I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to speak with so many of you at this year’s Back to School Nights. My role on those nights is to lift up some of the larger ideas that inspire our program. Since several folks have asked me to share the remarks I made to the Middle and Upper Schools, below are some key ideas I spoke about that night.
As I think about the larger world our children will enter, I can’t help but be affected by the almost continual news this past summer of deep division, injustice, war, ethnic conflict and suffering in many parts of the world and indeed in our own country. I find myself entering this year thinking a great deal about the ways we educate for peace making as preparation for a life well led, as the “useful education” with a moral grounding that formed our founding mission in 1697.
An AFS education for peace making is rooted in a distinct view of the concept of conflict. In the common culture, conflict is seen either as something to be avoided if possible or as something to be won or lost. In our view, conflict is an inevitable part of the human condition and is an indispensable invitation and opportunity for growth, greater connection and deeper understanding.
Conflict is inevitable because our understanding as human beings is always incomplete; always a combination of what is true as well as misconceptions and unexamined assumptions. Through our serious engagement with multiple points of view and with the hard work of untangling truth from what we hope, wish or would prefer to be true, we can create shared understanding that grows our capacity for peace and progress.
At AFS, there are four aspects of our program that make our students unusually capable for a complex world:
An intellectual appreciation and orientation toward complexity, ambiguity and multiple perspective. The world that our children study, in all its complexity, invites a sense of curiosity and wonder, leads to new and sometimes counterintuitive conclusions and rewards sustained study and interest. By not oversimplifying issues, yet seeking clarity of understanding, we build genuine engagement and a more sophisticated approach to the world around us.
A serious engagement with diversity. Skilled collaborative inquiry that makes the most of differences in experience and perspective is indispensable for making sense of the world. Experience of the lives of others helps us sharpen our own sense of identity while gaining a much wider view than is possible alone. AFS students come to know that there is something to learn from every person that we encounter.
A building of leadership skills. The capacity to harness the talents and gifts of others for effective action is at the heart of leadership. In the classroom, on the playground, in clubs and activities, AFS students have manifold opportunities to set goals with others, develop plans and make things happen. Middle and Upper School students are trained with great intention to lead discussions of challenging topics, make collaborative decisions and make changes in the daily school community. Leadership development at AFS is for all students.
A grounding in spirit. At AFS we seek to develop a clear sense that there is a wellspring of strength, perspective, love and peace at the center of ourselves that is always present to us. In silence and stillness, we encourage students to move from the surface of their lives to a deeper level. In this practice they experience renewal, reflection and refreshment that is so vital for a busy and productive life. They also learn to see the world and those around them with a greater sense of reverence.
In addition, we view conflict and peace making through an interesting ethical frame. Most conflict starts on the surface as right vs. wrong (we’re right, they’re wrong). What we learn from ethicists is that most sustained conflicts can be understood on a deeper level to be about right vs. right. Our contemplative spiritual traditions encourage us to go yet deeper to see the possibility of right and right, after stripping away some of the biases and assumptions that keep us from seeing in another way. This progression is one that leads from surface to depth, one that reflection and discernment make possible.
On a moral plane, there is one final foundational idea that I believe should guide us, and that is being accountable to both truth and love. In holding ourselves accountable to truth, we seek to be rigorously honest in what we know and what we don’t know. We aspire to face things that are challenging and to be willing to change in the face of new understanding. The best counterpart to this discipline is love. In accountability to love, we are called to deep respect, compassion, concern, empathy and commitment to each other.
The foundation of our vision for education is powerful indeed. It unfolds in a very ordinary everyday world of assignments, friendships and kids being kids. Over time, it builds a depth of intellect, social and emotional intelligence and moral grounding that makes our students indeed ready to thrive and contribute richly to the world around them.
Thank you for the partnership we share in seeing your kids grow into truly amazing people.