On September 12, Friends Select School hosted a reception for the Chen Lok Lee Legacy Project in their newly renovated lobby and gallery for our EXCLUDED/INCLUSION exhibit. We were thrilled to share more about Chen’s life and legacy with the school community before the exhibit closed on September 30.
There were several themes from Chen’s life that I noted were in alignment with the Friends Select School’s philosophy. I shared three lessons that have deeply impacted me as a human being and in my own leadership journey.
Chen believed in nurturing people to find and develop their talents.
My father was a very patient and talented teacher.
Most of the time that I spent with my father was actually visiting his students and colleagues. He had very close relationships with his most dedicated students, and we were always with them.
My father used to say that he knew he was a good teacher because all of his student’s work was different. They were not encouraged to copy him, or his style, but to truly find their own.
Chen taught me to have a spirit of curiosity and constant learning and growth.
He was constantly reading, usually Chinese newspapers or books or art magazines, with the occasional German or Italian art book thrown in there. He always brought home books or school supplies for me at home, so that we could be enlightened – not so that we could achieve. As immigrants, we oftentimes face the pressure of being achievement oriented out of need to survive and fit in, but what my father emphasized was more nuanced and rooted in cultural enrichment.
Chen was generous and always inclusive.
My father made it a regular practice to invite friends, new and old alike, to eat. He loved to cook, and he was either preparing food for my friends, his friends, his students, new friends as a way to take care of and nurture others. Sometimes he would make food for them and take it to their home to eat, and other times he would invite others to our home. He would give without reservation, always willing to share, and always intending to include others, to welcome them and make them feel like they were a part of our family.
No borders, no walls, he just believed in making room at the table.
Thank you to Friends Select School for giving us the opportunity to share Chen’s art and life story and philosophies with you this past summer and fall season.
To learn more about the three philosophies, watch my talk here.
