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newspapers and experience each day in
the electronic media. I believe passion-
ately in the ancient Athenian ideal “mens
sana in corpora sano” — a strong mind
in a strong body — that has long articu-
lated the core principle of “balance” in
Western culture and the liberal arts. This
principle was reaffirmed during the early
Renaissance most elegantly, when the
Paduan philosopher Vergerius wrote:
“
We call those studies liberal which
are worthy of a free man; those studies
by which we attain and practice virtue
and wisdom; that education which calls
forth, trains and develops those highest
gifts of body and of mind which ennoble
men, and which are rightly judged to
rank next in dignity to virtue only.”
I would argue that it is precisely the
concept of balance that has served as the
central organizing principle of our best
schools throughout the ages. Indeed, we
expect our students to grow into balance
by developing their intellectual selves,
by becoming physically healthy, and by
increasing their emotional and spiritual
intelligences. This is not new, of course.
A cursory examination of the history of
democratic education will reveal that
balance was embraced by John Dewey,
Rudolf Steiner, Maria Montessori, and
countless other educational theorists
as a key component of a “whole-child”
educational model. So it is no surprise
that American boarding schools carried
the idea of holistic education beyond the
classroom and into the dorms, the play-
ing fields, the dining rooms, the theatres
and gymnasiums. With students in
residence, isolated from the distractions
of the outside world, they could benefit
from a round-the-clock educational
experience. Teachers were coaches, dorm
parents, advisors and role models…
an experience no working parent could
provide. And American parents were,
increasingly, working all the time.
For my part, I see the concept of char-
acter in two broad categories: 1) those
aspects of personal behavior that lead to
successful scholarship, citizenship, and
productive lives; and 2) those aspects of
personal behavior that embody what we
might call the “virtuous life.” The former
would include character traits such as
determination, perseverance, courage,
conscientiousness, self-control and, my
favorite: the very old-fashioned word
“
gumption.” (A tip of the cap to Robert
Pirsig and his wonderful book,
Zen and
the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
.)
The
latter would include responsibility, hon-
esty, generosity, tolerance, compassion
and respect. The first group relates to the
self, and the second to a good relation-
ship with the world. The key word in
both categories is, of course, “behavior.”
Character is not a matter of genetics. It
is a matter of habit.
This past summer, our faculty con-
sidered the book,
How Children Succeed
—
Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power
of Character
,
by Paul Tough. In this
important work, the author documents
the strong correlation between character
and achievement — a much stronger
correlation than that which was previ-
ously assumed to exist between aptitude
and achievement. Tough demonstrates
that a student’s high school Grade Point
Average (GPA) turns out to be a far
better indicator of future college suc-
cess than the Scholastic Aptitude Test
(
SAT) — the test that was developed
specifically to do just that. Considering
the infinite variations in course content
and educational quality in high schools
nationwide, as well as the bewildering
array of grading methods employed,
it is entirely reasonable to ask how
GPA could possibly be a more accurate
predictor than the SAT. Tough argues
“
Everyone plays, and with our stated “college prep” purpose,
it is entirely reasonable to ask why. And that “why” points
straight to character.”
Every student is required to play a sport at
The Storm King School. Here, Kenny Paramore
‘14 (
left) and Edward Romanik ‘14 (right) work
on their basketball skills in the gym.
KEN PRIVAK AND JOHN KENNEY
