Good Work

Doing Good Work at School in the Midst of the Pandemic

A guest post by Hiya Jain

Hiya Jain is a recent graduate of the Riverside School in Ahmedabad, India. We invited Hiya to write a post about her experience at Riverside during the COVID-19 pandemic and the social good that was still possible during this year. Below, she describes how her understanding of “good work” evolved this year as a result of two programs:

  1. The Inner Sanitation Experience (INSANE), in which graduating students engage in self-discovery and personal transformation during a two-day community. Held just two weeks before final exams, students share perspectives about how they are not meant to “compete” with each other but to “complete” each other.

  2. Persistence, a community service program in which students partake in initiatives in the local community.

We thank Kiran Sethi, founder of The Riverside School and Design for Change, for connecting us with Hiya and for the opportunity to feature a student’s personal point of view.


I am Hiya Jain, a 17-year-old recent high-school graduate from India who wants to pursue Media, Politics, and Economics at an institution abroad later this year. After spending close to 15 years as a student at the Riverside School in Ahmedabad, where I was asked to take responsibility for my own education and allowed to make and learn from my mistakes, I am excited, not afraid, to see what the world has in store for me.  

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the single most difficult thing about lockdown was “perspective,” or rather the lack of it. Sitting in the comfort of my own home, I was almost completely cut off from social interaction, save for Zoom calls. This made my outlook on the world very one-dimensional. In essence, I was only speaking with people who had the privilege of owning an electronic device and had a steady Internet connection. This meant that while I heard of the disparities created by the pandemic, and I saw news reports of an extensive crisis so many people faced, it became so much easier to compartmentalize them away.

Add to the situation the perceived struggles of coping with online school and the many other comparatively insignificant problems of a senior year in lockdown, and doing “good work” became an afterthought. But at the end of the day, “good work” is a choice, as is making the “right decision,” and sometimes even the most well-intentioned people need a reminder of that. Thankfully, I experienced two particular processes at Riverside that served as a reminder for me to do “good work” in the world and that gave me much needed perspective.

First, there was INSANE (link here), an experience that truly lives up to its name. Two weeks before our final senior secondary leaving examinations, my entire class spent a day going through six carefully planned activities for the sole purpose of setting priorities before we graduated. The day started at about 6AM with a bunch of sleep deprived individuals, but by the end, we were more awake and aware than we had ever been. We spent time at a cemetery, picked up trash on the roads, rolled incense sticks, and reflected over our inability to convey the magnitude of our problems to others in the world.

Even with the challenges posed by the pandemic, even if we only got a modified version of the true “inner sanitation” experience, it was still worth it. Why? Because each one of us left asking so many questions, including, “What is stopping us from doing good work?”

The second process, one we undertook for the duration of the year, is called “Persistence.” The name is again fitting because it is something every student participates in during the entirety of high school at Riverside. In the simplest of terms, Persistence is student-driven community service. It can take lots of different forms, but the one that I lead was called “Inclusion,” an attempt to help students under the Right to Education Act reach their target class level academically.  

This was the first time I saw opportunity inequality during the pandemic. Each week, as my student buddy and I struggled through another session with poor technology connection, I realized the importance of the Internet in learning. Despite the challenges, she showed up every class ready to make it work, and I knew I had to at least attempt to match her efforts in doing my best “good work.” 

So, what does “good work” mean? Personally, I find it very difficult to explain or define it because I think that “good work” is often just the result of being a “good person.” And as I reflect on the processes I just described, it is clearer to me that the objective of both Persistence and INSANE was to help us become better people. INSANE showed us the purpose of making morally sound choices, while Persistence illustrated how our actions affect others, thus demanding quality “good work” from us.

In a funny and clichéd way, while I set out to write about learning during the pandemic, I think it turned out to be more like learning from the pandemic. I understand that “good work” is a choice, which seems more obvious and achievable when the little bit of empathy and whole lot of perspective I learned at Riverside.

June Wrap Up: 5 Articles Worth Sharing

It’s hard to believe that summer is already well underway and that we are about to celebrate the July 4th holiday in the United States. We hope that many of you are gearing up for a relaxing holiday weekend. 

We would like to share some of the articles that we’ve been circulating amongst our team over the past few weeks. We hope that you are able to check out some of these links as time permits and that you find them as interesting and thought provoking as we have. 

  1. Cintia Hinojosa and Evan Nesterak explore “The Intersection of Behavioral Science and Advocacy” in their recent series in The Behavioral Scientist. Hinojosa and Nesterak reflect on the events of the past year and explore how to integrate personal values, responsibilities, and biases with professional roles as social scientists. How do the personal and the professional come together, and how does the interaction dictate advocacy actions? The pair put out a call to their fellow colleagues to gather data on these ideas. Read what they learned in the series on The Behavioral Scientist website (link here).  

  2. It seems like everyone is talking about burnout at work, but is this a new phenomenon or just a natural part of being human? Read (or listen!) to Jill Lepore as she explores “modern burnout” in her piece from The New Yorker (link here). 

