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Life Lessons


A silver lining in this pandemic has been not only that our boys are attending school in person but how much they are thriving in their classes. I think everyone was a bit circumspect at the beginning of this school year, wondering just what it would be like and what it would feel like to be in school in such an unusual way.  Would boys be able to adhere to the PPE and distancing protocols? How would they relate with their teachers, to each other?

The reality is that the teacher/student relationship, so essential to boys' learning, is cementing more quickly than ever. Within small pod groups with an average of nine students per pod, teachers have been able to devote more time to each individual boy and to cultivate trust and connection. Seven weeks into this school year, those relationships are where they would normally be after several more weeks. The boys are happy, they are learning subject matter, how to think critically, creatively, and analytically, they are exercising and playing, and they are interacting intellectually and socially with their teachers and pod-mates. 

They are also learning important life lessons.

In many ways, Covid is our boys' education this year. Learning really isn't only about school. It never has been only about that. There’s a Latin phrase I love--non scholae sed vitae discimus—we learn not for school but for life. It is about life. Our boys are learning how to adapt to life amidst difficulty and uncertainty, to draw upon their inner strength and character, to be courageous when faced with challenges, and to make life fulfilling no matter the circumstances. 

Every day that our school remains open for in-person learning during this pandemic is a blessing; as a resilient community, we will continue to anticipate, organize, and adapt as need be to keep our program moving uninterrupted.

I once read somewhere, I’m not sure where, "Courage doesn't always roar, often it's the quiet voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow." We are seeing that quiet voice in our boys, faculty and staff, and our families. Today we try to be a little better than we were yesterday, and tomorrow a little better than today, even when it’s difficult. This is what makes us strong people of character, eliciting "the good" that lies at the very heart of this school’s mission. 

Ut Viri Boni Sint.




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