This last week the literature department assigned students to write and perform their second round of punctuated personal reflective speeches. This week’s topic: a 60-second speeches using a location on or near campus to tell a story about a pivotal, profound, or meaningful moment in their Island School semesters. These speeches were an opportunity to ground their growth in their sense of place here: A Place of Meaning Speech.
Everyday: during lunch, after breakfast, in exploration time, during study hours (with a headlamp spotlight illuminating the performance) I met students in the locations they chose and learned about every emotional inch of this campus. There was not a single speech that did not make me choke with pride, well-up with gratitude, or grow big eyed in awe of the momentous moments that these students are experiencing each day. And I thought to myself this morning, about to embark on my first Parent’s Weekend as a member of the Island School faculty, that there are a few things you should know about this place, before your arrival:
On girls dorm deck, someone talks to God, to the piercing bright glory of each twinkle looking down on her from the starry night skies. On the boathouse dock someone talks to her father, deceased. She heard him there, and realized there, that if he was there, then he will always be everywhere. A young man led me to a little sprouting palm, humble and barely a foot high. Continue reading
