By Kate Knight, Assistant Head of School, Student Services

I found myself with the rare opportunity this past week to spend a full afternoon with students. Daily time learning with and from young people is probably what I miss most in my role as an administrator. As much as I love tackling strategic challenges and supporting others to do their great work, I became an educator because I genuinely enjoy the energy teenagers bring to school each day; it fills my bucket.

On this particularly cold and snowy day, Grade 9-11 students were gathered with me in the RAC to learn about ikigai—a Japanese concept referring to that which gives each of us a sense of purpose in life; directly translated, it means "a reason for being." More broadly, it refers to what brings value and joy and can include people, such as friends and family, and activities such as work or hobbies. The goal of the session was to introduce the concept of ikigai and to provide a scaffolded opportunity for students to think about how their interests and skills might help them to identify future pathways and opportunities.

‍Ikigai is the convergence of four areas of life: what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. To find your ikigai is to combine these areas into your daily life. For some, the answer is obvious—a passion for expressing oneself with words, combined with strong language skills and a desire to inform others about important issues, might lead someone to a rewarding career in journalism. For others, the journey to finding their zest for life may take many turns and require a few iterations. The process, however long or short, is the true journey, and those who are fortunate to find their ikigai lead fulfilling lives. I told the students that our faculty and staff at RLC are here because we love what we do and feel we can make a difference—this is our ikigai.

At the end of the afternoon, I spoke with one student who seemed to have filled his brainstorming page with a number of doodles, images, statements, and lines going in various directions. I asked him what he had discovered about himself through our discussion. His response was actually a question: “Do you think I can have more than one purpose in life? I just seem to have so many things I care about.”

My answer was a resounding “Yes”! I walked away from my time with our students with a strong sense that all our futures are in good hands when we consider both their capabilities and the opportunities which lie ahead for them. And I left with my bucket once again filled to the brim, confident that I have found my ikigai at RLC.