BRUNSWICK SCHOOL
NOVEMBER 2012
MONTHLY MAILING The Winds of Change There is uncertainty in the air . . . I can feel it. As much as I try to push it from my mind, I cannot escape the lingering sense that things are unsettled, people are worried, optimism may be falling prey to pessimism. Some of this is, no doubt, due to the economy. Some, perhaps, is derived from suspicions of diminishing American influence in the world; some of it is, I suppose, due to the upcoming election; some might be due to the unsettled nature of things abroad. I want to hasten to point out that we have, this nation has, been in uncertain times like this before. The 1770s felt this way, the 1860s did too, so did the 1930s and the 1960s…even the parents of those of us who grew up in the 1980s probably felt many of the same uncertainties and anxieties. All these “anxious” periods of American history shared a sensation that things that had for a generation or more been taken for granted were now up for debate. Some constituencies were pushing for change while others were trying equally hard to protect what they had and what they knew in an attempt to maintain the status quo. As a Headmaster, I experience this uncertainty through parents and students who are more anxious, largely, it seems, because the means are less obvious to an end and the end itself is more hazy than it used to be. Along these lines, recently journalists and philosophers have started raising some troubling questions about education, not just about the missing moral element but also about the broader curriculum as well. The questions, generally, include musings such as: what is education really for, who should get it and to what level, what should it cost? And, those questions translate into some very pointed concerns about the status quo: - What’s the point of an education if it means just cramming a young brain with facts, all the while overlooking the need to train that student in how - and I might add, the moral obligation - to use those facts for a greater good? - what good is a liberal arts education if so many students graduate with no specific skills? - does Business School make sense if you can do without it and still advance in your career? - what exactly does “advance in your career” mean? Is it power, is it privilege, is it money or are there other, deeper, more important satisfactions? In sum, more and more Americans are asking tougher and tougher questions about education. The latest Gallup poll measuring the nation’s confidence in institutions was released this summer and as you would expect, the media, Congress, banks and the Presidency all took hits but one of the most startling declines since the last poll was a further 5% drop in the nation’s confidence in public schools to 29%, the lowest since the question has been asked and it has been asked for 40 consecutive years of polling. Fortunately, from an educational standpoint (with passion and conviction), I feel Brunswick couldn’t be better positioned. I feel that way because I think we are managing to maintain a perfect balance between the essential need for a rigorous, foundational and traditional liberal arts education on the one hand and cutting-edge educational theory on the other. Most importantly of all, we do it all under the sturdy and enduring umbrella of Brunswick’s long-standing commitment to the development of strong character for each and every boy in our charge. The bottom line is that as unsettled as things might seem, questions are inherently good, it seems to me. They force us to reconsider what we do and why, and to justify those things that work and reconsider those that do not. Education is all and only about preparation for a successful and rewarding future. Any questions we can ask that lead us to better ways to prepare our boys for the future are good questions, indeed.