My graduation speech to this year's 8's

Question: Are most schools truly helping students think for themselves? I often wonder. Or are they only leading young people into adopting the latest conventions? Most teachers say they want students to think independently, as do the teachers at Synapse, but where is the demand for it? Do parents want this? Really?

Let’s assume yes, parents, you do. And yes, Synapse teachers, you do. If so, what can the two of us do to make our kids practice being truly independent thinkers?

In his now-famous talk to New York City teachers in 1963, writer James Baldwin urged those teachers to cultivate open-mindedness and self-awareness. “The purpose of education is to create people with the ability to look at the world for themselves, to make their own decisions, to say to themselves this is black or this is white, to decide for themselves whether there is a God in heaven or not. To ask questions of the universe, and then to learn to live with those questions, is the way they achieve their own identity.” But as Baldwin warned, in the part of his speech that we too often ignore, “no society is really anxious to have that kind of person around.”

He goes on to say, “What societies really, ideally, want are citizens which will simply obey the rules of society. The obligation of anyone who thinks of him or herself as responsible is to examine society and try to change it — no matter what the risk. This is the only hope society has. This is the only way societies change. That as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated.”

You see, asking hard questions rather than following societal expectations unnerves people. It makes those creating the rules uncomfortable. Question askers are often an annoyance. But! They are also the ones who make change happen, have the most agency, maybe even have the most fun, and I have found they are the ones in families and groups of friends who we grow most fond of and depend on the most for help.

Now, there are lots of ways to ask questions to be less annoying and therefore more effective. That is why we have taught you - 8th graders - how to know yourself, in order to choose yourself, in order to give yourself. This is how we believe you can make positive change. It’s not picking a fight with someone or dunking on someone on social media. Yelling at someone, or asking silly questions. When you get your driver’s license in a couple of years, as many of you will, it is foolish to ask the police officer why they pulled you over on Camino Real when you know you were going 75 in a 35. That would be a silly question. Mom and dad, one of these kids will get pulled over within 24 months. Get ready, it’s coming. Trust me, I know from experience.

I’m consistently perplexed when teens and young people don’t ask questions that help them figure out what’s in their best interest. Don’t they see the systems around them sending them harmful signals? Aren’t parents and teachers helping them think about the world in ways that would benefit them? 8th graders - you became conscious of the world around you while at Synapse. While here, each of you began to examine the society in which you are being educated. You need to keep doing this despite any contrary messages you receive in your next school, from your friends, or from the media you consume. Develop a sense of what society is doing, intentionally or inadvertently, that is preventing you from being the best version of yourself.

Let me explain with an example that I think is non-controversial, although I might be wrong because it seems we have designed a society that is trying to get rid of it, minimize it, and incentivize people not to do it. My example? Exercise. Or more generally, moving your body.

8th graders: this is what I think is going on. In 2006, I asked the guy who created the Mac what he thought of the school’s decision to not have Macs, but rather PCs in their computer lab. He was a parent at the school, and like you, his son was in 8th grade at the time. He said he didn’t really care, because pretty soon we would all have a powerful and capable computer in our hands, and we would take it everywhere. Well, he was right. And we all do.

You, 8th graders, will likely become dependent on this device to keep you immersed and connected to a wonderful digital world, a digital world that we’re all living in that is so interesting, exciting, and addictive that we have a hard time giving it up. Me included.

And if you choose to opt-out as a high schooler, the consequences you face are going to be harsh. You’ll be disconnected from friends and family because this is where the vast majority of them will be. For you, the negative externalities may outweigh the benefits of being device-free. You want to hang out? You need to check the locations of friends, see where people are. You want to share songs, videos, a joke, you need to be on your phone. This is simply the way it is. Your communication needs exist through that device. Your sense of safety and security is enhanced for both your parents and you because of that device. All the social connections, and even many of your school needs will reside here. This means you’ll likely need a device. And by the way, adults love their phones as much, maybe more, than you do. My device is my record store, my bank, my news source, and my house key. It helps me monitor my home, my heart, my habits, my bike rides, and my money. So nothing is wrong with you, or with me, or with it. But! Beware of the consequences - now that we all depend on our devices.

