Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/96437
I was born and raised in Singapore in the late 1960s and 70s, as part of the first generation of citizens to be born on the island state. Being a first generation "golden child," I experienced the incredible growth of the nation – from tiny fishing village to global city-state, all in the span of 25 years. I grew up in an Anglican Christian family, went through a British educational system, followed a Confucian code of behavior in school and a Japanese work ethic committed to productivity and success, all through my years in Singapore. Government schooling was egalitarian in nature, and since we were trained in Confucian morals, all children played a key role in community building – from understanding the responsibilities of caring for the environment (regular clean-up of school and neighborhood as part of school expectations) and caring for others (systematic service learning as part of curriculum from kindergarten age) to appreciating all cultural groups living on the island (compulsory study of a language other than the mother tongue from early childhood). Our lives were lived in two or three languages, and we often used a mixture of languages and none necessarily correctly. Looking back, I am thankful, for the most part (certainly, public humiliation through corporal punishment as a form of discipline was not a positive component of the educational system), for having grown up with such a powerful formative experience. It further sharpened my already keen awareness of negotiating otherness and issues of equity and justice. These early lessons have stayed with me throughout my life and career in Singapore and later in the United States. In my current role as dean of multicultural and community affairs at Latin, it is these aspects of community that I hope to address institutionally and create positive change in. I believe that even if one individual within our community does not genuinely feel welcome in our school, then we have to truthfully examine our school culture and make changes. Inclusion and fairness for everyone in our community is necessary to making Latin everything it can be as a school. One of my responsibilities has been to look at service learning from junior kindergarten through twelfth grade with these issues in mind. I have been working with faculty, staff and students to make the service experience as enriching as possible by helping to find ways for our students to see the larger meaning of what they are doing. We want kids to understand that serving others goes beyond organizing food and clothes drives. That it is a commitment to a systematic effort to take responsibility for others. Although the environment of my formative years is greatly different from my current surroundings, I believe that some of the morals and values of that time and place can inform what I do today. By guiding young people as they realize their responsibilities to others, I think that we, as educators, can help them fulfill their potential – as it says in Latin's mission statement – for "leading lives of purpose and excellence." "Inclusion and fairness for everyone in our community is necessary to making Latin everything it can be as a school." Esther with Marc Elliot and Kip Fulbeck, who visited the school to talk about tolerance, inclusivity and diversity; upper school students at this winter's multicultural fair. Latin School of Chicago 45