  3. We know that social media creates “bubbles” and that we can get caught in these echo chambers of perspectives and opinions that mirror only our own thinking. George Packer takes a step back and explains what he sees at “the Four Americas,” and how the fault lines between these visions originated, in his latest article in The Atlantic (link here). 

  4. Fields like education are more and more being “run like businesses,” but what about when business is being run like science? Learn how science and experimentation is making its way into the operation of businesses today in a recent piece by Elizabeth Tenney, Elaine Costa, and Ruchi Watson of The Harvard Business Review (link here). 

  5. Are you on summer vacation right now and just want a good laugh? Check out this cartoon from The New Yorker on how to “expand your imagination” (link here).

An Interview with Howard Gardner

Introduction

In this interview with Elena Molinari, correspondent for the Italian national newspaper Avvenire, Howard Gardner discusses The Good Project’s history and resources. Read the interview in English below, and find the Italian version by clicking here.


Over the years, have you had regular feedback about how the Good Project resources and toolkits are used and by whom? In what context (work, school, community) are they mostly applied? 

ANSWER:  Our materials are used primarily in schools, especially mioddle school and  high school.  Individual teachers or groups of teachers use them with their students=--sometimes as parrt of a regular class, sometimes as an extra activity, sometimes when a crisis of some sort arises. (As you have seen on thegoodproject.org, we now have a value sort, sample dilemmas, and a fully worked out curriculum which is being tested in various schools.

But the materials have also been used in other settings, ranging from law school to news to government service. and they have drawn on all sorts of data, including surveys of several thousand individuals from seven countries.

What are the results of the applications of the toolkits? Are you aware of any meaningful impact they have had in workplaces or schools? Could you please mention some cases?

ANSWER:  It is very difficult to document that people have changed as  a result of our interventions per se. We cannot carry out controlled studies comparing classes with and without curriculum, nor can we follow individuals for years to see if they become 'good workers'

But the fact that we have more interest now than ever before; that individuals keep using the materials (and sometimes modifying them); and that we have  suggestive observations (e.g.  that individuals in one of our studies seem more likely to read the newspapers and to think about the issues of the day) encourage us to keep  working. and  keep improving our materials.    

The Good Project toolkits don’t seem to privilege any values, or even ethical theories, over others. Yet, the Project promotes “excellence, engagement and ethics.” Why were those values chosen?

ANSWER:  The Three "E' came out of our ten years study of workers in nine different professions in the United States,  and they have proved useful in other countries.   

As for ethics, you are right-- we have our own ethical preferences but we dont emphasize one ethical perspective over others.   Instead, we pose dilemmas for individuals and help them to define the dilemmas,  discuss and debate the dillemas, make  a decision, and then reflect on the decision.   This approach can span a range of ethical perspectives.

What makes a “Good Worker” in today’s Western societies? 

ANSWER:  The challenges in todays' societies are multiple.  Many jobs are being replaced by automation;  many workers depend on a 'gig economy; people cant expect to change jobs or even careers  multiple times, old professions are being disrupted, new ones are emerging.   Yet the three Es-- doing a good job,  caring about what you do, and trying to do the right thing  are constants-- they dont' change.  And so the premium on carrying out good work is as great as it has ever been.  You mention Western societies but we are actually working on these ideas with workers in Singapore, so they may have gloibal value. 

Why not donate a kidney to a stranger?

by Courtney Bither

On June 1, 2021 I donated a kidney to a stranger. Most people want to know, immediately, “Why? Why donate a kidney to a stranger?”

 The screening process for kidney donation is thorough, and there are several psychological and social screenings for non-directed (or altruistic) donors. Throughout the process, and in speaking to others about my decision, I’ve come to realize that donating a kidney, while certainly a sacrifice and a very big decision, always felt within the realm of possibility for me.

In my experience, most people who aren’t confronted with organ donation have not spent much time thinking about it. I certainly did not consider myself a candidate for organ donation until a history professor of mine shared with our class that he would be donating a kidney and asked if we had any questions about the process. This conversation prompted me to think more about organ donation: the risks, the benefits, the requirements. And I decided to submit myself as a candidate not long after.  

We return to the why: Why donate a kidney to a stranger? The answer is simple: because I wanted to. Because it made sense to me. I decided if I made it through all of the screening, I would be at such little risk for the surgery, and able to contribute so much to someone. So why not?

“Why not?” gave me much more pause than, “why?” Why not give a kidney to a stranger? Because I cannot know anything about the intended recipient, and I cannot choose to whom my kidney is donated. My kidney could go to a child, or a loving parent, or a justice-seeking teacher. Or my kidney could go to a white supremacist—a person’s whose actions I find not only questionable, but evil—a detriment to the wellbeing of others. And my kidney would extend that person’s life. 

So how, nonetheless, did I choose to go through with it?

