What Really Matters: The Quaker Value of Simplicity

At least once every term, students at Pickering College have the opportunity to sit in silent community with their classmates. If they feel moved to share something that’s on their minds with the group, they are welcome to speak, but otherwise, they remain in silent reflection for a period of about 20 minutes.

These meetings are just one way that PC invites students to live out the Quaker value of simplicity. It’s an opportunity to declutter their minds and focus on what matters most to them. In a world where acquiring material possessions and comparing oneself with others are everyday pastimes, simplicity reminds us to give more of our time and attention to the non-material things in our lives and recall their value.

Each month throughout the school year, Pickering College chooses to focus on one of the Quaker values that guide the school. Janet Downer, Assistant Head of School, Academics, says December was purposely chosen as the month to focus on simplicity because it’s natural that leading up to the winter holidays, people can become very focused on gift-giving and material things.

“But when we speak to the students about simplicity, we want to emphasize that there are other things in your life that you should value over possessions and material items. And of course, the number one thing that students would say is that spending time with family and friends is the important part of the holidays.”

The Global Leadership Program also offers students many opportunities to focus on simplicity through community engagement. For example, a group of Middle School students met with local organizations that work to support unhoused persons and learned how they can get involved and help others in their community. Downer says PC also does a lot of work with the Newmarket Food Pantry, from collecting donations to growing fresh vegetables in the garden at Blue & Silver Farm that are passed on to those in need.

“That helps students become aware that not everybody has sufficient food at home to feed their family,” Downer says.

Outdoor education activities at Blue & Silver Farm are another way students experience simplicity. Classes regularly go on overnight camp-outs at the farm, where the camping platforms and tents are not luxurious, students sleep in sleeping bags, and there are no phones allowed. But there are campfires and s’mores, sing-alongs and stargazing—all simple, communal activities that bring students together and help them to appreciate the present moment.

Downer says some faculty members went out to check on the Grade 5 classes during a recent overnight trip to the farm and heard positive feedback. “One of the students said, ‘Can we do this every weekend?’ Because they really were just having a good time with their friends and they didn’t need anything else except the fire and being together and sharing that experience.”

Student advocacy clubs at Pickering College, such as JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion), also place a focus on simplicity through their events and awareness campaigns during the school

year. Grade 12 student Siobhan Bonerath, co-chair of JEDI, says the committee members try to remind students that small actions matter.

“We might think that as one person, we can’t do anything, but simply being kind to others or trying to include or making our best effort—those simple actions really are what end up growing the whole community into being more aware and more capable of putting into action justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.”

Siobhan adds that PC’s strong focus on support creates a learning community where everyone is encouraged to care about what’s meaningful.

“All of the teachers and students are so supportive of one another, and I think that that is a really simple thing, but something that’s really monumental for the community as a whole.”

Ultimately, Downer says, teaching the value of simplicity helps students learn to be more thoughtful and empowers them to enact change as they move forward in their lives.

“I think it helps them to understand that you don’t need a lot of material possessions to be happy, and that if you focus on other things, like social justice, like helping people in our community, you will feel a greater sense of worth and purpose then seeking out material goods.”

Siobhan agrees. “Simplicity is all about being grateful for what you have and recognizing that the things that you do have, have so much value, even if they are just little things.”