We All Play a Part
by dkerr • • 0 Comments
So I received an email this past week from a former student of mine who wanted to check in and catch up. He’s just now finishing his degree in sports medicine, and at the end of the message he thanked me for playing a part in his success, and for helping him grow into the man that he has become. It was a beautiful and emotional letter, and it got me thinking about the part that we all play as educators in the lives of our students as they slowly grow into themselves. He wrote appreciatively about how the school had provided him with opportunities to shine, as well as avenues outside of the classroom to discover and develop his love of helping others and giving back to the community. He found his passion and his spark with the help of his teachers and the many school programs that were offered, and he eventually married the two things that he loved the most to find a vocation that he’s desperate to begin…and I wondered…isn’t that what education is all about?
Coincidentally, on the same day that I received his message, I opened up the latest Marshall Memo and I read an article written by Marc Prensky, where he discusses the true goal of education. Prensky writes that “the real goal of education, and of school, is becoming—becoming a “good” person and becoming a more capable person than when you started”. I thought about this statement carefully, and I have to say that I agree with it almost to a fault. I used this article to take stock of the opportunities and avenues that we are currently providing our own Middle School kids, and I have to say that I like where we are. Let’s look at the programs that we offer to our students, which will no doubt help them find their passions, and their sparks, and the road that will lead them to the person that they will eventually become. Programs like Model United Nations, the Global Issues Network, Math Counts, the National Junior Honor Society, our Leadership/Student Council, the Student Run Television initiative, our Outdoor Education Program, the creative writing club, our robust service learning program, our character education focus and advisory program, and all the rest. By providing meaningful opportunities for our students to discover their passions, and to find success, we are essentially helping them grow and discover and work to find their best selves…and “become” who’ll they’ll eventuaWe All Play a Part | Connected Principals: