A deep respect for the truth lies at the heart of a Hyde education. The importance of being a truthful person is part of daily conversations among students and faculty. We reinforce this with these important character phrases:
Integrity - Honesty is when my words match my deeds. Integrity is when my deeds match my words.
Truth over Harmony - Choosing being honest with self and others.
Conscience - We attain our best through character and listening to our inner voice.
When you work with teenagers, there will be moments of triumph and moments of challenge. We work hard as a faculty to help them understand the importance of being honest and taking accountability for their decisions when it is necessary. This week, some students took the step to own up to some flawed decisions. While not everyone was ready to be that honest, it was an opportunity to have some important conversations about integrity and its importance in establishing the foundation of one's character.
In the morning meeting, we discussed the Five Words that are engraved in the boulder at the front of the school: Courage, Integrity, Leadership, Curiosity, Concern. I asked the students to think about the purpose of these words in our lives. Why is it important to be a caring person? Does it really matter if we take ownership in situations where our leadership is called on? How does summoning courage allow us to see our true strengths? How curious are we about our surroundings and our learning?
At Hyde, we believe that grappling with these character words helps keep us on track. They are there when we fall short of our best and need to address it honestly and with courage. They are there to help us be curious about why we made that choice and how we move forward.
Most importantly, all this is not only about avoiding our lesser selves. It is more about developing our higher selves. As I said to the students, "There will be a time in your life where you will be presented with an opportunity, and in order to seize it, you will need to believe in yourself and who you are. If you are a person of integrity and courage, you will feel worthy of seizing that opportunity and truly testing yourself!"
Laura D. Gauld '76