Helping Students Develop a Sense of Purpose
May 26th, 2017
In the 2009 Pixar film Up, three unlikely companions join together to rescue their giant, colorful bird friend, Kevin, and her chicks. Before they found each other, they were all lost in their own ways. Carl Fredricksen has lost his wife and high-pace city construction is threatening to take away his home. Russell, a young boy in a yellow Wilderness Explorer uniform, feels under-appreciated by his father. Dug, a dog with a special collar that allows him to speak, is laughed at by his canine peers for being different. But together, they find a sense of purpose, and you can truly see the difference in their personalities when comparing the beginning of the film to the end.
According to research done at the Stanford Center on Adolesence by William Damon, the author of The Path to Purpose, only around one in five high school teenagers describe a greater sense of purpose or drive in life, other than themselves. The overwhelming majority are lost, living a life crammed with work they do not enjoy, or dreams so big they lack the ability to put a plan in motion.
At Selwyn, an Argyle independent school, from lower to upper school, our educators and leaders strive to guide our students down the path towards a life that holds meaningful significance in addition to success. On our website, our mission is as follows:
“Our mission is to cultivate global citizens who embrace complex challenges with empathic and innovative thinking that advances the human condition.”
We work to accomplish this mission every day, with each and every student. In broad terms, this is our strategy:
“To elevate the human experience by encouraging whole child development through high academic standards and age appropriate challenges that foster creative problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and social responsibility from which world leaders emerge.”
On an individual level, this means our educators give each student the power to choose special topics and subjects they like, so they actually enjoy learning and going to school. We hope to instill passion into their hobbies and provide them with the support they need to chase their endeavors. When Selwyn students graduate, they are ready to play their own part in moving society forward.
Are you interested in learning more about the educational process at our Argyle independent school? Contact us today.
