20250827 – Wisdom and Learning at the Start of the School Year
Just walking around campus this past week, I could feel it: the unmistakable energy of a new school year. The hallways and sidewalks are buzzing, the classrooms are full of activity, and in every conversation, you can hear a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and a whole lot of possibility.” Some of you are eager to dive into learning and activities, some of you are glad to be back with friends, and some of you still wish summer vacation were a little longer. No matter where your head is, you all know at the beginning of the semester that we’re stepping into something new together.
In the book of Proverbs, the Hebrew Scriptures says, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight.” (Proverbs 4:7). Another translation says, “Learn to be wise, because wisdom is the most important thing to have. Make sure that you learn to understand things well.” That’s a pretty bold statement: the very beginning of living well starts with seeking wisdom.
And that’s what a school year is really about. Not just about grades, not just about test scores, not even just about getting into the next school or the next job. At its best, education is about wisdom—the kind of knowledge that helps us live fully, make good choices, and grow into the people we are meant to be.
Wisdom Is More Than Information
We live in a world filled with information. You can look up almost anything instantly: how to change a tire, who won the Super Bowl in 1972, or the chemical formula for salt. But having information isn’t the same thing as having wisdom.
Wisdom is knowing how to use information well. Wisdom is discerning what matters, what leads to a more abundant life, what is true and good. Wisdom is knowing the difference between what looks urgent and what is actually important. Proverbs is trying tell you, “Don’t just fill your mind; shape your life.”
Wisdom Is About Filling Our Minds with What Is Good
If you were here last year, you probably remember the verse from Paul’s letter to the Philippians I also put into today’s readings. It’s one of my favorite verses in Scripture, and I use it as least once every year in chapel: “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable—if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Paul is telling his friends that what you fill your mind with will shape the kind of person you become. Or, as Roman Emperor and stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius said, “The soul becomes dyed by the color of your thoughts.” What you fill your mind with shapes who you become. Think of it like a garden. If you plant weeds—like gossip, negativity, or fear—they’ll crowd everything out. But if you intentionally plant good seeds—things that are true, just, and beautiful—those are the things that will grow and shape your life
And this is really what school is for—to train your minds not just to absorb information, but to seek what is good, to think about what is honorable, just, pure, and excellent. To soak you in the values of Compassion, Responsibility, Integrity, and Respect. Every subject—math, history, literature, science, art, athletics—can be a way of practicing that kind of wisdom.
The Poetic Voice: Mary Oliver
All of this leads us to a really important question, the one asked by one of my favorite poets Mary Oliver in her famous poem, ‘The Summer Day.’ She ends it by asking, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” That question is not meant to scare you or pressure you into having everything figured out. It’s meant to open your to one of the other key aspects of wisdom—imagination. What does it look like to live wisely, to live fully, to use this one “wild and precious life” that you have, well?
Every school year gives you a chance to keep asking that question. Maybe the answer this year will be to learn how to be a better friend. Maybe it will be to discover a passion for music, or engineering, or service to others. Maybe it will be to realize you are stronger than you thought when you face challenges. The important thing is to keep asking the question—and to let it guide you toward a life of wisdom and purpose.
Learning Is About Formation, Not Information, and Not Achievement
Here’s something I want to emphasize: school, especially Brownell Talbot, is not, in the end, about what you achieve—it’s about who you become.
When Proverbs says “Get wisdom,” it’s not saying “Get straight A’s.” When Paul says “Think about what is true, honorable, just, pure,” he’s not saying “Memorize every fact.” When Mary Oliver asks you what you plan to do with your one wild and precious life, she’s not talking about some master plan with every detail lined out. They are all talking about something deeper, something more important. They are talking about character.
Every time you choose honesty instead of cheating, every time you take time to help someone else, every time you persevere when things are difficult, you are shaping your character. Those small decisions add up. They are the building blocks of real, life-long, world-changing, wisdom. Of course you should study hard, do your homework, get good grades, do your best…But remember, the goal is not just a grade on paper—it’s the kind of person you are becoming.
Wisdom is the ability to see beyond the surface, to understand what is true, just, and life-giving. That kind of wisdom is more valuable than any fact or formula, because it helps all of us live well, individually and together.
Applying Wisdom in Daily School Life
So what does this mean for you at the start of this year?
In all your daily choices, fill your mind with what is true, honorable, just, and beautiful; let your soul be dyed by them. That means noticing the good around you and letting it shape you.
Closing Encouragement
As you begin this school year, my prayer is that you will seek wisdom, not just information. May you ask Mary Oliver’s question about your “wild and precious life,” not to pressure yourself, but to remind yourself that life is a gift, and every day is an opportunity to grow into it. May the beginning of this year truly be a new beginning for you. A new beginning of wisdom. A new beginning of insight. A new beginning of a life shaped by curiosity, goodness, and hope.
