The legendary jazz pianist, Thelonious Monk, known for his unorthodox style, was once asked by a young student, "Mr. Monk, how do you come up with such unique melodies?" Monk, with a twinkle in his eye, replied, "There are no wrong notes, son. Just notes waiting for their turn."
If the word education is, as its Latin etymology suggests, to lead out—in other words, to guide from a former self into a new, wiser, more accomplished, and aware self—then the core of what it means has not changed and will never change.
Quelles que soient les circonstances, l'idée que nous grandissons, que nous nous améliorons, que nous apprenons et que nous devenons plus savants est fondamentale à la condition humaine. En fait, la vie elle-même, sans professeurs, sans école, est une éducation, car il y a un développement irrévocable et inévitable de soi à travers le temps, pour le meilleur ou pour le pire. Quoi qu'il arrive, et quelle que soit notre réaction, nous aurons toujours gagné en expérience, en exposition.
Cependant, il existe une différence significative entre le vieillissement naturel et l'accumulation d'expérience qui en découle, et l'expansion de la conscience, l'ouverture de l'esprit, le développement intentionnel et volontaire de soi. En examinant la conscience, les grands philosophes européens de l'esprit et de la perception - Descartes, Husserl, Merleau-Ponty et Heidegger - bien qu'en désaccord sur un certain nombre de points, ont tous vu le trait distinctif de l'esprit humain comme étant la conscience. Lorsque nous pensons, lorsque nous dirigeons nos pensées vers quelque chose, lorsque nous nous concentrons sur un objet dans le champ de notre perception, nos esprits sont élevés à un état supérieur de devenir et d'apprentissage ; nous sommes poussés vers un nouvel espace perceptuel.
A great teacher will enhance this process, will lead a student out of themselves to this next level of consciousness, and a great school will enable this and will be continually focused on this process of learning, of intellectual, social, physical, and spiritual growth.
There are two constants to remember in this process of education. The first is that circumstances change, the world around us changes, but that fundamentally human capacity to grow into the future self does not change. We like to talk about the world as if it redefines learning, but does it? Artificial intelligence, climate change, political polarization, mind-numbing social media saturation, global conflict, global spikes in mental illness and anxiety, attention deficit and hyperactivity mean that the landscape of education is more complex and uneven than it has ever been, and yet, the essential remains quite simple: to lead out of, to move the mind forward, to learn. Your mind, that inner treasure, is your sanctuary of independence, of identity, and it has the potential to transform you in unimaginably powerful ways, no matter the circumstances. We can be easily distracted by the noise and fear around us; let us hear that and recognize it, but focus on the inner music, the one that will lead us forward. It has always been this way.
Which leads me to the second point: true learning comes from within. A great teacher can show the way, can guide, can inspire, and transmit knowledge. A good school will provide a powerful curriculum, the facilities, and most especially the people to take that journey with the child, but to truly open your mind, to advance your being into a higher and greater realm, to flourish into the new self, the motivation has to be intrinsic, the desire must be kindled from within the soul, for it cannot be otherwise—you cannot do the learning for someone.
This is what the Greek philosopher Plutarch meant when he said that education is not the filling of a pail but the kindling of a fire. It’s an overused quote, but it's true.
Ecolint, en ses 100 ans, reste une école de passion - des enseignants et des parents passionnés, attirés par notre mission, qui se situe bien au-dessus de nous tous, et des élèves passionnés, qui mettent leur énergie au service de leur apprentissage. Les personnes qui ont façonné cette école l'ont fait parce qu'elles étaient animées par ce feu qui continue de brûler aujourd'hui, la flamme de l'espoir d'un monde meilleur, pour l'épanouissement individuel, collectif et public. Nous avons toujours cru que le véritable apprentissage est une question de créativité, de recherche, de réflexion, de discussion - et non de simple absorption.
Quelle meilleure façon de célébrer cette expansion de l'esprit, ce devenir permanent au cours du voyage de l'apprentissage, ce feu de la passion, le battement de cœur de notre école, que la musique - la musique jouée à l'unisson par nos élèves, notre personnel et nos parents, la musique qui chante le chant de ce désir passionné ?
Each musician on stage has dedicated their time and their energy to produce this moment. There is, here, an intentional orchestration of innovation, a collective will to create, to communicate, to grow in this occasion that we will all share tonight, and this is right at the center of that word that binds us all: education. In each musician on stage, and in each of us here in the audience, are notes waiting to be played. Let them be played. Let there be flourishing.
I would like to thank everybody who has been involved in this project, this beautiful and united group of people dedicated to our mission and our vision.
A special mention to
Linley Bennet, Florence Dubreuil, Ioan Medan, Juliette Giovacchini, Bastien Piguet, Francesca Buttle, Rubens Meritus, Katy Johnson, Rachel Harris Lindop, Lisa Sheppard, Madeline Alexander, Aja Lynne, Rosie Lepetre, Marc Turcotte, John Marc Davies, Nicolas Duboux. Mary- Eileen Marie.
Thank you to all of our parents involved, including Board member Julia Lear.
Thank you to Scott Strommen, the mastermind and composer of this wonderful, ambitious project
And thank you most especially to our students, the reason why we are here, you are our pride, our hope and our inspiration.
Vive l'éducation internationale , vive le canton, la République et la ville de Genève, vive la musique, et vive Ecolint!