Every Harvard undergraduate and graduate class gathers in Harvard Yard—all together for one commencement exercise—and then each class heads to its respective location for its school-specific diploma. In the 2022 commencement at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, Dean Bridget Terry Long began with this about the graduating educators before her:
“We are the foundation for all of the other professions.”
We, as educators, know this. Yet, it bears repeating. It bears cherishing, committing to, and communicating. Students must believe you believe it to believe it themselves. To circle this core idea again: before students will believe in and commit their own education—including their beyond-school pursuit of self-education and lifelong learning—we might benefit from spending time reflecting on the extent to which we truly believe in, and bring to life in every moment, education that’s foundational for greatness in any form in every student.
