is a force for good at RC, and her spirit is reflected in the
words of her speech.
We have spent a great deal of time examining the nature of
our own community as well. This has led to the creation of the
"Robert College Attitude Goals and Expectations." (see p 38).
There is nothing dramatic about this list of basic values, but it
is important to see them as the principles which we hold most
high in a school devoted to learning and growing in a climate
of mutual trust and support. As our students look at the
chaos in the world around them, it is ever more important for
them to see that a group of people can, in fact, live and work
in a community which operates according to shared values. It
is one of the things that schools are uniquely able to do, and a
school that denies the opportunity is failing its students.
At the s a m e time, we are also examining our residential
program to make sure that the boarding students receive the
full benefit of the opportunity that they have to live on the RC
campus either 5 or 7 days a week. In the last few years the
number of 7-day boarders has risen dramatically. Currently,
almost 120 (70%) of our boarders are 7-day residents. This
means that they come from all over Anatolia, bringing an
important diversity to our student body. They are important
to the well-being of the school and, at the same time, we have
an unusual opportunity to provide for them a comprehensive
living and learning experience which goes far beyond the
classes and activities of the day students' lives. Graduates
who were boarding students know what I am talking about.
Many of their best memories of Robert College are from the
dormitories.
A school is not just about lessons and learning. A good
school goes far beyond that, and a great school creates an
ethos of caring and mutual support, as well as a sense of
belonging, which transforms it into a world of its own. This
does not happen by accident. The strengths, traditions and
values of Robert College have placed it on a pedestal, both in
Turkey and globally. It falls to all of us to be sure that we keep
it there."
B
elow we include excerpts from a moving and though-
provoking speech given on Opening Day 2 0 0 6 by
J e n n i f e r Sertel, long-standing English Language and
Literature teacher at RC and creator of the innovative Peace
Education program.
"What do I want to tell y o u ? So much!
I want to tell you...Be careful! I want to tell you... We have to
do something!
It is a dangerous time to be a Turkish soldier these days.
Y O U are almost that age. S o m e of you are that age now.
A n d it's not just Turkish soldiers who are in danger. Civilians
are also in danger, especially in places like Lebanon, G a z a ,
Afghanistan, Iraq. Bombs are indiscriminate.
The 20th century has been one of the most violent periods
in human history. Prof Charles Tilly, author of "The Politics of
Collective V i o l e n c e " makes the following shocking observation:
More collective violence was visited upon the world in the
twentieth century than in any century of the previous ten
thousand years. . O v e r the century as a whole, the proportion
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of war deaths suffered by civilians rose startlingly: according to one
estimate, they rose from 5 percent in World War I to 50 percent in
World War II, all the way to 90 percent in wars of the 1 9 9 0 s !
Estimates may vary but there is no doubt that it is a dangerous
world even for civilians.
You as the future leaders of Turkey and the world have to learn
how to make the world a more peaceful place. You just have to.
I realize that is a huge statement. But I really believe you can do
it.
But there are leaders and there are leaders. Leaders have led the
human race into war. Hitler was a leader. But some leaders have
inspired the human race to take a difference path: the path towards
peace. Gandhi with his principles of nonviolence was, of course,
such a leader.
I can hear your thoughts!! But what can WE d o ? ? What can I
do? I am only a student. This woman up there can't expect me to
be able to do something to make the world a better place. C o m e on!
Ok. Let me quote Lao Tzu, a Chinese poet who was born in 5 7 0
B C . [over 2 5 0 0 years ago!!] [World lit students will recognize that
name!]
If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
•
RC Attitude Goals / Expectations
Robert College expects its students to meet
high standards of behavior. We expect you
to:
Respect all members of the RC community
--be polite to everyone, at all times==fellow
students, faculty, staff, and workers
--be prepared to listen to others in class and
during assemblies and performances
--avoid behavior that will cause discomfort to
others, including using cell phones at the
wrong time and making noise in halls when
classes are in session
Behave honestly and ethically
--do your own work
--give credit to those who help you
--cite the sources you use
Be proactive about your learning and to be
prepared for school
--ask for help when you don't understand
--if you are absent, ask the teacher about
any work you have missed
--come prepared to each class with materials
you need, including paper, books, pens,
pencils
--wear the correct clothing for special
classes such as labs or PE
Be respectful of others' needs
--don't disturb others during class time
--ask task-appropriate questions
--practice active listening
Manage time well
--come to school on time
--always be on time for class
--hand in assignments on time / meet
deadlines
--prioritize your tasks and plan ahead
Be able to work both cooperatively and
individually, according to instructions
--take personal responsibility for the tasks
you are expected to complete
--take responsibility for your contribution in
team efforts
Respect and follow school rules
--read the Student Handbook
--ask questions if you don't understand the
rules
--follow the dress code
--follow AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) when
using computers in the school
Take responsibility for your (physical and
social) environment
--leave spaces you have used (classrooms,
canteen, outdoor spaces) clean and orderly
--take care of all school property and report
any problems
--throw garbage into the proper bins
--recycle by placing recyclable items into the
labeled bins
--appreciate and protect bulletin board
displays and other work that is on view
throughout the school
--participate in and support school activities
--suggest ways to improve the school
--support the Student Council
--get involved in social service
There must be peace in the heart.
