This is an adapted version of what I said to students at the final High School Assembly last term.
One of our students recently won a major international academic award. When I told her that I had some great news for her she was clearly excited and curious; but when I told her what it was, her shoulders slumped, and she seemed bemused. When I asked her what, she said, matter of factly, it’s a mark in an exam – no big deal.
That got me thinking. Academic excellence is, well, excellent, but we are reminded that there are many, many other goods; just because they are harder to make awards for does not detract from the fact that they that are just as important. Because actually, what will have made a bigger difference, what will have added more happiness, more justice, more compassion to the world – that is, what our education is all about – is likely unmeasurable.
When I look back over the term, I can recall many instance where students
- spent time with someone who was upset;
- put in the extra effort with marginalised service partners;
- stood up for someone who needed it;
- put themselves in an uncomfortable position to stand up for what they thought was the right thing; forgave someone when they could have stayed angry.
- read about a cause and joined it
- organised an awareness event for a cause they believed in
- did not understand someone’s position, so reached out to understand better rather than walked away
These are simple things, but as writer David Brooks said Every time you do an activity, or have a thought, you are changing a piece of yourself into something slightly different than it was before. This is surely true, and I was inspired to meet 90 or so UWCSEA East alums in London last week. They too are quietly continuing to cheerfully do work that makes the world a better place:
- One has started helpline for victims of sexual abuse
- Another is volunteering in a local High School to teach underprivileged children
- Another has run an international conference on development
- Another helped a village in Panama set up sustainable business to generate income to support the community
- Another works one to one with a child in difficulty in a home near him
- Another is developing his local Amnesty International group
And so on, and so on…. Interestingly, in school and beyond, academic success seems to go along with those who are most active in these areas too. There is no tension here, only alignment.
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