Have you ever had an experience in which the different aspects of your job and/or life that appear so disparate and unrelated, come together in such a way that everything makes perfect sense? Over the last few weeks I have had just such an experience. It is a wonderful feeling.

Working together to fulfill our mission is the ongoing challenge and objective of many people in the community. While striving for academic excellence, love of learning, and compassionate participation in the world are easily espoused, they are much harder to achieve. As we have taken the challenge on and tried to do these things in the best interests of our students, I have wondered how the efforts we make within the school relate to the adults our students become and to our own lives at home and in the greater world. During a frenetic month in which I have traveled more than usual, they all came together.

In early February a couple of us traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, and Vero Beach and Naples, Florida for alumni gatherings. I was incredibly taken by the warmth, openness, and support of the people in all of these communities. Former boarders recalled the School with fondness and conviction. They told anecdotes about their experiences at Shipley and explained how their backgrounds from different parts of the country contributed to the diversity of the community. They talked about the emphasis on learning, compassion, and understanding here at the School that transcended their time at Shipley and ultimately influenced their efforts today as they serve on local boards and are otherwise involved in helping their communities. In addition, they seem happy and fulfilled as they meet the everyday challenges that life presents.

I found myself particularly taken by alumni in Nashville who, in 1958, with support and input from people at Shipley, worked together to start the Ensworth School, an elementary school whose mission is similar to Shipley’s. That school, almost fifty years old, is now expanding to include an upper school in 2004-05. I look forward to visiting it when I go to Nashville again.

Upon returning from that trip, I witnessed first hand our celebration of Human Rights Day, in which the faculty and students shared their experiences and points of view on many different issues. Respect and understanding were evident throughout the entire school.

The Lower School focused on its work with the Brain Tree Primary School in Kyanja, Uganda. The students saw a movie and discussed Brain Tree and its community. Their interest and enthusiasm were most compelling, as they committed us to further developing our two-year relationship with the school. As a result of a number of fundraising efforts within the Lower School, we have contributed over $1,500 to Brain Tree this year. This sum has greater significance when we consider that the cost of educating a middle or upper school student at Braintree is about $350 per year. The Lower School is hoping to help develop an endowment fund for the Brain Tree School.

The Middle School formed discussion groups to talk about many issues of concern, such as gender roles, physical appearance, sports, and homophobia, among others. The sessions, which included both faculty and students, were led by students whenever possible. As I walked from discussion to discussion, I was taken by the students’ ability to see beyond themselves and to understand the complexities of the issues. 

For example, at the middle school level a number of important issues affecting our students revolve around the role of popularity and cliques. Clearly, many of them understand the paradox created by wanting to be popular and still be themselves. As one seventh grader said, “It’s funny—everyone wants to be popular and in the ‘in-group’, yet, I’m not in it and I like not being in it because I have more freedom to be myself.” This is a powerful commentary from anyone, and from a seventh grader, a particularly mature one. If we could work with everyone to understand the essence of this point, we could make real progress dealing with the complexities of adolescent dynamics.

In the Upper School, speakers made presentations on a wide range of topics and the ways in which we can make a difference in the world. One of the challenges we face is really knowing and understanding what it is like for those less fortunate than us in this country and the world. To that end, one of our teachers, Steve Baris, took the suggestion of a colleague and worked with some students to develop a game called $7/hr. Virtually all of the students and teachers in the Upper School—almost 400 people—played the game, simulating what it would be like to live in our society on $7 an hour. Although the game was not real life, it did raise some important issues. As I went from class to class, it was clear that students were affected by the experience. The comments we heard were similar to ones heard all over the world every day: “How can I ever get out of debt?” “I’ll never have children; they’re too expensive!” “If I pay for health care, I can’t feed my family.” “How can I get by? I’m destined to be destitute!”

While for most students and faculty, the game ended at the end of the day, there are many families here and elsewhere who face these challenges every day. Understanding the issues and finding ways to effect productive change for those people becomes a real objective for many of us. It reinforces for us the importance of contributing to the world beyond the simulation. There have been countless books written about the challenges associated with living on relatively little income. One book worth reading, which was recommended by Greg Coleman when I was away on sabbatical, is: Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. It captures her experiences, the trials and tribulations, as she attempted to live on minimum wage in three different communities over a relatively short period of time. 

Finally, and as I hope you know, Gary Howard, author of We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know, visited the School on February 17 & 18. He did presentations for the faculty, students, and parents in which he stressed the importance of developing what he calls “social competence” in order to understand, appreciate, and celebrate our differences. In truth, that’s what our mission is about—putting the pieces together in such a way that our students become thoughtful, compassionate participants in the world. He may have said it best when he talked of our need to develop in our students the courage to question the certainty of their assumptions about the world. He reinforced the importance we place on the development of critical thought and on the ability to articulate those thoughts in the spoken and written word. In addition, he stressed the importance of identifying the issues and working on them together. As we develop those skills and as we grow older and know ourselves better, they help us to be more at ease with challenging ourselves and asking difficult questions without having to know the answers. Without having to be right, we have a better chance of finding the answers. 

The alumni trips I have made, our experience with Human Rights Day and our daily curriculum, and Gary Howard’s visit to Shipley have reinforced the importance of our commitment to educate the whole child and to continue to ask the question: What is best for the students? If it is best for them, it will be best for the School and will ultimately be best for the outside world.

I hope that spring break, only a few weeks away, provides everyone with time together for reflection and enjoyment.

Warmest regards,

Steven S. Piltch
Head of School