It was recently my pleasure to attend an address by the legendary Sir Ken Robinson, someone Fast Company magazine calls “one of the world’s elite thinkers on creativity and innovation” and whose TED Talk on schools is the most-viewed video in the history of these celebrated presentations. With equal measures of wit and wisdom, Sir Ken made a brilliant case for educational programs that focus above all else on cultivating the love of learning innate in every young person, which, in short, means encouraging them to participate in an inward journey of self-discovery regarding their own strengths and passions, as well as to engage in an outward journey of interaction with others that sheds light on the paths and vocations they might pursue in their lives.
The hope, Sir Ken Robinson affirms, is that students will find their “element”, because in so doing “they [will] connect with something fundamental to their sense of identity, purpose, and well-being.” In other words, Sir Ken maintains: “never underestimate the vital importance of finding early in life the work that for you is play. This turns possible underachievers into happy warriors.”
Our Forum des Métiers
Of course, education has many a noble purpose, with little if any connection to the workplace; however, the goal of preparing young people to become what Sir Ken Robinson describes as economically responsible and independent individuals, with a sense of calling for the cause to which they ultimately choose to devote their existence, is virtuous too. And it is precisely this aim which our extraordinary community of alumni and parents came together to serve last night, by hosting our annual Forum des Métiers.
Approximately 30 volunteers, all of whom were exceptionally passionate about their respective professions, gave several hours of their time to meet with some 200 10th and 11th graders, grouped into a series of rotating roundtables about a wide range of careers: architecture; broadcasting; design; diplomacy; engineering; entrepreneurship; engineering; finance; human development; journalism; law; marketing; medicine; scientific research; and the list goes on!
Discovering for oneself and sharing with others
Thanks to these remarkably generous members of our community, in addition to support from an outstanding organizational team led by 10th-grade coordinator Joanna Kaminska and parents Laurence Baudet-Fiehl and Sylvie Bucaille, our students had the wonderful privilege of meeting people who were clearly in their elements, so to speak, and delighted to convey to our students the profound happiness that results from being in that most fortunate situation, which is not necessarily a possibility for everyone. On behalf of the young people in our care, please allow me to express our boundless gratitude to these impassioned adults who so perfectly embody the beauty of personal fulfillment, especially when combined with selfless dedication to others.
About the Author :
Sean Lynch was Head of School at the Lycée Français de New York from 2011 to 2018, after having spent 15 years at another French bilingual school outside of Paris: the Lycée International de St. Germain-en-Laye. Holding both French and American nationalities, educated in France (Sciences Po Paris) and the United States (Yale), and as the proud husband of a French-American spouse and father of two French-American daughters, Sean Lynch has spent his entire professional and personal life at the junction between the languages, cultures and educational systems of France and the United States. In addition to being passionate about education, he loves everything related to the mountains, particularly the Parc National du Mercantour.