Imagine you are Superintendent for a Day. What is one actionable change you would implement to enhance the public school experience in NK? What should school do for those required to attend? For instance, is school supposed to help prepare you for "A good life?" If so, just what qualities are there in a good life? Would a "productive life" be a more appropriate goal? How
about a "happy life?"
Since you may find that answers to some of these questions can
conflict with one another, it's interesting for us to discuss them. We hope in the discussions to help you determine just how do you best want to use you limited time in high school to help build the life that will best suit you?
Let's look at the seminar held on the Harvard campus (over a course of 3 different 90 minute discussions; not for credit) every year. The course is called “Reflecting on Your Life.”
The format includes discussion exercises to engage students to help them discover just what they want from life, and specifically what decisions and actions will enable such a life eventually to emerge.
While we look at 4 of these discussions, we'll be interested in knowing which one do you find most helpful, and why.
1. This exercise involves 2 lists. First, students list how they want to
spend their time. What matters most? (Suggestions: going to
class, studying, spending time with close friends, perhaps volunteering
in the off-campus community or reading books not on any course’s
required reading list.) Then they list of how they actually
spent their time, on average, each day over the past week, in order to see how the
two lists compare. When a disconnect arises (as it frequently does!), it can be a stunner. It's important to ask why one would spend precious time on activities which one doesn't highly value. This discussion can help students align their time commitments to reflect personal
convictions (and of course, avoid future disappointment).
2. This is known as the Broad vs. Deep Exercise, and involves discussing the differences in becoming
extraordinarily good at one thing versus being pretty good at many
things. It's good to organize your life around the approach you choose.
3.
In the Core Values Exercise, after students receive a sheet of
paper with about 25 words on it, including “dignity,” “love,”
“fame,” “family,” “excellence,” “wealth” and “wisdom,” they
circle the five words that best describe their core values. The discussion comes in when we examine situations when those core values come into
conflict with one another. -- For instance, are there additional burdens attached to those who choose “useful” and “family”?
As a follow up, it is interesting to discuss a current corruption case, and discuss how easy it can be to compromise on following these core values; and also what compromise can means when it comes to measuring the value of one's life.
4. It's interesting to discuss the parable of a happy fisherman living a simple
life on a small island. The fisherman works a few hours just about every
day, catching a few fish, selling them when needed and happily nourishing his family with the rest. This man truly enjoys
spending the rest of the day with his wife and children, napping, dreaming, and whatever. His dreams don't begin to conjure up any changes to this relaxed and happy life.
A
recent M.B.A. visits this island, buys a fish, and quickly sees a way to put his degree to use. He tries to inspire this fisherman
to dream of ways to become rich. Every day, for instance, he could catch more fish, start up a business, market
the fish, open a cannery, maybe even issue an I.P.O. Ultimately he
would become truly successful. (Let's even suggest that he could donate some of his fish to
hungry children worldwide and might even save lives.)
How would you respond to the fisherman's question “And then what?
“Then
you could spend lots of time with your family,” replies the visitor.
Our M.B.A. answered “Well, you could spend more time with your family and your children." And realizing that this is exactly what the fisherman has been doing, he adds: " You will have made a difference in the world. You would have used
your talents, and fed some poor children, instead of spending your days dreaming and relaxing.”
Into the discussion come questions about what really matters in life. For instance,
1. How important is it to use your talents to the best of your abilities?
2. How
important is it to accomplish something others can acknowledge beyond your immediate circle?
3. How important is it to leave a considerable footprint in the world, as opposed to preserving it, and potentially even working to return it to nature?
At
the end of these discussions, one hopes that there has been a significant level of introspection achieved, which will be a transformational
experience.
And, was there one of these 4 discussion questions which you found most helpful? Why?
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