Great Barrington — After 12 years of serving as the principal for W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School, Ben Doren will be leaving at the end of the school year in June.
Doren grew up in New York City and was a teacher there for many years before he moved up to Great Barrington with his family in 2011.
In an interview with The Berkshire Edge, Doren said that both of his children went through the local school system and are now enrolled in college. “My wife was previously commuting to New York City for her job, and for the past five years she has been commuting to Providence, R.I.,” Doren said. “It’s been great raising our children here, and we have enjoyed living in this area. However, it’s hard for her to commute for upwards of two and a half hours, sometimes two to four times a week. We want to move where she works in Providence.”
Doren said that last week he submitted his letter of resignation to School District Superintendent Peter Dillon which has been accepted. He said that he is proud of several accomplishments during his time at the school. “I am proud of employing the concept that is called ‘radical inclusion,’ which is this idea that everybody goes to school together,” Doren said. “No matter if you are rich, poor, white, Black, disabled, or not disabled, or whether or not you are a language learner, all children are together in classes. At the middle school, we have some very strong inclusion programs for students with developmental disabilities and emotional disabilities. These students are normally excluded from core instruction.”
Doren said that inclusion is very important to him when it comes to a student’s learning experience. “One of the hardest things for me as a teacher in New York City was seeing how segregated the schools were,” Doren said. “One part of the city had a school with mostly white students, and another part of the city had students of color. One school had students from rich families, while another had students from working-class or poor families. An area like Berkshire County had all of the students together, and it’s great to have a diversity of people in the classroom. Since I started here, we moved from an almost fully white middle-class school district to a district with students from immigrant families. We have had a lot of demographic changes.”
Doren said that another accomplishment that he is proud of is seeing how the school has connected to the local community through its partnerships with local community organizations. “The local organizations have helped us in connecting to the community,” he said. “They’ve invested in our students. We also connected to the community and its history when we changed our name to W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School. By doing that, we also celebrated Du Bois’ legacy.”
Doren said that, when he leaves in June, he will carry with him fond memories of the school’s faculty and staff. “We have amazing educators,” Doren said. “The commitment and professionalism to care for young people are amazing. My teachers and staff all band together and I will always appreciate them.”
As for any advice to the next principal, Doren said “continue with equity.” He elaborated, “The idea of inclusion is important, especially the idea of equitable outcomes for all students. All students, when they graduate from high school, should all have the same postsecondary opportunities. But it’s a lot of work. You have to continue to close the gaps of opportunity that less privileged students and families have. As a school district, we’re committed to equity. I just want the district to continue on that path and continue its commitment.”
