An article by Carolyn Johnson in the Boston Globe titled “The Joy of Boredom” made its way to my file because of how it highlighted two insightful thinkers. Richard Ralley and Ned Hallowell have written extensively about the danger of modern society’s fear of boredom. They argue that our desire to be stimulated, constantly, threatens our potential for creativity.
Mr. Ralley, a lecturer at Edge Hill University in England, notes that, “The most creative people are known to have the greatest toleration for long periods of uncertainty and boredom.” Dr. Hallowell, psychiatrist and author of the book CrazyBusy, writes, “If you think of boredom as the prelude to creativity and loneliness as the prelude to engagement of the imagination, then they are good things… the doorways to something better.” You have to admire the success of today’s entertainment and media marketing campaigns: they have successfully taught many of us, and certainly many of our young people, to fear boredom, to be wary of quiet. Though vast expanses of idleness are not healthy, I do advocate balance—for ourselves, and for our School.
As we move toward introducing and implementing Milton’s comprehensive Strategic Plan, conversations naturally focus on how we will accomplish our objectives. Based on extensive discussion and careful analysis, our Strategic Plan does exactly what it should do: articulate clearly our priorities for the next five to ten years, and align the School’s resources to match our goals. I believe that the success of our Strategic Plan will have as much to do with how we allocate our time as how we allocate our financial resources. Time is a scarce and valuable resource in our hyperactive, high-achieving lives and culture. Appreciating the impact of different ways of spending time and using time well are two crucial skills.
One of the key goals that has emerged from the planning process is becoming more purposeful in making sure every effort furthers Milton’s mission. We must ensure that Milton’s educational experience is not only excellent, but is consistently and predictably excellent for each student. Our plan explicitly commits us to develop children’s cognitive and intellectual skills, and also their self-awareness and responsibility, their empathy and ability to cooperate. Helping students understand the value of time, structured and unstructured, will be central to our success.
As Ralley and Hallowell have said, free time—quiet time, time away from screens, noise, class, even from other people—can be fertile ground. Our minds must be nurtured, cultivated and protected to think creatively, as well as to quantify and analyze.
In my Senior Transitions class this year, I am trying to set aside the last few minutes of class for quiet, reflection and rest. And when my students astound me, again, with their thoughtful and exciting ideas about how they plan to live their lives after Milton, I will realize that their greatest insights may well have come from simply providing them the moments to be at their best.
— Todd B. Bland