Remembering the True Purpose of Education

As another school year begins, I find myself reflecting on a question that often gets buried beneath lesson plans, testing schedules, staffing shortages, and the countless demands placed on educators:

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What is the true purpose of education?

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One of my childhood heroes was Helen Keller.

Like so many people, I admired her perseverance and the incredible obstacles she overcame. But as I've grown older, I've come to admire something even more. Helen Keller wasn't simply someone who overcame adversity. She was a profound thinker who challenged the way we understand human potential, purpose, and education. Her life demonstrated what is possible when we recognize the gifts within ourselves, even in the face of extraordinary challenges.

Recently, I came across her book Light in My Darkness, and one passage stopped me in my tracks because it so beautifully articulated something that has been at the heart of Indigo since the very beginning.

Drawing on the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, Keller describes education as a journey of helping each person discover their unique capabilities, interests, and gifts so they can find the work they are uniquely designed to do in service of others. She describes a vision where every individual contributes something different, and because of those differences, everyone grows together.

One sentence especially captured my attention:

"...choose the tasks to which our interest and fitness draw us most strongly."

I couldn't help but smile because this is exactly what we've been working toward at Indigo for years.

Too often, education becomes focused on achievement instead of awareness. We ask students what they want to do before we've helped them understand who they are. We measure success by grades, test scores, and college admissions while giving far less attention to helping young people discover their strengths, motivations, communication styles, values, and unique contributions.

Most importantly, they begin to see that their uniqueness isn't something to overcome. It's something to embrace and contribute.

Keller also believed education should help us understand what she called the "law of use," the idea that our greatest fulfillment comes from discovering how our unique gifts can be used in service to others. She wrote that education should help us:

"...appreciate the law of use, to adapt it to ourselves, and to choose the work by which we can best fulfill it."

To me, that beautifully describes the heart of self-awareness. When we understand who we are, we are better equipped to contribute in ways that are both meaningful to us and beneficial to others.

At Indigo, we often say that our goal is to cultivate self-awareness-based learning. We believe every person has intrinsic value, is deeply interconnected with others, and possesses a unique purpose. Reading Helen Keller's words reminded me that this isn't a new idea. It's a timeless one.

Imagine what would happen if every student graduated believing:

• I know my strengths.

• I understand what motivates me.

• I know how I learn best.

• I appreciate the gifts of others.

• I have something meaningful to contribute to the world.

  
  

What if every educator saw their highest calling not simply as delivering curriculum, but as helping each student discover the unique contribution only they can make?

Perhaps my favorite passage in the chapter is this:

"We are given a knowledge of heaven to fit us better for earth."

What a beautiful way to think about education.

We are not simply preparing students for a future career or even for adulthood. We are helping them understand themselves, recognize the beauty and value in others, and learn how to live lives of purpose, contribution, and connection right now.

As schools begin another busy year, I know how easy it is to become consumed by the urgent. There are schedules to finalize, classrooms to prepare, technology to troubleshoot, and a hundred other responsibilities competing for attention.

But my hope is that we don't lose sight of what matters most.

Every child who walks through our doors is far more than a future test score, graduate, employee, or college applicant. They are a unique human being with talents waiting to be discovered, strengths waiting to be developed, and a purpose waiting to unfold.

If we can help them better understand themselves, we give them a gift that extends far beyond the classroom.

Helen Keller reminded me that the purpose of education is not simply to fill minds with knowledge. It is to help people discover who they are, recognize their unique gifts, and find where those gifts can be used in service to others. Nearly a century later, I believe that vision is more relevant than ever. In many ways, it is the very mission that inspired Indigo.

As we begin this new school year, may we all take a moment to remember why we became educators in the first place. May we continue creating learning environments where every student is seen, known, and empowered to become the person they were created to be.

Because when we help people discover who they are, we don't just change individual lives.

We change the future.

Warmly,

Sheri Smith

Founder & CEO

Indigo Impact Initiative