242 Newsletter

I try each week in 242 to share something about our students, faculty or school community. Often, I believe it concludes in less profound fashion than my initial intent. The first few honest keystrokes quickly devolve into a mere expression of my emotional connection to an event or circumstance on campus. Perhaps some of this is unavoidable, but a singular lens through which to see this community is all I offer you. This falls well short of the justice deserved of the faculty for their unwavering good work and our students’ inspiring progress. Context for the work done here can and should be seen and shared through many eyes and voices.

 

As such, I want to broaden our scope a bit and share with you this week a book recently published called, “How Did You Get Here?” It is a collection of stories and perspectives of students with disabilities and their journeys to Harvard University. In addition to the great stories captured within, it provides a candid account of both the biases facing these students as well as the opportunities they found along the way.

 

I share this and encourage you to pick up a copy not because the takeaway is for all students to consider Harvard on their list of college applications. For the vast majority of us that is not the case, and that’s ok. I recommend it to you because its pages are filled with greater context about the importance of teachers, family, self-awareness and self-advocacy in their success. Heck, the first two chapter titles are, “My Mother” and, “I Had Teachers Who Believed In Me.”

 

We are fortunate to have the authors of the book, Dr. Thomas Hehir and Dr. Laura Schifter, scheduled to visit campus next October to meet with students in Seminar on Learning, First Year Seminar and present to the whole school at our first Monthly Evening Seminar of the year. Most importantly, their book and stories reaffirm the importance of all Eagle Hill tries to nurture both as a community and within your children.

 

I urge you to take a look at it (click here). At the very least, it’ll be more profound than anything else you might read from me at 3pm on Fridays. “But,” as LeVar Burton used to say, “you don’t have to take my word for it.”