A Time-Befitting Education Marshall received media inquiries every day in late July from reporters who wanted to know whether we were experiencing an increase in applications. We are. In a typical year, we receive 14 completed applications during the month of July. This year we received 46. August has been even busier—record-setting, in fact. I have been asked if I attribute the increase in applications to the pandemic and, while it is hard to conclude otherwise, I do see other factors at play.
America, I believe, is waking up from a slumber when it comes to our relationship with education. For the past 15 years, in my estimation, education has not been a top priority. I do not have hard statistics to back this supposition; however, in my role, I have countless conversations about education and, in recent years, the majority of those conversations have fixated on the topic of value and only skirted the topic of purpose. Since the pandemic, that has all changed. The families who visited us in July came from many different backgrounds, yet they were all focused on education for a purpose.
Several years ago, speaking in response to a United Nations initiative designed to bring quality education to impoverished nations, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh articulated one wish for her country: to provide a "quality and time-befitting education." Quality and time-befitting education, she argued, would allow her "nation to keep pace with the modern world," and eventually bring "dignity and honour to the workforce."
The Prime Minister's words are on my mind each time I am asked about the spike in interest at independent schools. So many countries throughout the world have made the decision to invest in education in order to rebuild their nations. These countries believe education can: reduce poverty, improve physical and mental health, build equality, strengthen the economy, and enhance national pride. These countries invest in education at all levels and task students with solving real-world problems, including: hunger, gender inequity, and environmental challenges.
I find inspiration in stories such as these. In fact, I am inspired by the very name of the UN initiative that launched this reform movement: Quality Education for the World We Want. Right now, I am struck by the number of families visiting us in search of something very similar. They, too, seek a "time-befitting" education for their children, an educational experience that might lend shape to a better America.
A time-befitting education simply must address the issues at hand in America, and Marshall is up for that task. We seek to graduate problem-solvers and peacemakers; therefore, we allow students to hone those skills with us. This year, we will discuss race, we will discuss civility, and we will assign work that addresses other contemporary matters. In the end, however, we do not wish to be unique in this reprioritizing. We hope all schools—and all families—seize the opportunity to be more reflective of purpose during this pandemic. Only hubris could prevent a nation from seeing the need for quality and time-befitting education right now. Like all other countries, America must prioritize education at all levels if we want to solve today's problems and restore national pride.
Do I attribute the increase in applications at Marshall to the Covid-19 crisis? Yes. Of course. Pandemics remind us that we are all vulnerable, even those of us fortunate enough to be living in great nations. Pandemics remind us of the things in life that matter most. We are grateful that our families value quality, time-befitting education. (c) 2020 Marshall School |