I looked at my options: donate, or not. And I talked through my reasoning with close friends and family—people who understand me and my values, who could help me talk through what felt right for me. Talking out my concerns with each option clarified for me what I was most concerned with: doing good and doing no harm.

I realized, in self-reflection, that I would rather take a chance on doing good, even if it meant harm might result from my decision. It’s uncomfortable to think about, but it’s important to consider. In general, I tend to think that those in need should be given priority over those might take advantage of systems for those in need. I’d rather take a chance on a “good” person receiving my kidney than a bad one. And, beyond this, I can only do what is within my control—the decision to donate is within my control, not the past or future decisions my recipient makes.

Understanding my values here—to do good, to prevent harm, to fulfill what I believe my moral and social obligations are—helped me decide, with confidence, to proceed with kidney donation.

Understanding the gravity of the situation for those waiting for a kidney also helped me decide to donate my kidney: 12 people die every day waiting for a kidney transplant. In 2020 in the U.S., about 100,000 people were waiting for a kidney transplant, and only 22,817 people in the U.S. received one. Not everyone can or should donate a kidney. However, considering the manifold aspects of the issue, more people can and perhaps should think about kidney donation—and other “big solutions”—and where and how they fit in the process.

 I am very fortunate to be in a situation where I can donate a kidney: I have very supportive colleagues at work who encouraged me throughout the process; I have enough paid time off for my recovery so I won’t have to struggle financially; I live with my partner and two very supportive roommates who help with recovery while I cannot drive or make food. And for me, kidney donation never felt impossible. But for some people, it does. And that’s alright—even good. Donating one kidney involves much more than one person—each person involved in my recovery made this donation possible. Each “big decision” and “big solution” requires a team—yes, only I donated a kidney, but I couldn’t have done it alone. And what’s more, it’s something that felt right for me, with my values, it was something I wanted to do.

I must admit, at times I feel uncomfortable with the shock I hear from people questioning my choice to donate a kidney. I know people mean well—and I don’t deny, donating a kidney to a stranger is an unusual thing to do—but because donating a kidney was something I wanted to do, I don’t always understand the shock. My favorite responses have come from folks who tell me that they have family on dialysis, so they understand the gravity of the situation, or from those who appreciate that this sort of decision is brave—it certainly required courage. But it isn’t an impossibility—it was a choice I made, and I made it happily.

Everyone can have a role in making the world a better place—in doing good work—and, in my opinion, it’s a good thing that people have different roles in the process. Rather than focus on how impractical another’s role would be for you, perhaps it would be more helpful to reflect on what it is you want to do and what it is that you can do.

You might start by asking yourself, “What do I want to do to make the world a better place? What makes sense to me? And what kind of team or community do I need with me to take action?”

Perhaps will you feel inspired to look into kidney donation (link here), or maybe you’ll sign up to donate blood (link here). Or, maybe you will challenge yourself and a friend to work with an organization like Food for Free (link) or Meals on Wheels (link), working to ensure everyone has access to adequate food in your community.  

There are many ways to do good work—to work for a kinder, more equitable world. Find what makes sense to you, what you want to do, and start there.   


  • Not sure what you value or how to make a decision? In my own life, I have found both the Value Sort (link) and the 5 Ds of Good Work (link) useful in my own discernment process (including in my choice to donate a kidney). Be sure to check them out.

  • Would you like to learn more about kidney donation? I recommend this video and article (link here) from Dylan Matthews at Vox.

The Good Project on Civics and Citizenship

by Danny Mucinskas

Over the past months, The Good Project team has written a series of blog posts on our views of the meaning of “good citizenship.” All of the posts are available at the links below:

Good Citizenship: A Series - Part 1 (link) (2021)

Good Citizenship: A Series - Part 2 (link) by Lynn Barendsen (2021)

Good Citizenship: A Series - Part 3 (link) (2021)

Good Citizenship: A Series - Part 4 (link) by Shelby Clark (2021)

Good Citizenship: A Series - Part 5 (link) by Danny Mucinskas (2021)

New Resource! The complete Civics Blog Series (link) (2021)

Wrestling with Good Citizenship (link) by Lynn Barendsen (2021)

In writing these essays, we were prompted to look at previous posts and resources on our site through a civic lens. We reviewed previous writings to highlight those that could be helpful in illuminating educational practices related to participatory citizenship in multiple contexts. Additionally, we looked at our dilemmas and activities databases and selected those that would be most conducive to sparking discussion and reflection related to the responsibilities and opportunities of civic action.

Below, we have compiled these materials so that they are accessible to our readers. We encourage you to peruse and use these materials with others in order to spark and guide conversations related to civic issues in your own communities!

Civics Blogs:

(All of the posts above are available in a single feed under the “civics” tag at the link here.)

Dilemmas: 

(All of the dilemmas above are available in a single feed under the “civics” tag at the link here.)

Activities

(All of the activities above are available in a single feed under the “civics” tag at the link here.)