Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM August 2019 | Page 16

EDUCATION DR. DARRYL SMITH - HEAD OF SCHOOL Grace Christian Academy [email protected] www.gcahtx.com Preparing for GREATNESS I have watched over 15,000 students walk across the stage, receive their high school diploma, and excitedly exit out of the building to start their post- secondary education. As the last name was called, I often reflected on the purpose of education. We have met the state and national standards, our students have gone to nationally ranked colleges, but did we really educate the whole child. There have been numerous research studies that have attempted to define the purpose of education and they have concluded that there is no single answer that has a consensus. So let me offer up an alternative that I believe we can all support. I believe that the purpose of education is to develop greatness within the students entrusted to us as educators. Greatness is the quality of being distinct, that of being recognizably different from something else of similar type. If we assume that every student is that of “similar type”, what can we do to ensure that they are recognizably different when they complete the educational process? It seems that a great deal of the educational system is built on the premise of standardization and not uniqueness, on test data and not on individual growth, on compliance and not creativity. Please don’t misunderstand my comment, efficiency, standardization and compliance are important, but there has to be more. There has to be some place where a student can learn to be an individual, to discover their purpose, and become “distinct” from the others. 14 MOMENTUM What if we designed PK- 12 schools that encouraged students to: • Be passionate and motivated to learn • Take on challenges • To solve problems • To be creative • To care about others and give back to their community • Be confident and persevere • Have self - respect and integrity • Use the resources and knowledge around them to make a difference • Read thoroughly, think critically, write clearly, speak persuasively, and use numbers effectively What if “Greatness” was the goal of education? What impact would it have on our society, culture, businesses, government, religion, and innovation? Just a few weeks ago NASA celebrated the 50th anniversary of the moon landing in part because John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961 set the bar for greatness in his speech to Congress. He said, “the United States should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” With that statement, a group of people made it their mission to be great, and just over 8 years later, Mission accomplished. Can you imagine what we as a society could accomplish if we put that same type of focus, energy, and determination into producing students with distinction. Thirteen years to build greatness. However, greatness is not produced alone. The educational system is not solely responsible for producing greatness. The system needs support from local businesses to not only provide resources, but expertise and opportunities for students. The system needs parents, a student’s first and most important teacher, to encourage, empower, and inspire them to be distinct, to be great. So, let’s commit ourselves to the goal, before the next decade is over, to preparing every child for greatness.