December 21st 2009
Have you heard the phrase “the teacher arrives when the student is ready”?
The idea speaks subtly to the magic of timing in one’s life – academically, and beyond. When I look back on a year, or even several decades (easier for me now as I move closer to fifty than forty), I see how that ineffable quality called “timing” keeps mattering.
At our All School Meeting last week our History Department Chair, Bruce Berk, spoke about service, and his timing could not have been better. He spoke directly to a core value at our school, making it accessible to 6th through 12th graders, as well as the adults.
“What is the relationship between left-handed lay-ups and generosity?” he asked. He captured my attention instantly - in part because I had been thinking in the previous moment about Derryfield’s basketball teams, the extraordinary good fortune of our community, and the holiday season. He managed to tie my disparate thoughts together, capture the community’s attention, and get us thinking - all at once.
The teacher had arrived and, just a few moments into our meeting, the students were ready to listen.
“You see, left handed lay-ups and generosity are about the same thing,” he continued. “You cannot be good at either unless you practice. And you cannot understand the experience unless you try it and keep doing it. Generosity does not necessarily come naturally, just like left handed lay-ups.”
The Derryfield School continually offers our students opportunities to practice. We require a variety of academic, artistic and athletic experiences so that our students are continually stretching themselves and practicing what may not come naturally at first. From these requirements come one of the most common and uplifting sentiments I hear from parents and students: “I am so pleased my child had to play a sport. She loves field hockey, and would never have known that but for Derryfield.” Or “If I did not have to take Latin in 6th grade I would have never known how much I love it.”
I believe the time is right for our school to move toward a service requirement for all our students. At present, the majority of our students have a profound, Derryfield-based service experience before graduating, and many describe it as “transformational.” And yet I think of Mr. Berk’s observation – that one must cultivate the habit of service before it becomes integrated into one’s personality, before it has a chance of becoming natural. No doubt creating a requirement has the capacity to diminish the sincerity that comes with making an unfettered choice – but philosophically, I believe our school has arrived at the point where requiring some form of service prior to graduation will detract very little, with enormous potential for a lifetime of value for our students.
I have been heartened by our community’s embrace of our core values exploration this year, and cannot resist the urge to “Aim High” in the realm of service, too. By routinely practicing the generosity of spirit that is at the core of serving others our students will continue to honor their Derryfield education – and their Derryfield education will continue to serve them. My twin hope is that it would be unthinkable for our graduates not to continue to serve others as they grow beyond our campus, and that all our alumni can trace the routes of their passion for service back to the parent/teacher/school relationship that is the hallmark of Derryfield at its most inspiring.
Both Susan Grodman, our Director of Service and Global Education, and I are interested to know what you think about a service requirement at Derryfield. Let us know your stories and your insights.
Enjoy the holiday break – perhaps you will even have a chance to practice your left-handed lay-ups. In any event, may each of us be on the lookout for the transformational teachers in our lives in 2010 and beyond!
CNS
