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What a year this has been.
a message from Deputy Superintendent Denise Burrell
As I prepared to write my column for the Communicator, I must admit I struggled with what I wanted to say, which is really unusual for someone who is never at a loss for words!
I thought of writing about our good test scores, this year's improvements in student achievement, the significant increase in our graduation rate, or the successes you've had at your individual schools. Then I thought I might preview Thinking Maps, which we are adding to our bag of instructional practices. But then I realized I wanted to write about something much more personal.
Many of you may not know, but my siblings and I lost our mother on May 17th. She suffered from a rare degenerative disease, had been declining for several years, and had spent her last 5 weeks with me. My mother was the backbone of our family, the glue that held us together. My three brothers, my sister and I were all with her when she joined my dad in Heaven and were so blessed to have had that privilege. So as I thought about what I wanted to say, I thought about what my mother would say.
- Make every day one where you positively impact the life of another. For us, that includes not only our students, but our parents, our co-workers, and any other person we come into contact with. One kind word or one word of encouragement can make a difference in the life of another person, and we may never know its far-reaching impact.
- Take time to enjoy life. We all get caught up in the rat-race of life. We work, some are going to school to advance their education, we have families, we have duties at home, we are involved in our churches, and often those activities can cause us not to enjoy the lives we have been given. Slow down. Take a ride through the country. Play a game with your family. Color with your grandchildren. Sit on your front porch and rock or swing and just watch the traffic go by. Take time every day to enjoy the life you have been given.
- Live every day as if it is your last. Don't miss a chance to watch a movie with your family. Tell the people you love the most how special they are to you. Never miss an opportunity to hug a friend or kiss your child, your spouse, your significant other, or your parents. You are not promised tomorrow. When you leave this world, leave it knowing that all those you leave behind knew how much you love them.
Take time during this summer to rest and enjoy your life. Come back in August ready to make every moment of every day with every person you come into contact with positively impact others.
--Denise Burrell |
