Monday, October 21, 2013

TOMMIE SAYLOR COLUMN: Remember, it ain't over until we win!



“It ain’t over until I win.”
Danielle C. Saylor

By Tommie Saylor
Kennedy High School Principal

Last year I wrote a newsletter article that I would like to again share with you today:

When I was a young teacher, my wife worked late afternoons, leaving me to care for our children in the evening hours. One evening as I was getting my daughter ready for bed, we decided to play a simple board game before heading upstairs (which later became our normal bedtime routine).  

I do not remember the name of the game, but what I do remember is thinking that if I hurry up and win the game, I can get it over with and quickly get her to bed. You see, as a young teacher I had lessons to prepare and papers to grade. So I pushed for the win, and won the game relatively quickly, as would be expected – she was only 6 years old.

Thinking that we were done, I told my daughter that I was going to put the game away and she needed to head upstairs to bed, I would be there shortly to tuck her in. My daughter looked at me and said, “But it ain’t over until I win.” Intrigued, I decided to play the game with her again – and again and again – not giving her an inch just to see how far she was willing to go.  

An hour or so later she finally won a game, stood up, grabbed her “blankie” in hand and said, “Now I’m ready for bed.”

On that day, my little girl taught me a lesson – it ain’t over until I win. The path to success is long and hard, and you do not lose and/or fail until you quit. Never give up and never give in until success is firmly in your grasp. All of your past failures are meaningless once you have won.

It ain’t over until you win.

Often the difference between success and failure is vigilance. It is easy to throw up your hands and quit. Only the brave drive on in the face of adversity.

Let this be the motto for Kennedy High School. It ain’t over until we win. Until Kennedy High School is the best school in the state, in the nation. Until others arrive at our doorstep asking, “How did you do it?”

Our individual efforts are the only thing standing in the way of our goal.

Remember, their future is in our hands. Making Kennedy the school of Choice. Excellence by design.


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