Somehow, every year the 27th of January feels like the 77th as we wind our way through the heart of the Winter Term, battle frigid temperatures, bundle up for afternoons on the ski slopes and in the rink, rush to basketball practice, and still find windows of time to move our bodies within our busy schedules. So much of our existence as adults and students is tied to “doing” things, to checking boxes, to completing one task only to move onto the next task.
This obsession with “doing” is not a Proctor phenomenon, but rather a societal problem; a mirage of correlation between doing and value that we must challenge if we believe in balance in our lives. As Gaping Void reminds us in this post, we should challenge each other to consciously choose to embrace “being” instead of just “doing” if we are to steward a healthy community here at Proctor. My favorite line, one I need to remind myself of more often, reads, “Curiosity is the killer app. This is a good lesson for leaders. Don’t just tell people what to do, show them how to be. Instead of commanding more innovation from on high, reward and hire for curiosity. This way, you build from the actual source, rather than adding on another profit-center appendage. We’re only as good as who we are. More ‘Be,’ Less ‘Do.’”
A glance through our Instagram feed reminds you, daily, just how much goodness is packed into an average day at Proctor. From classes to meals to assembly to advisory to afternoon programs to study hall to life in the dorms, we, alongside our students, are in constant motion. The notion of slowing down to just “be” is almost humorous. And yet, our challenge, especially during these winter months, is to master the art of being fully present while in the midst of a task, a class, a practice, or a conversation.
Yes, we can work to reduce our to-do list, but perhaps our efforts are better spent being more intentional with our focus as we walk through each day. Our Student Leaders have challenged us to put our phones down in the dining hall and on the pathways (in addition to, of course, the classroom and assembly meeting times). Their challenge is rooted in their observations about themselves as adolescents on the brink of adulthood who have become overly dependent on the joy-sucking, addictive glow of their phones and technology.
Schools and governments around the state, country, and globe have begun to legislate phone uses in educational settings. Interim Head of School Steve Wilkins wrote about our shift in phone policy a few weeks ago (read more HERE), and wrote again on Friday about the impact of dopamine on the brain (read that HERE). Yet, we believe that effective change must be guided by adults, but led by students. As we encourage our students to think critically about the impact of their devices on their relationships, their mood, their time, and their ability to engage meaningfully in the world around them, they, and we as adults, are beginning to realize there is much needed wisdom in the mantra: “more be, less do”.
With Bonus Weekend on the horizon, and February welcoming us upon our return, may we take time each day to put this wisdom into action. May we find ways to simply “be”, as our imperfect selves in this imperfect world, and do what we can, with what we have, to those who most need.
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