The myths of what is important

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.                   John F. Kennedy

Graduation approaches; the annual rite of passage where we formally transition our grade 12 students to our newest alumni. As well as a significant time for individuals and families, it’s an important time for the whole College because we can see the individuals who have spend time with us, and we can all ask ourselves if we are proud of what we have achieved. The answer is an unreserved yes - but beyond that, the really interesting thing is to ask ourselves what, beyond achievements, precisely, are we proud of?

And put like that, in this short window between the end of exams and the release of results, the answer is enlightening, I think. We are not holding off our pride or hesitating in our recognition of learning and achievement until we know the numbers; our delight in our students is not contingent on their exam results. That’s where JFK’s quote comes in so powerfully - because we live in a society where the persistent and persuasive zeitgeist of where I go to college is vital for the rest of my life; my grades affect that, so my grades affect the rest of my life is so widespread. And it is a myth. We probably all know from our own friends and experiences that grades are no predictor of long-term success or happiness; furthermore, the data supports it pretty clearly (even in narrow financial terms, let alone broader ones; here’s the latest in this line of research from the Economist). But still, the myth is hard to escape.

Why is this myth so powerful? Perhaps because academics are given numbers; perhaps because we like to compare and contrast, even though we know we shouldn't. Perhaps because we parents are always risk averse for our children, and in seeking the best future for them, it’s easy to focus on the easily measured over the important. Whatever the reason, this brief results-free window provides a good time to rejoice in the many ineffables and non-quantifiables of our students. There’s no conflict at all there between this and the regular business of seeking the highest academic standards every lesson - day in, day out, in a focussed and determined fashion. But let’s recognise that there’s a vast, vast amount more to education than academic results.