| A Letter from our Director — 2010-2011 |
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Dear Khabele Community:  Our mission is to cultivate learning communities in which each and every parent, staff member, and student falls in love with learning, realizes their profound beauty, and lives with courage and authenticity. If you take a moment to think about it, this is an extremely audacious and seemingly impossible goal. We clearly have a long way to go before reaching perfection. Regardless, each community member’s choice to authentically aspire to this mission is a transformational act in itself. At minimum, one has to take an uncommon amount of ownership and responsibility for one’s life and experiences. We are proud to have seen extraordinary shifts in numerous students’ characters, intellectual engagement, and aliveness throughout these past nine years. For many people, the mission might sound strange, something one would be shocked to encounter at an established school in Texas. We acknowledge that our approach is currently exceptional in the field of traditional education. However, by taking a wider historical perspecitve, it becomes plain to see that our mission is just ordinary when compared with education’s original intent. The literal meaning of the latin word educare is "to draw out from within." Plato coined the term anamnesis to equate learning with "remembering what you already deeply knew." Socrates said, “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” And, Aristotle said, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Finally, it’s important to note that to take on the mission is a free and deeply personal act. It is a choice to live consciously and fearlessly, to begin to make the most out of life. The purpose of our community is to support each individual in this very old objective. At Khabele, we approach ourselves with authenticity, courage, and truth; and then gracefully permit our accomplishments, including academic growth, to be a natural reflection. The value of our community during this time is to demonstrate that education can be effectively returned to its source in the modern world, so that it is both relevant and inspiring. We strongly encourage you to embrace the mission along with us, and see how it reflects in your experience of learning and of life. Sincerely,
Khotso Khabele, Director
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