Viking Voice

A Message from Our Principal

Dear Families,

This past week, we talked to our 8th graders about some vital habits to carry into high school: working hard, using generative AI responsibly, and celebrating the right things.

We all know it can be a challenge to work hard when we are tired, distracted, or don't see the point of giving effort on an unappealing task. However, we know from studies on habit change that the people who work hardest across all areas of life are the people who embrace hard work as a core element of their identity. These are the kind of people who are so automatic in their hard work habits that they never give themselves much of a chance to think about not working hard. It's just who they are and what they do. 

Perhaps most importantly, working hard is a virtue. It is an implied feature of prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. It is an acknowledgement to God that we are made in His image and likeness. To settle for less is to reject the truth that we are made for more. As Pope Benedict said, "The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness."

The wonders of generative AI--ChatGPT and all the other varieties out there--are at once a testament to human brilliance and a terrible hazard to the learning of young people. We explained to our students that their work in school is more about the skills they develop in using their own brain to solve a problem than it is about the solution. You can't outsource skill development. 

Nor can you just decide that you will flip the switch and begin thinking for yourself when the time comes to start caring. You will press the accelerator and discover there is no engine under the hood. Imagine trying to get good at shooting free throws just by watching a pro on YouTube. No one thinks this is a good idea. 

Is this alarmism? Fair question. But there is something really revolutionary about generative AI. It's on a completely different level of magnitude than prior innovations that save us mental labor (calculators, GPS, etc.)

Maybe the most insidious danger to our fulfillment as God's people is the destructive habit of celebrating failure as though it is success. Is it sometimes funny how bad we can be at things? Absolutely! I can't help but laugh at how inept I am at drawing. It's comical. There are many second graders who are better visual artists than I am. 

The danger arises when we seek attention for our inabilities and invite others to join us in a celebration of incompetence. Young people like to do this sometimes as a way to cope with embarrassment and feelings of inadequacy. It is an attempt to flip the script. A way to ask group permission to stop trying. To make caring too much uncool. The result, though, can be a culture of mediocrity. A race to the bottom. A rejection of the truth that we are made for more.

I don't share all of this as a way to air the dirty laundry of 8th grade. The kind of message we delivered to the students is an evergreen message. It is relevant to everyone at all times. There is no group of students too good to hear it. Simply put, going into high school is a transition that can really test our character. We want our 8th graders to be ready for the test.

On a final note, and very much in this same vein, we will be sharing some detailed info next week on the way we are drilling down on our evaluation of students in the Catholic learner behaviors: showing Christ to self and other, being reverent in worship, working hard, listening well, and exercising self-control. The information we share will be important to understanding the marks you see on your student's next report card.

Christ in Self. Christ in Other. 

Sincerely,

Josh

Father/Daughter & Mother/Son Events

This Week at QP

News & Resources