"Follow the Child" - A Message from Board President Irma Paz-Bernstein

Follow the child.

I have been hearing this for almost a decade.

Follow the child.

This phrase has even a deeper meaning to me now.

Guides follow the child. 

Parents are encouraged to follow the child.  And as board president, I learned that there is no better way to lead than by following the child.

I had the pleasure of walking the Abintra grounds with an alumni who hadn't stepped on the campus since graduating 13 years ago.  It was truly one of my most cherished moments.  His insights of this school and his connection to this land was amazing to hear.

He was Abintra Rooted. 

I followed the child. And I learned.

The day after his visit, he sent an email to the Board – something I can't stop reading. It is a reminder that at this school, the important thing isn’t what a child is learning today. The important thing is who the child is 10, 20 or 30 years from now.

I share this note with his permission.  I hope you read it in those moments when you may find it hard to follow the child.

“It was great to visit the campus and hear about all the work you are doing there. The type of educational work Abintra is doing today is how we maintain an open and intellectually curious society. It is crucial to start preparing children for the difficult problems they will have to navigate — climate change, automation and continued social/class stratification. I believe it takes schools like Abintra to act as the testing grounds for broader societal change and it is important to loudly share the work being done there.

Thank you for your dedication and diligent work.” 

His words made me even more convinced that Abintra’s focus is on the right place – and gave me a peak into the future of the type of young adults our Abintra children will be.

With love,

Irma