Austin Scholar #102: The most important values for a successful educational career
& my high school contract
Hey, y'all!
This week from Austin Scholar...
Austin’s Anecdote: My high school contract
The most important values for a successful educational career
Scholar’s Sources: What I’ve been up to…
Austin’s Anecdote: My high school contract
The room darkened, with only candles left to illuminate the table with the rolled up contracts and wax seals.
“It’s time to sign your contracts to commit yourself to the Alpha High program and its values,” the head of school said in an ominous tone. Every student, including myself, lined up in the main hall to confirm our places in our high school through this contract. We signed with a flourish and stamped the school logo next to our names. The contract looked like this:
Dramatic signing ceremonies aside, this contract has stayed with me – been my guiding force – throughout my high school career. I keep it tacked up on my wall in front of my desk so I can glance at it whenever I need to be reminded what I’m working towards:
Article I: I own my education. I have control over my actions and over my life. I am accountable for both my successes and my failures.
Article II: I commit myself to academic standards of excellence – nothing less than that. (My high standardized test scores proved to me that putting in the work and constantly looking to improve pay off. My Austin Scholar and Learn and Earn successes show my dedication to learning life skills – networking, public speaking, non-academic writing, learning to learn, and so much more. And finally, my acceptance to Stanford made my late nights worth it.)
Article III: I am resilient. (This weird, alternative education journey I’ve had is hard, challenging, and has never been done before. I’ve learned how to take my failures and setbacks and learn from them, to do better the next time.)
Article IV: I am grateful for this opportunity and will take advantage of every day. (This is very important for me to remember – I may struggle, I may have hard days, but I’m lucky to be at this crazy, adventure-filled school)
Article V: I will not lie, cheat, or steal. I will be responsible, loyal, and considerate. (These six values have guided my decisions – when I get anxious or freaked out over making the wrong choice, I ask myself if I’m living by these values. If so, I will be okay.)
My high school contract has made me a better person and encouraged me to achieve great things. To never settle. It’s inspired me, and I can only hope it inspires generations of Alpha students to come.
The most important values for a successful educational career
My Alpha High contract pushed and guided me towards a high-quality education. Which made me start thinking: what are the values and commitments, within a community or for an individual, that can consistently lead to kids having a good education?
I came up with three core pillars, values that were both supported by my high school contract and also applicable to education in any environment, not just my school: high standards, ambitious peers, and ownership.
Working together, these three pillars create a strong, appropriately challenging environment that will help your kid thrive in their education. Here’s a deeper dive into what they are and how to implement them: