I view PKG very personally, both from the perspective of a former student, teacher, and principal, and from the perspective of a classicist, as well as from the perspective of the daughter of the visionary who conceived this school. The world we live in, the pace at which we live, and the reality we experience are challenges we face on the path to a future that is, for the first time in history, completely unknown. Technological progress is experiencing exponential growth, and today’s youth are increasingly turning to a virtual, digital world full of previously unimaginable possibilities, but also challenges and pitfalls. I consider the fundamental values of this school, such as the need to put people first, the ability to think critically, a sense of responsibility, a desire for knowledge, and a readiness to face academic and personal challenges, to be values that define a safe path to the future.
A school must, primarily, be a place where a child feels safe. A place where a child can, in a secure environment, test boundaries (especially their own!), experience success by overcoming all challenges on the way to it, explore their own interests, discover and reach their own potential. School must (re)main a place where everyone finds their own self, discovers their social, intellectual, and emotional skills, and where they form into a young person who carries within them a clear moral compass, a sense of their own and others’ worth, pride and respect for all they have mastered, and a critical view of the world before them. Classical education is the only focused education that offers breadth – and with this breadth and learning about the past, a clearer picture and easier decisions in one’s own future.
“PKG is more than a school” is not a cliché for me, but our philosophy and a challenge to grow, change, and develop every day in accordance with the times.
