FA GRADUATION 2019
2019 Baccalaureate Address BY DAVID JONES HISTORY TEACHER
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s a history teacher, I have learned to look to the past rather than to my contemporaries for insight and inspiration. In particular, it is the ancient Greeks I have grown to admire the most. The ancient Greeks sought virtue and knowledge and believed it was a person’s highest good to perfect themselves in mind, body, and spirit. As a coach, I value the ancient Greeks’ embrace of arête, the belief that excellence is born out of competition. In particular, it was the Spartans who embody the essence of the Homeric virtues of strength, loyalty, courage, and intelligence, virtues that seem to be lacking in today’s society. Plato viewed Spartans as the freest of all Greeks, not because they could do whatever they wanted to, but because they were free to pursue Spartan excellence. And remember what philosopher George Santayana penned, “All thought is naught but a footnote to Plato.” I know what you are thinking: “There goes Mr. Jones droning on, giving some meaningless lecture about a bunch of dead people.” So here are the reasons why today’s education may not have been as good as it could have been in preparing you for your future and why we should have listened more to the ancient Greeks. A few days ago, I read an article that stated that a survey found that students want a safe place at school where they are free to fail. But failure is not something to be embraced. Instead, it can be beneficial to fear failure. Spartan women would tell their husbands and sons heading to battle, “Come back with your shield, or on it.” So much for snowplow parenting. For the Homeric hero, failure was not an option, as failure meant death and only success could bring honor. I know Mr. Manning has given several excellent and inspiring talks during
All School Meeting about the need to take chances and not fearing failure. While we all make mistakes, and while we should learn from them, I believe that failure is something to avoid. Mistakes are not synonymous with failure. Mistakes are but temporary roadblocks in the process, while failure implies permanency and the inability to achieve one’s goals. A mistake done at full force can often lead to success. I always told my offensive linemen that if they made a mistake, they should make sure they did it at full speed, for if they put forth the maximum effort, something good was bound to come of it. It’s the mistakes that result from being timid that inevitably result in failure…
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Mistakes are not synonymous with failure. Mistakes are but temporary roadblocks in the process, while failure implies permanency and the inability to achieve one’s goals. A mistake done at full force can often lead to success.”
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Excerpted remarks by FA social studies teacher David Jones, selected by the Class of 2019 to serve as their Baccalaureate speaker::
The Greeks believed it was our moral duty to reach our full potential as human beings. You have been told you you can be whatever you want to be, and as a coach and teacher of sport psychology, I understand the importance of goals. As freshmen, you spent time in your advisories doing goal-setting exercises, planning out your futures as scared and naive fourteen-year-olds trying to make sure you wouldn’t end up living in a van down by the river. However, simply wishing and dreaming about the future gets you a couch in your parent’s basement, spending your day watching South Park reruns. While you may not be able to become whatever you want, know that I want you to at least give it a try and follow your dreams. But without hard work, talent, and yes, sometimes plain old good luck, you are going to run into a dead end. Ultimately talent and character matter.
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