Following are excerpts from the remarks I
shared with 800 Needham faculty and staff at our annual back-to-school General
Staff Meeting in August.
Why do I do this
work in schools? What drives me? I’ve
started wondering more and more about the purpose of schooling and the experiences we provide for children and their families. It’s a question that has perplexed folks for
as long as we can recall. Eleanor
Roosevelt once observed: “What is the purpose of education? This question agitates scholars, teachers,
statesmen, every group, in fact, of thoughtful men and women.”
So what’s your purpose? Why are you here
today in this space at this particular time?
What is your why?
Probably most of
you—all of you?—would say we are here to support children and their families
and to provide them the best education possible. That’s true but it’s
insufficient; I think there is more to it. I mean, why do we provide a good
education and supportive environment? What’s the larger purpose? Why, indeed, did you come back to school?
What is your why?
I have to confess
that while I contemplated my why, my purpose, during those long summer runs in
the woods and on the beach, part of me felt anxious and uneasy. You see, screaming headlines and sobering
news crowded my thoughts. Contemporary society seems steeped in myriad and complex problems, tragedies, and crises; these can be daunting and overwhelming. It almost feels hopeless and
pessimistic. Perhaps it is not.
I have arrived at
a place in my head and in my heart that offers an imperfect, incomplete, and,
well, a personal response. In many ways,
my “why” has been shaped by my experiences, and it has been informed by my
family and my faith. It has been molded
by the very real needs I perceive to exist in the community and the world. It reflects my interactions with you, and the impact I observe
that your work makes on our students’ lives every day.
This is my “why,”
and I’d like to share it:
I believe each student possesses unique and
exceptional gifts which, properly nurtured, can bring wisdom, dignity, and joy
to a weary world. Thus, we have a responsibility to empower
young people to understand and develop their gifts in a way that builds
character, creates opportunity, and inspires respect for others. I believe our work is an act of hope in
the power, possibility, and promise of each child.
I see our work
with children as the antidote for pessimism, chaos, and negativity. My “why” considers
the promise and the youthful optimism and ingenuity of the students we are so
fortunate and privileged to work with every day; my “why” can’t help but lean
on the positive and creative power of the human spirit, despite all of our faults
and failings as adults, to create value and beauty in our world.
I believe there
is an urgency in our work with young people; a responsibility to help them
assume their roles as citizens of this community and become caring stewards of
this amazing planet Earth we call home.
I believe our
work in the Needham Public Schools, at its core, is a deep expression of belief
in and love for all human beings.
That’s my
why. What’s your why?
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