Lise's Lens: May 26, 2022
This week Lise considers how we can best thank our teachers, Toni Morrison's 2012 Harvard Divinity School lecture on goodness and altruism, and the road ahead for many of our international students.
WHAT I’M READING
- As the school year winds to a close, we also begin a lovely, reflective period in which many community members feel compelled to express gratitude to those who have helped them through this — at times very challenging — school year. I thought this piece, “Flipping the Script: How Students Can Help Teachers Right Now” had some nice ideas and advice for how students and families can best thank their teachers and mentors this spring.
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO/WATCHING
- In the wake of all the school shootings this country has witnessed these past few weeks, I find myself turning to Toni Morrison’s 2012 Harvard Divinity School lecture: “Goodness, Altruism, and the Literary Imagination.” While I acknowledge it does not provide the solutions or calls to action our country desperately needs, it does inspire deep thought and alternative perspectives on how we unpack and interpret acts of good and evil.
WHAT I’M THINKING/TALKING ABOUT
- Yesterday evening, we held a small diploma-awarding ceremony for some of our international seniors who aren’t going to be able to be at commencement this year due to strict quarantining and travel restrictions in their home countries as a result of the pandemic. I am thinking of them, and their families, and all the sacrifices they make so that they can be students here. They are so brave and resilient and I am really proud of them. I will be thinking of them daily as they complete their quarantines in hotels in California and other places.
WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE
Hammocks are out and seniors can’t get enough of each other!
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.