HGSE Diploma Ceremony: Remarks of Dean Kathleen McCartney

dedicated to Jim Stiles

Welcoming the class of 2007

Graduates, today is your day! I want to make sure that everyone heard what I said when I presented you to President Bok this morning in Tercentenary Theater:

“As Dean of the Faculty of Education, I have the honor of presenting to you these women and men who will be leaders in education practice, policy, and research.” All of us here today applaud you, the class of 2007.

Family and friends, you have encouraged these students, you have listened to their ideas about education, and I know that you are as proud of them as we, the faculty. Students, I invite you to thank your family and friends for all they have done to get you to this moment in your lives.

I would like to acknowledge a beloved colleague who is retiring from the faculty this month. Please join the faculty, staff, and students—especially the students in higher education—in thanking Professor Richard Chait for his many contributions to our community over the years.

This morning in Harvard Yard, graduates from the professional schools held up symbols to represent their chosen fields. You held up children’s books to signify learning. And these books will be donated to support education programs for children in need. Even on this day, which celebrates you, the class of 2007, you are thinking of others. This gesture is emblematic of our very special community. We understand the gift of learning.

And I know you took care in selecting the books. Perhaps you chose one you have read to your students. Or perhaps you selected a book that you loved as a child. It must have been hard to choose just one story. This is the task I have this afternoon. I have the opportunity to share just one story with you. I’ve decided to tell you one about a book.

As I child, I loved The Wizard of Oz.  It’s a dark tale. Children learn to conquer their fears through scary narratives that end well. And The Wizard of Oz ends well, because Dorothy finds her way home. In 1995, Gregory Maguire wrote a book for adults based on the characters from The Wizard of Oz. That book is now a musical, entitled Wicked.  My daughter, Kaitlin, who is 25 years old, fell in love with the score to Wicked the first time she heard it. She and I share a love of Broadway musicals, so I wasn’t surprised when she insisted I listen to the score one lazy Sunday morning. In the book and the musical, the story is told from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West, who, in this narrative, isn’t wicked at all. She is a strong person, a rebel. And after meeting the wizard, she knows, as we do, that he isn’t really a wizard. She is the only one who sees this. It is a turning point for her, as she learns the difference between appearance and reality.

The first act of the musical ends with a song entitled, “Defying Gravity.” The first time I heard it, my eyes welled with tears. I felt a little embarrassed to be crying in front of my adult child about a silly song, so I admitted by way of explanation, “I don’t know why I’m so moved by a song about a witch who can fly.” But Kaitlin knew why – “It’s a metaphor, Mom,” she explained to me.

And that’s my story. So what does it mean, for all stories have a moral? Well, there are three messages in it for me—and I hope for you. Let’s start with the metaphor: defying gravity. Let me read you some of the lyrics.

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It’s time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes: and leap!

I’m through accepting limits
‘Cuz someone says they’re so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I’ll never know!

It’s time to try
Defying gravity
I think I’ll try
Defying gravity
And you can’t pull me down!

Ok, so it’s not Robert Frost or Maya Angelou. But I love the message of the song. Defying gravity is about flying—literally and figuratively. It is about doing something grand, something important, something you believe in—regardless of what others believe. And it’s about doing something that seems a little bit impossible. Except that it isn’t. I want all of you to leave here today believing that you, too, can defy gravity.

Here is what I know from having watched the amazing and inspiring alumni of the Harvard Graduate School of Education from years past. Some of you will fly when you work, one on one, with a child and change her life trajectory; maybe you’ll help her fly. Some of you will fly when you design a new education program for preschoolers, grade school children, or university students. Some of you will fly when you start a non-profit organization. Some of you will fly through research that informs practice and policy. And some of you will fly in ways the faculty cannot yet imagine– you’ll have to show us. And we’ll be watching you from the ground with great pride.

The second point of my story is about learning from those around us. Today, we are celebrating what you have learned at Harvard. But there is much more to learn. Be a lifelong learner. Know that you can learn from everyone. From Broadway lyricists. From your colleagues. From people you meet in the grocery store. And from the children in your life. My daughter majored in English at Middlebury College, and she can spot a metaphor a mile away. She calls me her first teacher, but I have been learning from her during every step of our journey together. She taught me why I was so moved by a Broadway song and so much more. Be open to the lessons other people have to teach you.

The third and final point of my story is Dorothy’s lesson. There are going to be times ahead in your professional life that are hard. You will feel lost in the woods, you will doubt yourself, and you will be scared. Dorothy clicked her heels three times and said, “There’s no place like home.”  Like Dorothy, you can come home anytime you want to – home to Appian Way. This is your intellectual home, now and always, for you are alumni of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Whenever you can, come back and visit us. Come for a conversation with a mentor, come to give a talk about your work, come to attend a summer institute, or come just to sit in Gutman Library. Remember that you will always be a part of this great institution and this very special community of learners.

And if you feel lost, we will remind you that you can defy gravity. Here is how the song ends:

And nobody in all of Oz
No Wizard that there is or was
Is ever gonna bring you down!

Graduates, are you ready to defy gravity? Then it is time to award diplomas to the class of 2007. I invite my colleague, James Stiles, Associate Dean for Degree Programs, to join me.

If you have ever been a teacher, you know that it is very hard to say goodbye to your students. But we know that you leave us to do good work, important work. We wish you success and fulfillment. Once again, let’s applaud the 2007 graduating class of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.