Live Lives OF Purpose, ON Purpose

These were my remarks at the graduation ceremony for the Shrewsbury High School Class of 2017.

Members of the School Committee; administrators, faculty, and staff; parents, family, and guests; and, most importantly, members of the Class of 2017 – it is an honor and a privilege to address you this evening.

It is inspirational to me to look out at you and consider both how much you’ve accomplished and how much potential you have to live interesting, meaningful lives in the decades ahead.  As I’m sure is already happening now, and will more so at upcoming graduation parties, you will be asked lots of questions about your future.  What are you doing next year?  Where are you going to school, and when do you leave?  Do you know what you plan to major in? Where do you want to travel or live? What do you want to be when you “grow up?”

However, there are other interrogatives that you are likely to hear less frequently, but I think are more important; namely the queries “How?” and “Why?”  Heather E. McGowan, an author who focuses on the future of education and work, suggests that in a rapidly changing future, for many of you it is difficult to know what you might be doing for work, as many jobs will become obsolete, others will evolve, and many haven’t yet been invented.  Because of this, she says we shouldn’t be asking “What do you want to be when you grow up?” but rather “How do you want to be when you grow up?”  

Despite uncertainty about the what, you do have control over how you will be in the future.  How represents the choices you make regarding the ways in which you act. Thanks to the values you have learned from your families and from your education in Shrewsbury, I hope that you make...

• the choice to be ethical;
• the choice to be kind;
• the choice to be respectful;
• the choice to be charitable;
• the choice to be empathetic;
• the choice to be industrious;
• the choice to be grateful;
• the choice to be humble;
• the choice to be purposeful; and
• the choice to be loving.  

While not always easy, these choices are yours to make, and no matter how the future evolves these aspirational characteristics, this “human touch,” will never become obsolete. No matter what you do, if you do it in these ways, your lives will make a positive difference for others and will be satisfying for yourselves.

The more difficult question than “How?”, I think, is “Why?”  This is a question I encourage you to embrace as you enter what can be an exciting, but also unnerving, phase of your lives.  Of course, as adolescents you have asked your parents “Why?” many times, and I’m sure, like I often do at home, your parents have answered this query with a bit of deep wisdom handed down, generation to generation, through the ages: “Because I said so.” (You may laugh, but I promise most of you will utter that phrase someday to your own children…).  

Figuring out your why is a crucial part of your transition into adulthood.  The author Simon Senek defines why as one’s personal purpose, cause, or belief; it is what gets you out of bed in the morning and motivates you to navigate your life in the direction you’ve determined.  He writes: “Most of us live our lives by accident – we live as it happens.  Fulfillment comes when we live our lives on purpose.”

It is my hope that what you’ve learned during your time in school has been an important foundation for the development of your sense of purpose, and I challenge you to build upon this in the coming years so that you can clearly articulate your own why. Sinek says that the values that express our why should be verbs, as our actions ultimately demonstrate our values.  Each day for the past four years you have passed under the banner in the SHS lobby with the school’s mission statement emblazoned across it.  My wish for you is that you convert that mission into verbs that will help you find your purpose.  Challenge yourself to improve; create ideas, and solutions, and art, and music; think independently; keep learning in order to build your capabilities; care for others and yourselves; and contribute your talent and time to others in order to make a difference.  Live lives of purpose, on purpose.

On behalf of everyone in the Shrewsbury Public Schools, please accept my very best wishes and hopes that you choose to lead purposeful, fulfilling lives.  Congratulations.

Shaping Good Students and Good People

This post was published as the "Superintendent's Corner" column in the Winter 2017 edition of the Shrewsbury School Journal.

In 1980, the Shrewsbury School Committee adopted its policy on the “right to study controversial issues.”  This policy reads:

Teachers are responsible for encouraging students to search after truth and think for themselves. Students have four basic rights with reference to the study of controversial issues in the classroom:

1. The right to study controversial issues which have political, economic, or social significance on which, at their level, they should begin to form judgments.

2. The right to study under competent instruction in an atmosphere free from bias and prejudice.

3. The right of access to all relevant information freely available in the school and public libraries.

4. The right to share and express their ideas and opinions on controversial issues, and within a forum of fair and open discussion, grow in their understanding of the difficult and complex problems they face as citizens in today's world.

The wisdom of this policy remains relevant today, with the only key difference being that our students now have much greater access to information through the Internet than what was then mainly available in libraries.  I am struck by the assertion that learning about controversial issues is not considered to be merely an opportunity that should be provided to our students, but their right.

There have been many periods in our nation’s history where there have been significant divisions among American citizens regarding important issues, and there is no doubt that we are living in one right now.  Given the proliferation of information through online sources and the prevalence of social media, I believe that it has never been more important for our schools to teach our students how to discern the credibility of sources, weigh the validity of arguments from both pro and con, and build a strong understanding of such issues in order to form their own judgments.

This work will differ depending on the age of the students, with the ultimate goal being that our SHS graduates will enter the world beyond high school with the ability to think critically for themselves, make sound judgments based on solid evidence, and communicate their perspectives effectively and respectfully.  If we are successful in this, Shrewsbury alumni will be inoculated against propaganda and ideological “groupthink,” regardless of the source and its place on the political spectrum. Ultimately, our graduates will have different perspectives on controversial issues, because there are typically no easy, clear solutions to such disputes.  Our job is to give our students the skills and knowledge to form their own perspectives, especially by developing their capacity for strong reasoning.

Our policy rightfully indicates that this education must take place in an atmosphere free from bias and prejudice.  I think that this not only speaks to our schools’ responsibility to be appropriately neutral regarding political matters, but also to ensure that our articulated core values are taught and honored, especially when it comes to issues such as treating others with respect. It is important to note that, regardless of what anyone who represents any particular political party or viewpoint might say or do, our expectation is that members of our school communities will act in accordance with the time-honored values of treating others with respect, consideration, honesty, and integrity.  

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to visit a sixth grade student exhibition of learning at Sherwood Middle School, where students presented projects on “rules to live by.”  After completing research on the “rules” that a famous leader of their choice lived by, these students then created their own.  Many focused on hard work and perseverance in pursuit of one’s goals, but I was struck by how many also cited the importance of acting with kindness, respect, and courtesy.  

Our students need this kind of education more than ever.  Unfortunately, they are growing up in a world where too many, especially adults who should know better, don’t follow the rules of common decency and respect, and instead use the availability of social media as a means to post insults and/or untruths that few would ever utter to someone in person.  Almost worse is when others then validate this attention seeking with judgmental comments, without having any knowledge of the truth.  Maligning others, with no sense of fairness or respect, has become all too common.  My disgust with this behavior, however, is tempered by the recognition that people who act this way are a minority, and countered by the hope I gain from students and educators who are demonstrating the opposite.  As one sixth grade student, Gabriela Cardoso, wrote for her project:

I want to remind myself that the way I treat others is a reflection of who I am.  The way I act around my family and friends shapes my character, and my attitude and actions ultimately form my reputation.  Therefore, I try to be kind to each and every person I meet, so I can positively impact their day.

I think you’ll agree that that’s wise advice from a sixth grader.  It reminds me why it is so important that our schools and community work together not only to help our children to become good students, but also to become good people.