Shortly after I began teaching at Park as a fourth grade intern, one of my students approached me after a lesson on capitalization. "Don't you know," she asked, displaying visible frustration, "that Park is a progressive school? Why are you making us learn all these rules? We're supposed to learn that there are no right answers and that every way is the right way!"
Her comment was both adorable and brilliant, and I couldn't help but smile and nod my head. I found it admirable that this fourth grader had such an eloquent grasp of the Park philosophy and was attempting to apply it to her everyday studies. Of course, I also immediately felt the need to respond to her question, but before I could complete my first sentence, two of her classmates jumped in and did my job for me. They explained to their friend about preparing for life in the "real world," citing the necessity of submitting an error-free resume to prospective employers, so as not to create the impression of being "uneducated." Again, brilliant!
This moment exemplified all the unique qualities that we foster in our students: an understanding of purpose, a willingness to question, a thirst for dialogue, and an eye for connections to the world around us.