Lao Tzu ( 5 7 0 - 4 9 0 B.C.)
Lao Tzu is saying that peace starts first in the heart. So let's
start there and think about what you can do.
Peace in the heart. What can you do?
You can get to know y o u r s e l f . k n o w what makes you angry,
try to understand that so you can deal with it. Find out what
you like. Wholeheartedly explore the topics in your new
lessons. Take advantage of our club system so that you find
out what you really like to do. The teachers behind me are
here to help you in this discovery of their area of expertise.
But they and also the counseling staff and all of us are here to
help you discover yourself.
Peace in the home. What can you do?
Well, since RC is your home now too, I will talk about peace
at RC. Realize the RC attitude goals that Mr. Chandler just
mentioned.
Try to understand your classmates. We all have different
backgrounds, viewpoints. Respect your classmates, teachers,
the janitors, the staff, everyone. Respect their needs. If their
needs conflict with yours, talk about it and R E A L L Y listen to
them. Help each other. [But don't cheat!!]
Peace between neighbors and in the cities. What can you
do?
Mr. Chandler also mentioned the CIP community service
program. By participating in this, you will learn so much!
What other people's realities are like, outside the ivory tower
of RC. Responsibility.
For you are getting what is arguably the best education in
Turkey. You are lucky. Yes, you worked hard to get in here, but
there are other students who, because of circumstances such
as poverty, or geography could have been here instead of y o u .
You, with your advantages, have a responsibility to others.
Think about what you can do to make a difference for
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s o m e o n e else. It could be teaching web design to s o m e kids in
a state school in Beşiktaş. If that sounds neat, go talk to
Cengiz bey, [he mentioned that the other day]. It could be
being a big brother or sister to an orphan, to make a
difference in one life. Start an environmental awareness
program. There is so much to do. Come talk to me or Güler
Karabatur, the head of the CIP committee, or Esra hanim, or
Mr. Welch or your teachers about your ideas.
Peace between nations what can I do? I think if we have
dealt with peace in the heart, at home and between neighbors
and cities, that might be enough. We can't tackle peace
between nations. But then again, talk to the kids who went to
the WINPeace Conflict Resolution Workshop in Cyprus this
summer. They may have s o m e ideas about peace between
nations, or maybe the M U N or E Y P kids. Learn about what is
happening in the world -maybe s o m e of you might want to go
into the foreign service. But what Lao Tzu meant was that all
the other sorts of peace....in oneself, in the home, between
friends, neighbors and cities...all influence, in their own way,
peace between nations. Atatürk said it a slightly different way
with his famous words: peace at home, peace in the world.
What I want to say is, take advantage of RC. Take
advantage of the teaching staff, the people in the offices, the
library, the arts program, the club program.
Enjoy your friends. Nurture your friendships... for the
friendships you form here will last a lifetime.
A n d of course. Learn.
There is so much to learn.
Learn as much as you can this year about yourself and
about what you want to do.
Learn about others. Learn about the world. Do your best
and learn your Chemistry, and Physics, and Math but also learn
how to be human [or humane].
So, what can you do? You can do a lot.
I want to close with the words of the great anthropologist ,
Margaret. M e a d :
"A small group of thoughtful people could change the
world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Wouldn't you like to be in that small group of thoughtful
people that could change the world? There are many RC
graduates in that small group. ibrahim Betil comes to my mind
immediately. He was the head of Pamukbank but he gave that
up and started TEGV and then TOG. He has touched the lives
of thousands and thousands of poor Turkish children by giving
them a boost in their education. Or O s m a n Kavala, a
businessman who believes in the healing power of art. He
started a cultural center in Diyarbakır so that the people there
can experience the A r t s just as we can in Istanbul. Or Çaglar
Keyder and Ayşe Buğra, professors at B.U. who have set up a
The Social Policy Forum to study poverty. These are just
people that pop into my mind because they are friends or
acquaintances of mine. But there are many. I hope you will join
their ranks and try to use your smarts and your advantages to,
in s o m e way, make the world a better place.
Do your best this year in your new job of learning. Learn
whatever you can about the world and yourself."
Photo credits: Oya Nuzumlalı RC 02
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