Month: August 2018

by Progressive School Graduate Amal Jacobson Tonight I was asked to give a speech on Neohumanism, but that of course leads us to the obvious question, “What is Neohumanism?” It’s not an easy question to answer. Is it a philosophy? A way of life? An attitude? Or is Neohumanism a practice — a task we need to rebuild ourselves towards anew with each passing day? The answer, I suppose, is all of the above. Neohumanism was given by the Indian philosopher, poet and linguist, P.R. Sarkar. He gave his first talks on the subject in 1982, late in his life considering he died only eight years later, but it represents in the trajectory of Sarkar’s thought in many ways a culmination or summation of the ideas he developed throughout his life. Sarkar, being an Indian and being a linguist, often used to start with the etymology behind Indian words. Society, for example. What is society? In Sanskrit, the root language of all the Indian languages, the word for society is samaj, coming from the root word “sam,” meaning “to move together.” And so, for Sarkar, society represented a body of people moving collectively, inclusively, with an inherent dynamicity. To put it quite simply: as a family. One human family. The idea seems almost throwaway. It’s incredibly simple, and yet it is in its simplicity that the idea gains its true power. If all human beings are part of one human family, then what right do we have to create artificial divisions between one person and another? Between race, religion, nation or creed? How would I behave if I considered other people my fellow brothers and sisters, together with me as my companions as we moved ahead on the path of human progress? The responsibility here, of course lies with the individual. Much more than a mere philosophy, Neohumanism demands action. It is one thing to think with my head, that all people are a part of my family, and it is another thing to feel it with my heart: to have those feelings demonstrated by my actions. Neohumanism is not just a philosophy, in other words, but a practice. Universalism is an idea we can all relate to, in theory. I mean, why not? It sounds good, right? How are you supposed to disagree with something as agreeable as universalism? The problem, of course, arises when I try to make the leap from theory into practice. How do I live my life, demonstrably, everyday, in such a way that I can practice a sustained universalism? The answer is a tough one, but it is a simple one, a beautiful one, a powerful one. What, after all, could be more powerful than the power of love itself? Yes, that’s right, you heard me: love. At the risk of sounding ridiculous, I stripped away all the philosophical intricacies of Sarkar’s vast body of work and brought it down to its bare, most tender essentials: real, human love. And I’m not talking about any kind of love – romantic love, passionate love, Platonic love. I’m talking about empathy – compassion – more precisely, the identification of my self with the other. This, of course, brings us back to why Sarkar called Neohumanism a form of humanism in the first place: because it strikes at the core of our questions regarding human identity. Who am I? What is my role in this world? The questions sound almost glib, but could not be more deeply relevant to the problems of our postmodern world. You know, the other day I was in the mall, thinking about these very things, and just at that moment I noticed something. My friend was eating an Auntie Anne’s pretzel, and on the wrapping I saw their slogan, leaping out at me: “I snack, therefore I am.” Now, just how perfect is that? It seems innocent enough, but if you’ll bear with me for just one moment, just think about that for a second. Think about its implications. I snack, therefore I am. The slogan, once analyzed, relies on several philosophical presuppositions. First of all, it presupposes that my identity is defined by some sort of exteriority, rather than by anything inside. In other words, I am Amal because I am twenty-five years old – because I am a man – because I am American. Who am I? Well, my favorites movies are blah blah blah, and I really love this kind of music but I really hate that kind of music. I’m like vanilla and you like chocolate. Once properly analyzed it becomes clear that, “I snack, therefore I am” actually explicitly states that I am actually nothing but an amorphous glob, only given identity once I consume their product. A scary thought, once you stop and think about it. So, the question remains: who are you? Who are you, really? Are you an American? Most of the people are in this room, I suppose. But what about the people who aren’t? We have something in common with them too, don’t we? Okay, of course we do. So, beyond being American, who are we really? What race are you? Myself personally, I’m half-Mexican, half-White. But what in God’s name does that even mean? I don’t know. I grew up this way, and I have absolutely no clue. Okay, so beyond that. I am a man. Beyond that, even, I am a human being. But what else am I? Do I have the courage to transcend my boundaries, to challenge my barriers, to rise above distinctions, and see myself for who I really am? Do I have the audacity, the temerity, even, to call myself as I really am: do I have the courage to call myself a child of the Divine? This, of course, brings us to the most powerful dimension of Neohumanism: a dimension that is difficult, frightening, and yet cannot be ignored – the spiritual dimension. Spirituality is often something we don’t want to think about, don’t…