What is one negative consequence? What we have is a coevolution of our environment that has made movement/exercise a lesser part of our lives, thanks to everything the digital world has brought us. And this has led to this sort of sedentary culture and it’s literally killing us. Literally. Humans were meant to move, carry stuff, run, jump, lift. We evolved for thousands of years to be able to hunt down animals, throw them over our backs, and carry them back to our shelters so our families could survive. Now, who carries their groceries? Who even shops for food let alone hunts for it? Both men and women have evolved to move, and move fast for long distances, while carrying heavy loads. Suddenly - we are all now staring at a small screen for hours a day and this wasn’t part of our evolutionary plan.

Why is this such a big issue for me? Here is a fact:

Today it’s reported 30% or more of kids in high schools have generalized anxiety disorder, attention deficit disorder, or depression. And the numbers are going up.

Fact - exercise can supercharge mental circuits to sharpen thinking and enhance memory and be used as one of the best ways to help with emotional regulation and optimize our ability to learn, remember, and perform.

8th graders - those who exercise regularly tend to do so because it gives them an enormous sense of well-being, not because they look better in new jeans on Instagram or it gives them status or helps get them into high school or a college. People who exercise feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed and positive about themselves and their lives. And it’s also a powerful medicine for many common mental health challenges. Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression, anxiety, and ADHD.

Another Fact - At Cornell University, all incoming students are required to take two courses of Physical Education, one credit each semester of the first year on campus.

Another Fact - At Cornell, all students upon entry need to pass a swim test. Students must jump feet first into the deep end of the pool and swim 75 yards — which is three lengths of a standard pool in the United States. Students who cannot pass the test must enroll in Physical Education 1100: Beginning Swimming. In 1977, about 42 percent of universities required students to pass a swim test, but by 2006, that number had dropped to 8 percent. While a swim test or college PE might seem like odd requirements, they’re longstanding traditions at some schools and speak to a time when physical education and fitness played a more prominent role in a student’s life.

Why do I know all of this? My daughter is attending Cornell this August. And fact: she was a Synapse graduate of the class of 2020. And she did a sport each season for four years in high school, in part because of what she learned here at Synapse. Thank you, Elizabeth, for my daughter’s inspiration and teaching her about movement and exercise early on and often.

Few people give much thought as to why our bodies are configured the way they are. Why do we have just two feet? Why don’t we have fur? Why are we covered in sweat glands? And why do we have capabilities that no other creature has, such as the ability to walk and run upright? We have more endurance than faster and more powerful animals, a big brain, and hands that can make tools which we can throw far and fast.

And right there is why all humans need to move more in 2024. The coevolution happening in 3D, in the flesh and on screens is creating a need for it. And what we know now is exercise is the closest thing to a wonder drug, a drug we need only because of this coevolution.

And it’s not just screens: it’s reported that only 2% of Americans choose to take the stairs when given an option of an escalator or elevator. Roughly starting in the 1950s we all got escalators as well as elevators and these technological advances did help us - they made us more efficient, allowed us to build things up and up, helped the less able do more, but these technologies also helped to engineer physical effort out of our days at scale.

So what? What we want for you at Synapse is to be well, emotionally well, physically well. You are going to be just fine academically, I really believe this, and all graduates of Synapse prove I’m right. Each and every graduate of Synapse survives and thrives academically. But not all graduates of Synapse are emotionally or physically thriving. So 8’s, pay attention to your well being. We have taught you the skills needed to stay emotionally healthy, and physically sound. Now will be the time to apply those skills in order to thrive in high school and beyond.

And 8’s! I want you to do something this summer.

I want you to do this: look at your high school courses and make sure you take PE, or play a sport, or take dance. You will never ever regret sweating hard, playing hard, moving your body hard. You have thousands of sweat glands for a reason. You can throw things for a reason. You can run fast, run far and do it again the next day for a reason. You’re human, and it’s awesome. Be human. Play a sport in high school. Run around. Lift stuff. Throw things. Your mom and dad will begin to be out of your business in a big way during the next few years, and your life choices will be on your shoulders. Those shoulders were originally designed to carry food. Now they need to carry your choices. The classes you will take will be your choice too. Choose to stay active and exercise by wiring it into your schedule in high school.

But remember, this challenge is coming from my point of view and the purpose of education is to help you look at the world for yourself, to help you learn to make your own decisions, to learn to ask questions, and then to learn to live with those questions, and choices. That is how you will forge your identity, one that is just beginning. Think about who you want to be. And go be it.

Congratulations 8th grade kids and families. We will miss you more than you can ever know.