Crawford Times 60 ONLINE

FEATURE ARTICLE
five-year Crawford College experience are only now
entering their forties… I think it’s safe to say we’re
only just getting started!
Stepping up
Although individualised academic excellence is
at the core of a Crawford school education, we
are convinced that the educational model we offer
must also be of a special kind: it must provide an
education that is generative and life-affirming; that
invites, engages, and integrates the fullness of our
children’s capacities and ways of knowing, and
that nurtures the creation of minds committed to the
creation of a truly just and wise global civilisation.
Only education that develops our capacity to raise
humanity’s standards is truly worthy of the
human spirit.
At every Crawford school, there is a range of
initiatives where students are expected to reflect on
their privileges and to acknowledge the needs of their
broader community. All students, from the youngest
toddlers to our Matric groups are actively encouraged
to consider their role in broader society, and to
engage with finding solutions, contributing to change
and – should they possess both the inclination and the
ability – to step up as leaders.
The type of education we pursue relentlessly in
Crawford – and which we celebrate – is one where
we are not teaching an age of followers, but rather
a generation of leaders and thinkers. Commentators
have repeatedly lamented that we as South Africans
are facing a crisis of leadership. Part of our vision
at CrawfordSchools is to nurture students who will
have the tenacity, integrity and insight to address this
crisis – not as authoritarians, but as strong, inquisitive,
confident, collaborative, wise and intelligent leaders.
We also challenge our students to build their
capacity for empathy, so powerful in forging deep
and lasting bonds. This allows Crawfordians with
differing backgrounds and experiences to continue to
engage with each other – even though some of their
most cherished assumptions are being challenged.
Crawfordians are expected to remain informed
about others’ social backgrounds, political beliefs,
experiences or lifestyles, and to develop and protect
a moral responsibility, demonstrating the character
to lead a fulfilling life, a life of true distinction, where
they lead for good.
The track going forward
I believe the true differentiation in a
CrawfordSchools education lies beyond
personal growth and achievement, and must
include the development of courageous and
confident individuals who have the tenacity,
creativity and conscience to be world-changers.
If a Crawfordian measures their success solely
on their academic results when they leave our
schools, they have really only defined that
achievement within a narrow parochial context,
and they are denying future generations the
benefit of their full potential contribution to
humanity. The true value of a Crawford education
will be seen in what our students do in the future:
how they use the skills and knowledge that they
have acquired.
Our future-focused emphasis on Global
Citizenship and Global Competencies has
developed enhanced self-management skills,
cultural awareness and the importance of taking
action rather than being passive learners. A
CrawfordSchools experience emphasises that
individual dignity must be acknowledged for a
community to thrive. Our sense of belonging must
extend beyond the limits of our immediate selfinterests
to take in a larger landscape of possibility
– one that can best be encountered through
rigorous intellectual inquiry, curiosity about the
unfamiliar, and non-judgmental openness to others’
opinions and beliefs.
This unconventional and pioneering spirit
attracted me to Crawford 24 years ago, and
our commitment to maximise the potential in
every student has made these years consistently
relevant and meaningful. As our schools and
communities stride forwards, we understand that
a fully developmental education will determine
not only how well our students are equipped to
travel, but also how far they will end up going.
For many school students, the greatest risk is not
stumbling or getting lost, it’s “playing it safe” and
never venturing beyond their physical, emotional
or intellectual home ground. I truly believe that
the confidence and insight that comes from a
CrawfordSchools education prepares some
of our country’s most talented, well-prepared
and driven students – enabling them to stride
confidently into a world of infinite possibilities.
19 | Crawford Times
Every child a masterpiece | 19