Jane's Pocket Change: Open Hearted

Perhaps even more so at this time of year we see the heart of it all: open hearts, hearts on sleeves, warm hearts and our hearts "in it." Is it because, as we approach the end of a school year we all become more mindful of the point that marks a closure?
Perhaps even more so at this time of year we see the heart of it all: open hearts, hearts on sleeves, warm hearts and our hearts "in it." Is it because, as we approach the end of a school year we all become more mindful of the point that marks a closure?

Our senior students are acutely aware of the meaning of this time. They have slowed down a bit to take it all in and they begin to mark the finality of the school year with various events and moments. Capstones all mod, and Illuminarium, Boat Dance and Senior Night will be here soon.

This open-heartedness, to my mind, is all good and predicts a willingness to go out into the world with empathy and awareness, a desire to help, not hinder, to believe in what is possible, not to see what cannot be done. We lost another key actor in the realm of "what is possible" on April 24. Sabeen Mahmud was an activist, bookstore owner and open-minded woman who provided a forum for open discourse in Karachi, Pakistan.

Reading her obituary in the Economist this weekend, I was struck by how much she sounded like someone who might have attended CSW. "She loved Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen and the Beat poets....If you were afraid, she'd say, you'd get nothing done...." Her short dark hair and black-rimmed glasses made her look like a "New York intellectual or hippie child." (story here)

I was equally struck, of course, by the deep sadness I felt at the senseless loss of someone who appeared to be simply "a good person." I think I write today to honor her, to make sure that I (and my readership) know her name at least, and what she stood for. Coincidentally at our discussion assembly this week, our students themselves raised some of the issues that are at play here. How should I be, especially as a person of color, in this world?

As we look to launch our graduates into the world, I know that we are bringing forth open-hearted, empathetic people who will do much to add the good that is out there. And I know it will not be easy.

_____________________________________________________
Pocket Change is a web diary written by Jane Moulding, head of school.

The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.