Giving Thanks

With all of the trouble in the world today, we pause during this holiday season to give thanks for all that is good in the lives we are living.

Here at the end of a long career I am thankful to be serving in a school that is so focused on learning in so many ways. And also, I also am thankful for the life of John Chubb, a friend and president of The National Association of Independent Schools, who died earlier in this month.

Not only was John and educator at Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and Princeton Universities, he also co-founded the Edison Schools Project and was working as a Senior Fellow with the Brookings Institute when he was tapped to lead NAIS. I met him and heard him speak on several occasions as president of our association.

John understood education, public and private, from a broad point of view. He co-authored Politics, Markets, and America’s Schools with Terry Moe in 1990, and he published many articles and books during his distinguished career.

During his two and a half year tenure with NAIS, John started many initiatives to have schools join the 21st Century. I remember him saying at a conference that schools are already in the 21st century — not still getting ready for it.

I have thought for a long time that NAIS provides a beacon light for good education built on sound missions. We have all profited from their great leadership.

John had a child at Wake Forest University and had become a fan of Summit School across the street from Wake in Winston-Salem. I am very sorry that John did not visit Woodlawn School. He would have loved it. His loss is huge; his impact on American Education is great.