On Human Happiness and Fulfillment
Education endeavors to support learning vital life skills, academic knowledge, and productive dispositions. All that we do as educators, whether it is imparting basic skills in math, reading, and writing, or igniting interest in career and technical education, the arts, or humanities, is aimed at helping people lead happy and fulfilled lives.
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Human happiness and fulfillment is our core purpose. Any career and college readiness goals, basic skill objectives, or individual learning pathways are in service of quality of life. Traditional schooling aims, coupled with our attention to fostering self-awareness, emotional intelligence, personal responsibility, growth mindset, and resilience in the face of suffering will launch our students into their lives to be happy and fulfilled. Not only will they experience the fullness of life because of their education, but they will also live in service to others and a better world.
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I am dedicated to fostering learning environments that support transformational relationships that support happiness and fulfillment.
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-Scott Mauk
Biography
Scott Mauk, (B.S., M.I.T., Ed.D.) attended The Overlake School in Redmond and earned a B.S. in Anthropology from Santa Clara University. Before earning his Masters in Teaching degree from The Evergreen State College, he traveled extensively through the western states, Thailand, and Australia, developing an understanding for the range of culture and diversity. Scott then completed his Doctorate with emphasis on Leadership and Social and Emotional Learning at Seattle Pacific University in 2010.
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In his work as an educator, Scott brings passion to learning communities and a deep commitment to equity and inclusion to his leadership. A teacher at heart, he has worked in multi-age, K-12 environments: alternative and traditional high schools, Elementary school, and K-12 alternative schools. He has served as a building and central office administrator in K-12 schools, gifted education, special education, and athletics, among other educator roles, and is currently the Superintendent of the Chimacum School District. He has guest-lectured and spoken to undergraduates and graduate students in education and education leadership, and served on nonprofit boards and committees, such as the Washington Association for Learning Alternatives. Because of his expertise, Scott has written and been interviewed about vital educational currents such as violence in schools, gender and schools, and school/parent partnership.
In addition to holding multiple positions in public education and his community, Scott has received awards for his scholarship, teaching, and leadership, including the Mentorship Award from South Whidbey Schools Foundation, and the WALA Educator of the Year Award (Washington Association for Learning Alternatives). He has served as the President of WALA, and has been a featured presenter and keynote speaker at many WALA conferences.
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Scott describes his influence in public education as pioneering learning environments infused with a sense of community and working collaboratively with students, parents, and other partners. He is recognized as an outstanding school leader, who leads with heart and supports people in his school community to work with joy and commitment through distributed leadership and developing shared purpose.
When asked why he has dedicated his career to education, Scott shares, “I believe the purpose of education is human happiness and fulfillment. We meet that purpose by creating learning environments that nurture equity and inclusion, and foster the transformational relationship between teacher and student.”
Scott works well with organizational complexity and challenge, and skillfully applies his adaptive leadership skills and vast knowledge and experience in public schools with children and adults.
On the personal side, Scott is a Native Cascadian, born in Seattle and raised in Redmond, Washington. His father and grandfather were in the lumber industry, and he grew up playing in evergreen forests and lumber yards stacked with cedar boards. An avid outdoorsman at an early age, Scott has spent his childhood and life backpacking, mountaineering, canoeing, skiing, kayaking, fishing, and hunting all around Washington.
Curious about human interconnectedness, race, and culture, Scott has also traveled to Southern Africa, Japan, and Central and South America. 25 years ago he moved to Whidbey Island with his wife where they built a new family and an organic farm while he worked as an alternative high school teacher.
Scott has three children Sage (26), Sawyer (21), and Greta (newborn). He lives in Port Hadlock with his wife, Maggie and Greta. They enjoy mountain biking, hiking, fishing, canoeing, gardening, cooking, travel, and reading by the fire.