“God,
grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change
the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.”
Serenity
Prayer, authored by Reinhold Niebuhr
By
Tommie Saylor
Kennedy
High School Principal
In
those quiet moments of reflection, I do not pray for wealth or health, I pray
for wisdom.
Wisdom
to make the best decisions that can be made in any situation, to give the best
advice that one could possibly offer, to find the best course of action, or the
most appropriate path in which to lead others.
Knowing
that each day others rely on me and my ability to make “the right” decision, is
a burden that weighs heavy; and each decision is a lonely, mental struggle as
it is filtered through years of experience, strict policies, ambiguous procedures,
political ramifications and what is best for our students.
In
essence, each decision has the potential for greatness or ruin, and even if
everything works out just fine, is a “land mine” waiting to go off sometime in
the unforeseen future.
It
is for this reason that when given the luxury of time, a great deal of
forethought is placed into the decision-making process. It means reviewing
data, past practices and best practices. In short, when given the
opportunity to conduct research to insure that we are doing the most good for
the greatest number of people, this gift is accepted with reverence. It is not
tarnished by personal agenda’s or hidden schemes.
Given
the above, when change comes – and it is inevitable – let that decision come from
wisdom, not from emotion. I understand that change is hard and that fear
of the unknown is real, but resisting said change with illogical banter and
ignorance serves no purpose. Neither does closing one’s eyes in hopes
that the conditions that are forcing a change will simply go away. This is a
recipe for disaster.
Unity
is need when change begins. Divisiveness only serves the darkest of
masters and makes the change that much more painful. Only by coming
together can the pains and fears of change be mitigated. When we stand
together, all manners of change can be absorbed, obstacles overcome and hardships
weathered. United, fear is but a drop in an ocean of confidence, and
change nothing more than a path we have yet to traverse.
Before
us lies a great change that we have seen coming for many years, a change that
cannot be avoided. Likewise, before us lies a choice: Either we can let
wisdom prevail, or let fear consume us.
How
and where will you lead them. Making Kennedy the school of choice. Excellence
by design.
