One of the things I’ve always been struck by is the ways that Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister, not only championed many of the same beliefs as Quakers--he inimitably embodied them. King’s life and his legacy challenge all of us--Quakers and others, Quaker-educated and otherwise--to not just talk the talk, but walk the walk every day. I can think of few others who model the values Quaker education hopes to instill: an abiding belief in the worth of every individual, an unrivaled commitment to peace and non-violence, and a steadfast resolve to use one’s voice for good.
King’s definition of a “true education” as “intelligence plus character” maps directly on to the work that the students and teachers at Friends School Haverford do each day. Students learn that their words and their actions and how they treat one another is as important as any academic skill. Teachers build academic skills by engaging students in learning activities that often speak to the importance of empathy, justice, fairness, and stewardship of the earth. We strive to create classrooms in which the academic and social-emotional curricula are inseparable, because we, too, believe that true education always engages the mind, the heart, and the conscience. Our world needs more young people who see themselves as people who can effect change; our school is a place where we cultivate these future citizens who will speak up and take action for what they believe is right, guided by their knowledge and intellect.
Each time I happen upon King’s words, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that,” I can’t help but think about William Penn’s urging us to “see what Love can do” and the Light of God in everyone. I hope that together, we are carrying out King’s vision of a more just world and that we are, day by day, trying to live up to his model. We may not be there yet, but through the continuous search for truth that we participate in as a Quaker school, we are called to travel the path that King blazed for us.