The Power of Collective Action
Dear SJK Community,
Have you ever read the book Oh The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss? It’s a popular gift for graduates and you may have heard it referenced in many commencement speeches. People tend to refer to this particular passage when speaking to graduates:
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
I think people are drawn to the story because of the way Dr. Seuss addresses life’s ups and downs with his trademark humorous verse and illustrations, while encouraging readers to find the success that lies within. It seems a very appropriate message for graduates about to embark on their own life’s journey.
When I reflect on our current situation I realize how Dr. Seuss’ message about life being an individual path of self-determination doesn’t work quite so well at the moment. This situation has taught us that unlike the protagonist in the Dr. Seuss story, we are not all rugged self-determining individuals, but instead we are part of a highly interconnected community. Our individual actions have consequences for the larger group and so as members of this community we must act collectively.
We have seen amazing examples of the power of collective action during the pandemic—the construction industry donating N95 masks to hospitals and people supporting their local restaurants with Take-Out Wednesdays to name but two. There have been so many instances of people coming together to support our frontline workers it has been truly inspiring. Even within our SJK community it has been amazing to see the impact of the community coming together to support our teachers and students.
As a school, we may ‘have brains in our head’, but we cannot steer ourselves in any direction we choose unlike the character of the book. I think this comes as a surprise to some people who think our school has more autonomy in this situation than it does. In fact, we actually receive very little information about the provincial government’s plans for the future. We expect an announcement next week that will give us some clarity about the plan to return to school.
I hope your family has an enjoyable long weekend. I look forward to the day when we can steer ourselves in any direction we choose. For now, stay safe and be well.
Have you ever read the book Oh The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss? It’s a popular gift for graduates and you may have heard it referenced in many commencement speeches. People tend to refer to this particular passage when speaking to graduates:
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
I think people are drawn to the story because of the way Dr. Seuss addresses life’s ups and downs with his trademark humorous verse and illustrations, while encouraging readers to find the success that lies within. It seems a very appropriate message for graduates about to embark on their own life’s journey.
When I reflect on our current situation I realize how Dr. Seuss’ message about life being an individual path of self-determination doesn’t work quite so well at the moment. This situation has taught us that unlike the protagonist in the Dr. Seuss story, we are not all rugged self-determining individuals, but instead we are part of a highly interconnected community. Our individual actions have consequences for the larger group and so as members of this community we must act collectively.
We have seen amazing examples of the power of collective action during the pandemic—the construction industry donating N95 masks to hospitals and people supporting their local restaurants with Take-Out Wednesdays to name but two. There have been so many instances of people coming together to support our frontline workers it has been truly inspiring. Even within our SJK community it has been amazing to see the impact of the community coming together to support our teachers and students.
As a school, we may ‘have brains in our head’, but we cannot steer ourselves in any direction we choose unlike the character of the book. I think this comes as a surprise to some people who think our school has more autonomy in this situation than it does. In fact, we actually receive very little information about the provincial government’s plans for the future. We expect an announcement next week that will give us some clarity about the plan to return to school.
I hope your family has an enjoyable long weekend. I look forward to the day when we can steer ourselves in any direction we choose. For now, stay safe and be well.
Ms. Cheryl Boughton
Head of School
St. John's Kilmarnock School
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