Opening Inservice 2018 Purpose

Our headmaster started with a great speech about “We can’t control our world, we can only respond to our world.:

 

Ross Wehner from World Leadership School discussed “What kind of impact you want to have in the world?” He explained that “Purpose” is about something outside of ourselves. The goals are to help everyone understand purpose and why it is important to the learning process and to have a sense of your own purpose.  40% of adults have a strong sense of purpose. 95% of all teachers have a strong sense of purpose. With a little coaching and help from a listening co-worker you can strengthen your purpose..

 

Purpose is a stable intention that is meaningful to you but beneficial to the world. Positive Psychology is about what makes humans thrive. Aristotle: happiness  – hedonic – pleasure/pain, taking, examples hungry you eat. Eudaimonic – thriving, giving, making meaning, examples

Victor Frankl – Man’s Search for Meaning. Those who survived were those who made meaning out of their prison experience.

 

Benefits of Purpose for Adults

• Longevity
• Fewer heart attacks
• Faster healing
• Increased happiness
• Less stress, more sleep
• Better relationships

Benefits for students

• Increased happiness
• Better relationships
• Internal locus of control
• Academic efficacy
• Managed stress better

 

Student Agency- youth purpose – most students associate schools with stress, bored, tired.

The biggest problem growing up today is not actually stress, its’ meaninglessness – Bill Damon, Director of Stanford’s Center on Adolescence. High school Students have 20% clear purpose, 24% no purpose in life, 24% self-focused life goals (dablers at independent schools we have probably 40% of these), and 31% Dreamers. Teachers recognize the clear purpose students. For these students stress drives them to go towards their dreams. World Leadership School – k-12 – global travel, project based learning. TeachUnited is for rural schools around the world.

 

Talents+impact = purpose

To share opportunities, resources, tools

So that I can help teachers do their jobs better and easier.

 

Owen and Eliza – Gustke makes you want to strive, very professional but our friends or equals.  He is a mentor. Stupid night out allowed Eliza come out of her shell, which made her more confident.  SNO allowed Owen to see how far he can go outside his comfort soon.

Interim – shows classmates in a completely different light. You see the person for who they are.  Eliza came to FVS because of the student/teacher relationships, swim team really spoke to her. A place that she can thrive.  Owen – FVS is about you getting there, about the process. The end is important, but not the why.

 

Make meaning through stories.  It explains who we are.

 

Purpose Myths

Purpose is a survival skill.

Purpose is not a luxury, it is fundamental

Purpose is not revealed, it is a practice.

Purpose is not a cause, it can be simple, example “to grow and give”

Purpose is not a single passion, a stable intention beneath many passions.