Good morning/afternoon/evening parents,
grandparents, relatives, friends, distinguished guests, and most importantly,
Class of 2019! I’m honored to share in
this special day of celebration and accomplishment with you.
For some time, I imagine you have
counted the days, weeks, or perhaps even months until the moment you will
experience very shortly. Now, you can
countdown the time until you reach the culmination of your high school career
in mere minutes. As is the case when one
nears any noteworthy milestone, it is typical to reflect upon the many
accomplishments, as well as obstacles that you have faced along the way. Perhaps your mind has drifted back to when
you met your best friend, a favorite memory from homecoming, the nervousness of
your first exam, or maybe even further back to lunchtime conversations in
middle school, or even stepping onto the bus for the first time in
kindergarten. Parents, I know that
undoubtedly you have reminisced as well, shocked at where the time has gone,
but bursting with pride at the young men and women your children have become.
Like you, I have reflected on past
events that have brought us here today and shaped our journey along the
way. While preparing my remarks, my mind
did not go back to an event at one of our schools, but strangely enough, to an
email that I received just five days before the start of this school year. That date was August 31st, and
with the author’s permission, I will read a portion of that email to you:
Good morning Dr. Gill,
My name is Gini Bonnell, I live in Richmond, VA, and since the
beginning of the year I have been hand-making and giving away
"Be Kind" signs and to date have delivered over 850 signs all
across the country. And I am so pleased to report that there are signs up
in 239 schools in Virginia!
I just watched the HCPS video and saw one of my signs in
it! I currently have signs in 13 schools in Hanover County plus I have
supplied your bus drivers with signs to go on the school buses starting next
week (photos attached).
Wow! This was and remains such a simple but
profoundly beautiful message and positive reminder for us all—be kind! Ms. Bonnell generously offered to donate additional
signs for the remainder of our schools, and as I hope many of you have noticed,
we graciously accepted. Each sign has an
accompanying note from Gini that reads, "I started making the ‘Be Kind’
signs as a way to cope with all the negativity and polarizing messages that
exist today. What began as a simple sign in my front yard has spread across the
country.” Signs are now on display in
schools, businesses, as well as in the front yards of friends and strangers as
a way to remind people to simply be kind.
The movement has taken off in ways I’m sure she could not have imagined
and, in fact, now her signs can be found literally all over the globe.
Her two-word
message does indeed seem in stark contrast to the divisive times in which we
live. Unfortunately, one of the casualties of contemporary society seems to be
the ability of individuals who may have opposing views to sit down face-to-face
and have a productive dialogue—to take the time to understand those with
differing opinions and work despite them for the common good. It is far easier to point fingers, to shout
with the aid of social media, and to point out other people’s flaws while
denying our own.
The fact is, though,
that while saying “be kind” is relatively easy, actually being kind is far more
difficult than other actions prevalent in our culture. The Random Acts of Kindness website
paraphrases Teddy Roosevelt by commenting that kindness is, “doing
what you can, where you are, with what you have.” While an individual act, random or otherwise,
should never be devalued, I submit to you that kindness is not a singular event. Rather,
it is a commitment and a way in which you live your life. The word “doing” in Roosevelt’s definition
implies that one who is kind does so not only in words but by sustained
actions.
As we celebrate the compilation of thirteen years of your formal education
today, it is fair to ask: Where does this lesson on kindness fit into the
curriculum you have just completed? Which Standards of Learning best
correlate to kindness? How does kindness
relate to the diploma that will soon rest in your hands?
During the entirety of this school year, a dedicated group of educators
pondered similar questions and built upon work that began last year to create a
guiding document entitled, Profile of a Hanover Graduate. Their
goal was to define specifically what your diploma represents. It, of
course, symbolizes the passing of various tests and thousands of hours of
school attendance, but we wanted to go further by explicitly stating the
knowledge, skills, and abilities that you, as graduates, will possess when you
embark on your post-secondary plans. In short, we want
that piece of paper that you have worked so hard for to hold significant
meaning. We want to say to the world
that a Hanover County graduate is life-ready!
The document has
four overarching domains:
1. Empowered Learner
2. Globally Engaged Communicator
3. Resilient Individual &
4.
Responsible Citizen
Each of these
domains includes a series of grade-level-appropriate “I can” statements, such
as:
“I can connect, assess,
and extract relevant information,” in the empowered learner domain, or “I can
use positive coping strategies to address life stressors,” in the resilient
individual domain.
The totality of
these statements embodies the commitment we are making to go beyond the basic
curriculum to ensure the relevance of your education. Again, however, it
is fair to ask, “Where does kindness fit into the domains that we now outwardly
say will ensure a successful Hanover County graduate?”
The answer, quite
simply, is all of them. You see, the knowledge
that you have gleaned since kindergarten will empower you to make a greater
impact in the world. However, when kindness and knowledge act in
unison, you will make a more meaningful impact.
To look at it through Roosevelt’s lens, it allows your “where you
are” in life not to simply be a physical place, but rather the potential that you
have for influencing those around you.
Similarly, your “what you have” refers not to physical possessions, but
the wisdom that you have to impart. The
work you have done that led you here today, your profile as a graduate if you
will, is strong and will forever change your impact potential.
As the old saying
goes though, it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. Or, perhaps more accurately, it’s not what
you do, it’s how you do it. Too often,
there are those who have good intentions but mistakenly believe that acts of
kindness may compromise their stature or even make others question their beliefs
when they show kindness to those who may be somehow different from themselves. Do not be fearful of doing what is
right. I believe that those who are most
secure and grounded in their own beliefs are the most willing to be kind to
those who have different perspectives than their own.
Similarly, living
a life of kindness does not somehow prohibit one from acknowledging the very
human emotions of anger, hurt, or loneliness.
Unfortunately, you will continue to experience every one of those
emotions, and many more, during your life.
However, kindness is the strength to persevere in a way that makes a
positive impact on others, even when we are hurting inside ourselves. And, by doing good for others, we often
experience cathartic healing.
In her book, A Passion for Kindness, Hanover County
teacher Tamara Letter discusses her kindness journey, as well as how tragedy and
heartache brought her to a crossroads in her life. She could have remained mired in the hurt,
lashed out at the world, or taken a different path. Fortunately, she chose the latter. As she explains in her own words, “That’s the
beauty of kindness; it doesn’t have boundaries. It isn’t limited to race,
religion, gender or location. It can be small. It can be grandiose. It’s a
characteristic of the soul, a universal language of the heart. It’s a mindset
you either embrace, or you don’t. It’s a choice.”
You do indeed
have a choice, graduates, and I implore you today and every day that follows to
choose wisely. You don’t need to undergo
a ceremony, make a public profession, or post on Instagram or Snapchat in order
to begin. As Mrs. Letter explains later
in her book, “Kindness is being the best version of you every chance you
get.” That’s it—nothing secret or out of
the ordinary. The best version of you is
more than adequate to make a tremendous impact in this life. Your profile as a graduate is strong. You now have tremendous powers. Use your powers for good!
Congratulations
Class of 2019, I could not be more proud of you. The world awaits your impact. Go, and make it a kinder place.