Jane's Pocket Change: The Examined Life

As we begin our second mod of the year, I am sure we are all in a reflective mood: How has the beginning of this year felt? What have I accomplished? How might the new mod help create the energy and focus I would like?

These are the questions our students and teachers are asking as they dig more deeply into the CSW learning experience. These are questions I hope we always continue to engage with one another on throughout the mod and entire school year. I hope these are questions that will find, if not answers, then powerful expression in the multitude of exciting programs, activities and events being prepared for Family Visit Days at the end of the month (October 30 & 31). Come and be part of the conversation about -- and the celebration of -- CSW!

As an aid in our communal reflection, I’d like to share (below) the remarks I made at our recent welcome events for new parents. I hope they prompt our continued thinking about the vital work we are engaged in at CSW and the realities that characterize the world of our current students.

Question on!

Jane

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As a deeply reflective, mindful community, it always seems productive to take the time to stand back and contemplate. One way I do this is through my fascination with trends; what creates them, who follows, who does not and so on. And what I love about working at a school with a 130-year history is that we have stood the test of time, true to our progressive roots, and always look to the lives of young people as our compass.

In a recent report called “Meet the Centennials” — another name for Generation Z [born 1996-2010]— the Futures Company, a global marketing consultancy, reported that 47 percent of the youths it surveyed (ages 12 to 17) say they “care a lot about whether their clothes are in style,” compared with 65 percent of Millennials (born late 80’s- early 2000’s) surveyed in 1999.

“Young people feel much more emboldened to express their own sense of style rather than mimicking a peer-accepted uniform or dress code compared to previous generations,” said Rob Callender, the company’s director of youth insights. “In short, there’s a strong ‘you do you’ ethos among teens today.”

I’m not sure what I think about this trend, especially if it means at the cost of others. However—this generation also feels strongly that it can, and should, fix the problems of the world, stand up for what they believe in and make a difference.

What we have seen in these first few weeks of school has been a commitment on the part of our students to stand up--for themselves and for others; whether it was the beautiful group-read poem on National Coming Out day or the impressive work of our student leaders at Hale Reservation this past weekend.

And more:

“Between 2000 and 2010, the country’s Hispanic population grew at four times the rate of the total population, according to the Census Bureau. The number of Americans self-identifying as mixed white-and-black biracial rose 134 percent. The number of Americans of mixed white and Asian descent grew by 87 percent.

Those profound demographic shifts are reflected at the cultural level, too. Attitudes on social issues have shifted, in some cases seismically, in the decade since millennials were teenagers.”

In a time of such great change, how does school best prepare its students?

At CSW, we focus our core work around four major areas:

• Global Engagement
• Social Justice
• Learning and Teaching
• Health and Wellness

We aim to equip our students not just for the world of their future but for the world that they live in today—a primary tenet of John Dewey, the father of progressive education: school should be the world.

How do we do this? Well perhaps you have seen some of the ways we work with our students in these past few weeks:

• trust them
• challenge them
• believe in them
• engage deeply with them
• help them engage with each other, their school, their community and the world around them.

For me, school is about growth and movement forward—our CSW community cares deeply about creating the atmosphere for all students to grow and prosper—as we focus right now on completing a stunning new building on our lower campus, one which is fully connected to our inclusive community, I am so pleased that you have joined us in our important endeavor, our “boundless ambition” to quote former headmaster John French. We like to do things differently here and our Centennials will help make that happen.

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