Those who need hope should work in education. Educators who need hope should come to the Harvard Model UN (“HMUN”).
I am blogging from the Sheraton in Downtown Boston – really the first time I have written the way blogs were meant to be (note: the first time I witnessed such behavior was during John McCane’s visit to The Derryfield School Auditorium, and the entire back row was occupied by bloggers with laptops reporting live) – and the scene needs to be described to be believed.
Imagine 2500 high school students dressed in the 2010 version of what Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers wore, and that is a start. Don’t let that opening image take away from the seriousness of purpose – it actually adds considerably to creating an atmosphere of formal, proper, interaction. The boys are in dark suits and ties, the girls in a variety of elegant quasi-evening wear that would not be out of place in a board room. In an age of diminishing decorum captured by “You lie!” this fact alone is uplifting.
Last night’s Opening Ceremonies were in The Hynes Convention Center Auditorium at 5p, and the keynote address was delivered by The Honorable Joseph H. Melrose, United States Mission to the United Nations on the General Assembly. He set the right tone – global thinking, serious purpose, but enjoy yourself. One sour note for me (see my previous column) – about one in five students around me were staring onto their cell phones while he was talking. Perhaps I should be pleased with that ratio!
Today, Friday, is the first full day of a gathering that started Thursday afternoon and will end Sunday afternoon, with the majority of the participants staying in the cavernous Sheraton and simply coming downstairs to gather in committees in their dozen large seminar rooms. The organization of the entire event thoroughly seems safe, well run, and completely engaging for the students. As well it should be, since the front of the program announces “Welcome to the Fifty-Seventh Session.”
The HMUN is a well oiled machine, and it is really impressive.
Snapshot: A student just hurried by and handed me a xeroxed invitation to come to a seminar at 2p today titled “Global Issues in Medicine and Medical Training, a Presentation by Dr. Colleen Kigin, Chief of Staff at the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology.” High school students are not only interested in these topics, but will show up, ask great questions, and leave you with a sense of optimism. They see the concerns, recognize the obstacles, and still – no cynicism.
Stay tuned.
