Benediction by Upper School English teacher Robin Stewart

As I reflect on the threshold our graduates cross today, I could hope with a tender heart that they live a lifetime free from sorrow and frustration, but as most of us know and some of us learn far too young, life presents challenges. So, instead, my wish is to empower them with an awareness that has served me well.

 

Every academic discipline relies on observation. Observation requires patience, inner quiet, focus and intention in order for a student to arrive at that keen insight on a theme, an experiment, a technique and an equation. In many of my discussions with seniors this year, we have grappled with the question of how to teach character, that often-experiential, rarely quantifiable piece of our school’s motto. I would like for you to think for a moment about the education you may achieve by applying observation to your surroundings, especially to the people around you.