Dynamically Kind: Meet Corey Johnson of Imagine Scholar

Imagine Scholar, set up by Corey 10 years ago, is a not for profit programme, somewhere between a community based organisation, an after school programme and a university access programme. It serves a unique and personalised education to promising and motivated young people from disadvantaged communities in the Nkomazi district of South Africa.

Imagine Scholar has seen hundreds of talented young South Africans join universities at home and abroad, and go on to selective educational programmes around the world on full scholarships, but success at Imagine Scholar is celebrated in many forms and focuses on the individual's kindness to others, happiness and service in their community, rather than any traditional metrics: Corey is happy if his students leave the program making the best use of their "dynamic kindness".

Producing "dynamically kind" students is a claim many schools would like to make, but few programmes would celebrate success in so many forms. Imagine Scholar's metrics for their students' success is not only refreshing, it is radically needed.  By allowing their students to escape the ritual sorting of skills and achievements that "regular" school can be for them, and by giving them the space and support to celebrate even the small successes, we see examples of his students extending kindness and exemplifying servant leadership with much further reaching impact.

Corey is a natural educator, yet someone who never trained in teaching, and perhaps that is why he also feels less constrained by traditional models to take leaps of faith. When talking to him I was reminded of the work of the legendary educator Ron Berger, one of the leading proponents of project based learning in the 1970s whose work continues today. Berger’s calm, encouraging manner in the classroom leads his students to take risks, extend themselves and be vulnerable, resulting in what he called “ world-class work”. Berger’s theory is that work class work is produced in settings where 1) there is a culture of respect and belonging, where students can be their true selves, 2) where work is meaningful and will make impact in the world, and where there is a real genuine audience. Berger lived in one small Massachusetts town and for 25 years taught at the same school, meaning that he taught almost everyone under the age of 50 in his town at some point. His nurse, his firefighter and his accountant are all former students. He says that he could care less about what their third grade scores were like, but what matters is did they learn the values of doing high-quality work with an ethical mindset?

Imagine Scholar has understood these simple values, and is proud of each of their students, whether they have travelled far and wide or stayed close to home, because the seeds of change they planted in their students have a knock-on effect in every community they join. And I’m reminded again, of Ron Berger’s little Massachusetts community of nurses, firefighters and plumbers who now could save his life one day, and the higher meaning of what education can be: helping those around us to do good work that you could trust with your life.

You can read more about the work of Imagine Scholar, or donate to support their program, by visiting imaginescholar.org/