Know, Be, Do

In our most recent Class Tea I was speaking with one of our parents while munching on some cookies. He told me about an old Chinese proverb that states, “The newly appointed official starts off with the heat of three torches.” To be frank, I was delighted to hear this confirmation of the three-pronged direction MAK is headed, as I was about to speak to parents about our focus on Know, Be, Do.

Morrison Academy Kaohsiung is not content to be an educational institution that focuses only on knowledge. We are greedier than that. We want to see kids grow in all of who they are.

On the doorframe in my office there is a small case attached to the wall, and in it are two scrolls to serve as a reminder, every time I leave, of the famous passage in the Bible in which Jesus states:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.”

We are to love God with all of who we are: what we know, who we are, and what we can do. It’s always exciting to see these things connecting at school, from a heartfelt (and confusing!) discussion of American Transcendentalism in junior English, to the tremendous personal growth that took place as 8th graders river traced on their leadership retreat, to the guidance I’ve seen our elementary teachers offer their students in helping them resolve their daily personal conflicts.

This weekend many students were involved in our Family Day Carnival: tours, tickets, car wash, games and entertainment. In doing so, they were able to put many of their abilities to the test. They used collaboration in the car wash. They managed money in their sales. They practiced public speaking in the tours. They practiced written communication in their advertising. They practiced performance in their dinner entertainment. And they practiced leadership in communicating with PAC, working as HouseCo, and in leading the event itself. I love working at a school where teachers, students, and parents can face challenges together – and see them not only as academic experiences but also as character experiences. Where we can all learn to know, to be, and to do.

Let’s encourage each other to ask our children about these three areas around the dinner table or on the car ride home. What did you learn today? What knowledge did you gain about who you are? What did you discover that you can do?