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What are the results of a character-based education? What if the priority during childhood was to develop special traits and healthy attitudes, rather than fill in the right bubble on an answer sheet? And what if you didn’t let anything interfere with these priorities? The answers are in. After fifteen years of interviews with students who graduated Progressive School, their responses have been compiled, revealing a clear pattern. There are 13 character qualities that these young people, now in high-school, college and beyond, consistently report observing both in themselves, and in their peers from Progressive School. Although these qualities may exist in others too, they are seen with amazing frequency and to a high degree in those who benefited from our educational foundation. We call these qualities “intangible gains” because they are not easily quantified. Yet they are the engine that drives academic and personal growth. The Complete Series Introduction Service Zest for Learning Self-Knowledge Leadership Self-Constructivity Calm Rationality Literacy Self-Confidence Universal Outlook Aesthetic Sensitivity Discriminating Trust Integrity Joy

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… true stories from my daily life as principal of Progressive School of Long Island stories in reverse chronological order (names removed for privacy)   10/15/19 Today I received this letter from a mom whose son is applying for college: “Hi Eric! Hope all is well with you and the Progressive School. As I am writing a parent “brag” letter” for my son’s school counselor in prep for college application submissions, I am including a lot of references about Progressive’s impact on his upbringing and shaping up of his life! I would like to take this opportunity to thank again you and all the teachers for believing in him, for navigating him in the right directions, for letting him be who he is!! (Unfortunately, our HS is not like that…)” 8/25/19 Received this letter today from a student who graduated two years ago: “I want to thank you and your exceptional teachers for instilling a love of learning in our daughter that has continued after her graduation from Progressive. While attending high school she continues to seek out academic activities beyond the classroom. Last year she was granted early admittance to the Della Pietra Math Program at Stony Brook University. She continued with the program over the summer along with a DNA workshop at Cold Spring Harbor Labs. The most exciting news I want to share is that she was accepted into the prestigious Institute of Creative Problem Solving for Gifted and Talented Students at SUNY College at Old Westbury for this school year. It is one of the most competitive programs in the nation. Selection by the institute implies that a student is among the top one-tenth of one percent of all students in mathematics on Long Island in his or her grade.” Our daughter’s accomplishments are a direct result of her years at Progressive. Thank you for providing such a strong foundation that will continue to have an immeasurable impact on her life. 3/19/19 Today I received this news from a mom whose daughter graduated: “My daughter is doing really well at Holy Trinity high school this year. She won her school’s science fair! She is a finalist in the Nassau County math fair! She also made the JV lacrosse team! We’d like to send our son for Kindergarten.” 1/27/19 Received this letter today from a mom whose daughter is now a high school senior: “I always said that better teachers grow better students. I believe you have everything to do my daughter successes. Keep up the fabulous work!!!” News clip: This past week five students representing Long Island Lutheran High School won high honors in this year’s WordWright Challenge, a competition for American high school students requiring close reading and analysis of many different kinds of prose and poetry. They ranked in the top tenth of 1% in this national competition including over 70,000 students from 48 states. Two of the five were Progressive graduates, including the daughter of this letter’s author. 8/7/2018 I just got a letter from a parent. Her son showed an interest in film making and we encouraged him to run an afterschool club. Here’s what she told me: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for welcoming my son into your school family for 7th and 8th grade. It was truly a special experience. Your philosophy of teaching and your attention to the individual needs of students are truly special. It has had a great impact on him. He recently graduated high school and is heading off in a few weeks to Ithaca College where he will study for a BFA in film ,photography and animation. He was also awarded the presidential scholarship from Ithaca College! I remember when he came to Progressive, you supported Brian in setting up a film club . Thank you for all you do for the students!” 6/11/2018 Today I had two graduates visit, one is going to Northeastern, the other to Northwestern pre-med. They told me about their life in high school. Both had positive experiences, yet both said “There was nothing as wonderful and engaging as Progressive! 6/10/2018 I learned that a graduate was just named Salutatorian of her high school! She told me that her expereince at Progressive gave her the confidence to achieve. 12/09/2016 Today a graduate, who is in now in 11th grade at St. Dominic, told me that she is the only person she knows who has fond memories of Middle School. She also took one of her only days off from school to come back and visit with her former teachers! 11/23/2016 Last year we had 12 students graduate. Today 11 of them came here on their day off to share Thanksgiving with us, uninvited! What does that tell you? Remember this is school we are talking about, a place where we correct them, prod them, teach them difficult information, grade them, etc. I guess we managed to inspire them too! 9/29/2014 So, what kind of middle schooler takes his free time to write a letter to his elementary school? One who has something in his heart that he has to say: Dear Eric, I’m writing to thank you for my time at Progressive School. Now I am in 8th Grade at Woodland Middle School in East Meadow. I’m in all Honors Level Classes and in the National Junior Honor Society. I’m also the Captain of the 8th Grade Soccer team, and last year I was awarded the MVP for the 7th Grade Soccer Team. And even though I wasn’t one of the better players, I made the 7th Grade Basketball Team because according to my Coach, I had a great attitude and was a hard-worker. I participated in NYSSMA for Singing in 6th and 7th grade. In 7th Grade I joined the Vocal Jazz Ensemble at my School and last Spring I was one of four boys that competed in a singing competition in my School called “Woodland Idol” amongst 38 students. I think that…

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