Lifting Students Up
Chairman of School Choice Virginia, Delegate Chris Saxman, was recently invited to give the Commencement Address to the Summer Session Corps of Cadets at Fishburne Military School.
We asked him if we could share his remarks on the blog, as we felt that in many ways they embodied why we fight so hard for school choice. We want every student to have an educational environment where they are being “pulled up,” rather than “pulled down” by a variety of factors. Every child needs to have the opportunity to be in an environment that helps them stay on the path towards a successful future- surrounded by folks willing to “dive into the deep end and get him to the sides when others are trying to pull him under.”
To us, school choice is about ensuring every child can have the chance to be pulled up.
Thank you to Del. Saxman for allowing us to reprint his remarks.
Thank you Colonel.
It is indeed an honor and a privilege to be with you today at the commencement ceremony of Fishburne’s Summer School.
When we first brought up the idea of summer school to our son, his response was predictable. He said, “What did I do wrong?” We answered, truthfully, “Son, you haven’t done anything wrong. But we think you would benefit from this program.”
We were right. While William is a very good student, we began to see just how dangerous the world of a teenager is these days. The forces arrayed around young people today are daunting and relentless.
We knew we wanted a school environment that pushed our son up instead of pulling him down. We want our son challenged – in the right direction.
I explained it like this to William. I told him that he was swimming in the deep end of the pool. There were people on the side cheering him on, and there were people in the pool pulling him under. Many of his friends were trying to pull him under instead of helping him to the side of the pool. We told him that we could not stand by on the deck of the pool simply cheering him on. We had to dive in and get him to the side of the pool before he was pulled too far under. He seemed to understand that visual. Gentlemen, it is the people facing you on the hill behind me that are cheering you. It will be the members of your family, those here today, that will be pulling you out. It is the “friends” back home who, unintentionally in many cases, will be pulling you under.
During this summer session, I think you all have had experiences that you will laugh and talk about for some time. Our family has one of its own. William was on a team of young men who went out orienteering. Orienteering is when you are given a map and some coordinates and are told to be at the appointed place by the appointed time. There are lines of limitations in this exercise; however, this team did not see those lines during their trek. They misunderstood them and end up 6 miles off course. Thankfully, a supervisor from the school was able to find them unharmed and return them to their point of origination.
This was a great lesson for these boys. They were lost. Then they were found. But did they learn? Did they learn that the lesson was really a metaphor about life? We all get lost. It’s human nature. We will get supervision and course corrections. But will we listen to those that are trying to put has back on the right course and learn from our mistakes? I think, in time, those boys will learn to more clearly recognize those lines of limitations in the future and not get so lost.
Recently, my son asked me who influences my decision making in my political life. Who do I listen to? I had not really thought about that in awhile, since I recently decided not to seek re-election, but I asked him if I should listen to 14 and 15 year olds. He replied, “No, of course not!” I quickly turned it back to him “Then why do you?”
I explained to him that not only did he need a plan or a map to chart his future, he also need an environment that would help him stay on that path. He needed folks willing to dive into the deep end and get him to the sides when others are trying to pull him under. And he needs to learn to return the same to those who are in need themselves.
We are grateful to Fishburne for a wonderful summer program and we are very much looking forward to enrolling William here in the Fall. Thank you again for the invitation to be with you today.
Gentlemen, I wish you the very best this summer. Well done.
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