Your Best Year Ever
Source/Author: Mike Murphy, Headmaster
September 12, 2014
When people start to joke about a theme, event, or program it’s often because that idea has struck a chord. Sure, it might be because they think the idea is silly, or corny and not worth pursuing, but nevertheless, it got their attention. Regardless of the criticism some people have launched at those involved in the ice bucket challenge, the ALS now has great funding to do research and support people impacted by Lou Gehrig’s disease. The idea worked.
Recently, I have had a few faculty members make very funny jokes about the theme I introduced at the opening of the school year. I suggested that this would be: “The Best Year of Our Careers.” I also said it would be the best year for every student. Why Not? Can anyone give a good reason why this year should not be better than the one before it?
What does it take to make this year the best year of your life? What would it take to make this the best year of your child’s life? I am not thinking about a Disneyesque fairy tale, where you wake up every morning to have all of your wishes come true. I am talking about a year where you GROW because you have worked hard to make a difference in your life and the lives of others.
You don’t have to hit homeruns to win a game. You need to score more runs than the other guy. You can do it with singles, doubles, triples, walks and balks. Seems to me that games with many hits and lots of action are much more enjoyable than the game won by a second inning, one run homerun. The greatest games have action and I expect the greatest year of our lives will be loaded with action.
Sticking to the baseball analogy, we can also say that the best games are usually great because of a team effort and not just because of the heroics of one or two players. The same can be said about the best year of our lives. A child cannot have a great year without the support and input from friends and adults. A teacher cannot have a great year without the dynamics and support from students, parents, colleagues and administrators. The same is true for headmasters. Without the support of the communities around us, all of our efforts can quickly become meaningless.
Hence, I send this appeal to everyone out there committed to providing the members of our community the best year of their lives: Work Together. Work on ways to help everyone succeed. Challenge each other to do our best work. Help us grow and improve. Stand United. Look for the positive. Your children, their teachers and our community will be stronger if we all work to make this the best year of our lives.
Cheers!
Mike
