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Identity: Who (and Why) We Are


When you enter the main foyer of The Blue School, you see the picture above.

The school is announcing to the world, This is who we are.

Of course, it’s one thing to put a nice graphic on the wall. It’s another thing to bring it to life.

Yet when you walk through The Blue School, this learning community has curated artifacts that reflect the sacredness of “Self & Social Intelligence,” “Academic Mastery,” and “Creative Thinking.”

Making visible your commitment to your identity taps into ancient wisdom:

Know Thyself.

If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.

If I’m not me, then who the hell am I? (Who said Total Recall couldn’t be a source of wisdom?)

Your identity is integral to the deep soil where your seeds reside, where they grow roots, where they find their nourishment.

If you don’t get your identity right—if you can’t name your DNA—how will you nurture the seeds you’re trying to grow?

Ask yourself: could a visitor confuse the identity of your school with another (or any other) school?

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Recommended further reading: “Nature’s Design Principles: Identity,” an excerpt from a forthcoming book by Sam Chaltain & Trung Le.

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