GPE: Gratitude, Praise, and Encouragement - The Way Our Technology and Social Media Should be Used
Left to Right: Uxbridge High School Principal, Mike Rubin and Superintendent Mike Baldassarre holding a mace that was made by Project Lead the Way Teacher, Mike Smutock - Mr. Rubin put on a class A ceremony yesterday!
Staff, families, and friends gathered on the football field yesterday to bid Uxbridge’s Class of 2023 a formal farewell to their high school years. I did my best to use a short Project Based Learning (PBL) lesson to celebrate accomplishments, shifting the focus from Grade Point Average (GPA) to an uncharted territory of Gratitude, Praise, and Encouragement (GPE). This idea came to me this week as I have grappled with understanding razor-sharp negativity, outright lies, blatant incivility, and unprofessional conduct by one current and a few former community leaders.
"Keep your face to the sunshine, and you cannot see a shadow." - Helen Keller.
I decided to use the address as a platform to reshape this narrative in a world that often associates technology and social media with negativity. I urged the audience, the 1,000-strong crowd of graduates, their families, and the staff, to bring their phones to life. The ringtones, usually deemed disruptive, reverberated across the venue, marking the commencement of a powerful exercise in positivity. I asked everyone to turn their phones on as loudly as they could.
Uxbridge Board of Selectmen Member John Wise - a consistent supporter of our schools, our kids, and our community
I requested each attendee to send out three messages - one of gratitude, another of praise, and a third of encouragement. The phones pinged incessantly, spreading an infectious positivity that was tangible in the air. It was as if technology had been successfully reclaimed for a few magical moments for its intended purpose – to connect us with warmth and humanity. To build each other up and breathe life into our souls.
I estimate that over 6,000 messages of positivity were dispatched and received, transforming the football field into a powerhouse of goodwill. This beautiful yet simple act made an indelible mark on some community members who sent me messages of thanks yesterday and today.
Amongst this heartwarming exercise, a personal moment stood out for me. At the end of the ceremony, I found three messages on my phone from my son, Luca, who watched and listened attentively from the front row. It was an emotional testament to the impact of my speech, a moment that underscored the power of the simple act of expressing positivity. When I read the messages from my son, I have to admit – I felt so great.
I Love You Too, Luca!
This event wasn't just a lesson in spreading kindness and the largest Project-Based Learning (PBL) exercise I had ever administered. The concept that if 1,000 people send three messages of kindness every day, we could see more than 2 million acts of positivity annually was profoundly inspiring. It was an invitation for us all to be agents of positivity and to choose kindness every day.
I tried to make my speech a testament to the transformative power of positivity, a refreshing shift from focusing merely on academic achievements. The Uxbridge graduation ceremony of 2023 was more than just a milestone for the graduating class. It was a celebration of gratitude, praise, and encouragement. A celebration that reminds us that while GPAs measure our academic progress, GPE nurtures our humanity, making us better individuals ready to make a difference in the world.