TAA Graduation 2011

Penny and I just got home from the TAA Commencement Service.  It was a memorable service.  The Class President’s address was moving.  The music was personal and relevant to the occasion.  The Commencement Address was appropriate and truly challenged the class to make an impact after they leave TAA just as they had while they were here.

Although there is still a little over a month left before my first anniversary in Arizona, this event marks a major conclusion of a chapter in my first year.  The school year just ending was fraught with twist and turns that were unexpected when the year began.  Change was in the air, but not to the degree to which it ultimately happened.  Yet, here I am, looking back at the year and wondering if the efforts put forth will lead to a new and better chapter in the annals of, not just  TAA, but the entire Arizona Conference educational system.  The task is daunting!

The answers are not neatly arranged for easy access and application as the situation demands.  There is risk.  There will be moments when our best efforts will fall short of eliciting the desired results.  But the option is worse—to continue doing things as they have always been done, or to do nothing at all!

For now, what remains is making the transition with dignity and professionalism.  It is more difficult that it would appear, but the consequence of settling for the alternative makes a complex and difficult situation hurtful and damaging.  That is not the way we should treat each other.  I request your prayers.  Not for me alone, but for all those who labor for our children in our schools and in our system.  The true enemy of our children is delighted when we lose our focus. 

In any case, tomorrow comes….