Central High School

Central High School in Philadelphia was founded in 1836. It is the second-oldest continuously public high school in the United States.

It consistently ranks among the top schools in the city and state. Central is regarded as one of the top public schools in the nation due to its high academic standards.

I was a member of the class of 223 (numbered by graduation class since the beginning) and just attended my 50th reunion. While the school is coed now, when I attended, it was all boys. My father went there. His brothers went there. As you would expect, there were a lot of doctors, lawyers and engineers in the room and it was a great pleasure to see them all. 

Inevitably, everyone was comparing notes and offering perspectives now that they had 40 or so years in the trenches. Some retired and moved on . Some docs continued to see patients, trying to distance themselves from the administrative and regulatory hassles, and others were transitioning into their encore careers. A recurrent question was what we owed to Central.

The Gallup Purdue Index revealed that the keys to engagement after graduation had nothing to do with where you went to college for how much you spent to go. Instead, it had to do with :

1.  Having one professor who made you excited about learning

2. Feeling as though teachers cared about you, and

3. Working with a mentor.

Graduates who checked those boxes were more than twice as likely to sense they are flourishing at work.

You see, it's all about whether you feel anyone cares and the personal touch. It's not about the food or the climbing walls. Teachers do make the difference and many, not all, certainly did at Central. Ben Schleifer teaching English. Irv Soslow teaching history from the New York Times. Former NFL ref Art McNally coaching.

That's what I owe to Central. For, what motivates students and instills the attitudes to succeed apply not just in college, but at all levels of education, including high school and post graduate education or professional schools.

A hear a lot of kids today who say they hate high school. That's really too bad and as much a failure of the system as what is says about the kids. But, I have to say, it was really fun seeing the old gang upright, wearing silly letter sweaters, class pins and rings saying thanks for the gift we all received.

Going home in the airport, a female flight attendant stopped me and noticed my souvenir shirt. She said she was a Central graduate too. All things change, but some never do.

Go Lancers.

Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs at www.sopenet.org