Essential Relationships Drive Behavior

Joe Iuliano, Assistant Head of Academic Affairs

“The literature suggests that the moral sense is based on innate abilities. In fact, it has been shown that children show the capacity for moral discernment, emotions and prosocial motivations from an early age. However, the moral sense is a complex construct of an evolutionary and social nature that evolves under the influence of interpersonal relationships.” — from “Origin and Development of Moral Sense: A Systematic Review” in https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9125330/ May 9, 2022.
 
The international world is offering us such sorrow now, and it’s hard to face it because to do so means to look squarely into the face of inhuman behavior. I have always thought that there is nothing we humans do that is unnatural because we are as much a part of nature as anything else on planet Earth. We have our DNA sprung from the primordial soup that theoretically built the world (several times over) that we live in. It forms us as does the world we live in. These are not new thoughts, just thoughts spurred by this world we live in. Still, what is natural for humans spans a potentially infinite continuum of behavior and thought, at one pole approaching the divine and at the other the utterly profane. This makes us different, naturally, because we are the most conscious of all the forms of life that we know. We can reason. We can consider morals, and we can choose.
 
While we are not the only animals that can learn—Jane Goodall’s chimpanzees come to mind as a good example, of animals that make use of tools—we are the one animal that can organize our education for specific and advanced teaching and learning. We can choose what we teach and learn using pedagogy and methodology, as well as teach and learn without direct instruction or tangible resources. That is, we can model behavior from which others can learn— we can observe the behavior of others and learn from them; these facilities play a role in our finding a place along the continuum of behavioral possibilities mentioned above.
 
I believe that most of us live in the middle of that continuum as a result of parenting, mentoring, education, and our individual natures. I also believe that most of us strive to move toward the beautiful life versus a horrific alternative and that mentoring and education can be, must be, positive forces that propel those aspirations. And while the daily routine of attending class and completing assignments may seem pedestrian in this regard, teachers and coaches can be and are inspiring, course studies can be and are captivating, engaging, and enlightening, and school culture can be and is affirming, welcoming, and embracing. These are the over-arching goals of the Brimmer and May School delivered through the development of positive interpersonal relationships between students and faculty and staff and among students themselves. The development of these essential relationships are at the heart of a Brimmer and May education. With clear guidance from our Core Values and a determined goal to elevate our students’ minds and develop their skills, we aim to have them choose to behave as “lifelong learners who are informed, engaged, and ethical citizens and leaders in our diverse world.” And we persevere and persist in carrying on our work to this end in the world in which we live.

Brimmer and May School

69 Middlesex Road
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-566-7462
As an inclusive private school community, Brimmer welcomes students who will increase the diversity of our school. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, or any other characteristic protected from discrimination under state or federal law, in the administration of our educational policies, admissions practices, financial aid decisions, and athletic and other school-administered programs.