The following post is an adaptation of remarks I shared with the student body during Large Community on Friday, August 26, 2011.
September 2, 2011
During our opening meetings, I shared a few thoughts with faculty and staff about a book I admire. The book's title is Better and the author is a surgeon, Dr. Atul Gawande. One of the things Gawande talks about is the fact that being in hospital sometimes makes people sicker. I think we all know they're meant to make us better not worse. So, what's up? It turns out one of the main reasons is straightforward; hospitals can make you sicker than when you went in because doctors and nurses don't always wash their hands. We can just imagine. Just like you and me, doctors and nurses have a lot to get done. Just like you and me, they go about their daily business with the best of intentions. Just like you and me, most of the time they are good at taking care of what they need to do. Just like you and me, they know exactly what they ought to be doing. Just like you and me, they get in a hurry, they get thinking about next thing to be done, they simply forget. They figure, well, this one time it won't matter. Sound familiar? It does for me. When doctors and nurses do that, patients get sick, sometimes deadly sick. Failure is easy; for them, as easy as not washing hands.
What does it take to solve a problem like that? Well, one hospital in Pittsburgh figured out that it's not that complicated. You simply make it easy for busy people to wash their hands, every time. That hospital reduced hospital infections by a staggering 90%. Such a little thing. Paying attention to details to avoid errors and overcome obstacles. So, I ask you, with all the things in your busy lives, what's your handwashing thing? What's that little thing you give yourself a pass on?
What would it take for you to be better? What would it take for you to get a hundred more points on your SATs, to not take shortcuts on those drills in practice, to speak your foreign language with a better accent, to memorize your part in the play on time, to raise that C grade to a B, to not argue with your Mom or Dad about the dumbest things. What would it take? Small changes. Diligence. Commitment. Practice. We are human. We screw up. We can be selfish. But each of us, each of you, can accomplish great things. We can be better.
A better brother or sister? A better learner? A better friend? A better person of faith? A better team mate? A better son or daughter?
I ask you, as I ask myself, as I ask my colleagues, to make a commitment for this school year to be better. Pay attention. Do the right thing. Think creatively. If it is going to be one thing, what will it be?
We have a great school. And together we can be even better.