stand of care as the ultimate purpose he wanted students to feel. “I tried to make my class a balance of challenges and fun, and I genuinely cared for all my students,” he said. Mr. Leistler viewed his classes in the same way: “I would like people to say that when they’re in class with me, that they feel seen,” he said.

A teacher’s impact on students often lasts for decades, Mr. Leistler added. He remembered attending the wedding of one of his former students and said, “The groom whom I taught introduced me to his new wife and said, “‘I’d like you to meet the man who taught me how to think.’ I would like that to have an impact. Not that I have to be the one who taught you better thought, but just that I helped you in that process.”

The Greer Chair brings to light teachers who go above and beyond in and outside the classrooms—as Mr. Ramsay put it, “I see a lot of legends on that list people whose names I hear over and over again.”