In the 1890 landmark textbook, The Principles of Psychology, philosopher and founding father of modern psychology, William James, made a bold claim. He stated, “In most of us, by the age of thirty, the character has set like plaster, and will never soften again.” At last week’s closing ceremonies, I took immense pride in our boys' impressive character display. However, as a school dedicated to this mission, we know that the journey toward character is a lifelong pursuit. 

“You can't really know where you are going until you know where you have been.” 
– Maya Angelou

It’s often said that, to determine whether the path you are travelling is the right one, you need to understand where you have come from. Three seminal events at Crescent this spring have driven home this concept for me.

Feedback is a key ingredient to ongoing growth and improvement. This is true whether you are 15 or 50 years old; a student, parent, or professional. Giving and receiving feedback is a reciprocal process that happens formally and informally at Crescent. It usually starts with setting goals and objectives and then tracking progress with a classmate, teammate, mentor, teacher, or colleague.

Many of us use figurative language and metaphors to describe life experiences. As a young person, when imagining my future or ruminating on the purpose of life, my mother would often encourage me to “till the garden.” A former colleague often challenged incoming students with “High school is not a spectator sport. Get in the game.” One of the great lines from the Stoics was “not to expect figs in winter.” By combining two unrelated elements, these figures of speech allow us to see things from different angles and in a new light.

Recently, I received some feedback about “Experience Crescent.” This annual enrolment event invites prospective students to the school without their parents to take part in a variety of literacy, numeracy, and collaborative activities. The day is led by Crescent teachers and our Enrolment team with the goal of getting to know the boys who’ve applied to Crescent. It is one of the most important days of the school year.