Grace is a Virtue.
An important virtue for anyone, and its role within an international school environment
I recently read a post from Shannon Leyko of Paring Down where she discussed her personal definition of love, a virtue that is important to her. Since then, I’ve been contemplating a similar post of my own.
What is a virtue?
According to dictionary.com, virtue is “a good or admirable quality or property” or “any admirable quality, feature, or trait.” Those are definitions I’ve long associated with virtue. This definition, however, felt especially meaningful to my life: “to acquiesce in doing something unpleasant with a show of grace because one must do it in any case.”
Grace is, in itself, a virtue. It means “moral strength” and “a sense of propriety and consideration for others.”
In my first post of 2026, I declared curiosity - “the desire to learn or know about anything; inquisitiveness” - as my word of the year.
I don’t really want to know about just ‘anything’ but I do value learning (hey, another virtue!). Grace is required packing on any learning journey.
Living in a new country and being part of an international school community has underscored the value of grace.
English is the primary instructional language at our school, but not every family is native-speaking. I’ve witnessed students who speak zero English acquire skills by playing with children who don’t care what language a friend speaks as long as they have fun together. Teachers always have a lot to manage, at any school anywhere, and adding a variety of languages raises the stakes. They need grace, too. Parents who want to belong seek volunteer opportunities hoping to expand their network. I’ve been a group member where someone apologizes for their English ability. It’s a privilege to be able to extend grace and hopefully help people feel more comfortable.
Referring to my favorite definition of virtue, it can be unpleasant (although I may prefer ‘uncomfortable’) to immerse yourself in an environment where you don’t speak the native language, but if one has chosen to move to a new country, “one must do it.” This is aided by “the desire to learn.”
It’s also important to have grace with ourselves.
Madelynn Whitman said it best in a comment on one of my favorite Notes I’ve written.
We all deserve a little grace once in a while and someone who shows up.
When we remember to give ourselves the grace we deserve, it can be easier to show up for others. If we show up for others, it is more likely that they will show up for us.
It’s beautiful to me that both Substacks I quoted - my note where Madelyn replied, and Shannon’s article that inspired this one - contained rainbows in their imagery. Let’s conclude with another rainbow.
This is beautiful. We just found out we are officially moving to Finland and this is exactly what I needed to read tonight ❤️