The Right Stuff

Just a few hours ago (March 9), the space shuttle Discovery landed safely in Florida after nearly two weeks at the International Space Station.  Operating since 1984, the orbiter Discovery is now officially retired after completing 39 missions to space.

Man has been traveling into space since 1961, when the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin completed the task with much fanfare and amazement.  This was followed by the implementation of the famed Mercury Project, an American space flight initiative which resulted in seven men orbiting the earth aboard Mercury-Atlas 6 in 1962.  Since, space flight has become somewhat of a regular occurrence - to the point where most of us probably have paid little to no attention to the final Discovery mission.

As many in the baby boomer generation can attest, though, this was not always the case.  Beginning with Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier in 1947, and the launching of Sputnik ten years later, the race to space was international news through the late 1980s. 

In 1979, author Tom Wolfe wrote a book titled The Right Stuff, which in part documented the stories of the first Mercury astronauts.  This was followed by a movie of the same title which was released in 1983 (you remember the '80s - Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, etc.).

Reflecting back for a moment, it is amazing to think about the qualities of those first men who dared to enter space.  Fearless, ambitious, and inspiring are words that come to mind (along with maybe crazy...).  Although these men were fierce individuals, as highlighted in the movie, they all had a sense of purpose greater than individual needs.  Like Lewis and Clark generations earlier, exploring the unknown for the purpose of advancing mankind is an unparalleled act of bravery.

The recent space mission - along with attending a recent conference in Washington, DC, hosted by the National Association of Independent Schools - got me thinking about the right stuff for schools.  What are the right ingredients for successful schools, and how do we achieve and promote the right mix?  Politicians and administrators seem to be arguing ad nauseam about funding, state standards, and unions.  Not to undermine the complexities of these issues, but cutting to the heart of successful schools always reveals three healthy components: teachers, students, and families.

The successful teacher in today's world possesses the qualities of those first pioneers who ventured into space.  Innovative, bold, and exuding with confidence, the best teachers are not afraid to lead our students into the unknown.  Gone are the days when teachers simply taught a set body of knowledge to students sitting in rows and only speaking when called upon.  In today's world of information overload, the successful teacher guides students through the process of understanding how to evaluate and synthesize the constant barrage of noise present in our everyday lives. 

The dynamic teacher must also be brave enough to create something new.  Take Sal Khan, for example.  Mr. Khan, who spoke at NAIS, established Khan Academy, which is an open source of instruction found at khanacademy.org.  Stressing the importance of mastery in math, Sal created thousands of instructional videos that can be accessed online from any internet spot around the world.   

A former hedge fund manager in Boston, Sal stumbled onto this project simply by trying to find a way to tutor his cousins in math who lived in another city.  A few years later - with lots of ambition and perseverance - Sal has created a remarkable tool designed to enhance our face-to-face meetings with students. No single idea or website is the end-all-be-all in education, but the willingness of somebody like Sal Khan to be a crazy nut and try something different is what it will take to enable our students to compete in the global economy.

Today's successful student is engaged in the world.  There is no question that there are specific skill sets a student must master, such as learning how to read, multiplication tables, and the periodic table of elements.  But these skill sets - along with learning how to navigate through issues and ideas - only come when students are committed to a learning community.  Establishing relationships with teachers, engaging in debate and open discussion, and working collaboratively with community members are essential to a healthy education.  Students unwilling to share information or to engage in the life of the school will be hamstrung in their efforts to function in a global society.  Read the mission statements of the most successful independent schools across the country and you will see they are littered with words like community, exploration, engagement, and globalization.  The best schools understand the qualities that their students must possess, and they work in partnership with families and students to foster these ideals.

Finally, an essential ingredient to successful schools is healthy family involvement.  Of course this means attending school events, getting to know your child's teacher, and modeling intellectual and moral behavior, but this also has to be done with a respect for the growth of a child.  In other words - in plain language - your child needs to experience struggle.   

Wendy Mogel, author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee (and The Blessing of a
B Minus, which is hot off the press), emphatically argues that experience comes from bad judgment.  As parents, swooping in to save your child from every skinned knee or B- ultimately hampers their ability to navigate through struggle and hardship, essential life skills.  Dr. Mogel, who spoke at NAIS, encourages anyone who works with children to think about them as seeds in packets without labels.  They need time to grow, to experience a harsh winter, and to develop as individuals.   

This does not mean to abandon all support.  To the contrary, it simply means to frame your support with a healthy sense of being.  As Wendy says, imagine you are "nothing but dust on one hand, and that the world was made for you on the other hand." You can think of this approach in many ways, but this quote from Robert Frost sums it up: "the woods are lovely, dark, and deep."  It is hard to take this perspective in these days of media sensationalism and technological overload, but achieving a healthy balance of guidance, support, and freedom for our children is the right mix.

As we reflect about this historic day in the history of space flight, we are reminded of the early pioneers who sought to blaze a trail of discovery.  The members of the Mercury Project opened doors for later explorers in the field and inspired others to confront and overcome obstacles previously thought to be insurmountable. 

We must take the same approach in the field of education.  The world is changing before our eyes, and teachers, students, and families must embrace the new frontiers placed before us.  Independent schools like Swain are leading the way, and I feel proud to be part of a school that embraces and fosters the right stuff for all constituents.   

Like the early astronauts, though, the status quo can never be good enough.  Although we must hold onto successful time-tested methods of learning and teaching, the field is not static.  Cur- riculum changes, school structure evolves, and people change.  If our country is to return to the top of the academic ladder, then - with unshake- able purpose - we must have the same approach that drove great human beings to walk in space.

Book Recommendations

Saving Miss Oliver's, by Stephen Davenport.  A novel about an all-girls boarding school facing financial ruin.  Those who have ever been associated with an independent school can relate.  Lives are tangled and politics reign-a fun read.

Run to the Roar, by Paul Assaiante.  The story of how a small New England college (and my alma mater!) rose to the top of the squash world.  A tale of triumph, sadness, and diversity.