A few months ago, I wrote This Is Why at Master's We Are the "Crazy Ones" as Part 1 of a series of blogs about who we are at Master’s.
At the heart of who we are, is our Big WHY, which answers the question of why does Master’s even exist and why do we do what we do? It is easy to describe what we do and how we do it as a leading academic institution in Alberta, but to understand "why" we must go to a deeper level of insight.
First, Master’s is a non-profit charity, so unlike some schools which are privately owned, Master’s does not have a group of shareholders who would benefit from the success of our school. Our focus is on delivering the best possible education to the families of Master’s, but this would be the same goal for most schools.
Master’s was founded in 1997 as an R&D school with a vision for developing a model of education that would leave behind the antiquated model of the traditional industrial age approach to education. We achieved our R&D goal around 2009 with the emergence of an operational model for Profound Learning. But why do all this? Master’s Big WHY is about purposefully making a difference in our world; having a cause that is bigger than ourselves. In 1997, our vision was to produce Profound Learning at Master’s, and today our vision has expanded to transforming education both locally and globally with Profound Learning. The "why" behind our current vision is best summarized by what I wrote in the Epilogue of my book, Becoming Imaginal: Seeing and Creating the Future of Education.
It was late in Sept 2013, on Saturday evening, my wife was babysitting our grandkids, so I was home alone. I was trying to finish writing my book when suddenly it happened. My heart was flooded with a vision of the future of and how we would be transforming education around the world. My mind went to the infamous “I Have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr., from which I borrowed his open and closing lines. The rest of the words just began to flow, and it was hard to contain the emotions as I wrote, “I Have a Dream”.
When my wife returned home later that evening I shared with her what had happened. I’d had a spiritual experience, a revelation of the future. I attempted to read it to her, but was unable to, since the emotions were too strong and tears flowed down my cheeks. My version of “I Have a Dream” expresses why Master’s exists, and our vision for bringing Profound Learning to nations, teachers and children of the world.
I Have A DREAM!
(From the Epilogue of “Becoming Imaginal, Seeing and Creating the Future of Education”, by Tom Rudmik)
To my fellow educators, I have a dream for you.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you my friends.
And so even though we face the challenges of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream, a dream deeply rooted in the fundamental belief that all children are created equal and deserve the best possible education we can create.
I have a dream that educators around the world will rise up, not as a force of discontent, but rather as a voice of hope that the system of education can and WILL BE transformed much like a caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly.
I have a dream of an army of Imaginal educators willing to pay the price for freedom, freedom from the demands of a system that no longer serves the most precious of our society.
I have a dream of students around the world being set free from the bondages of a system that favours the few and banishes the many to lives of also rans.
I have a dream that in those places where educators have been downtrodden, they will be lifted up to a place of honour and esteem.
I have a dream that the vast majority of students succeed, that learning becomes the JOY it always was intended to be.
I have a dream that all teachers will experience a release of JOY not yet seen by the many who labor in this noble profession.
I have a dream that one day Profound Learning will be experienced from Canada to Argentina, from Nigeria to Ethiopia, from Singapore to the outback in Australia, and throughout all of this earth. I have a dream!
With the eyes of faith, I see a glorious future in which every child is given what he or she needs to succeed in their world. I have hope for the future and with faith I pull the future into the now.
With faith we will be able to transform education; we will create a better future for those we LOVE, the children of this world.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."