A few weeks ago, many of our Asa Clark 8th graders dazzled us with a performance of The Wizard of Oz. It's a classic story: Dorothy, Toto, and her three familiar friends journey through a new, exciting and sometimes frightening world to reach their individual goals: a brain, a heart, courage, and a home. Along the way, they must overcome obstacles, like the disgruntled apple trees, and conquer challenges, like defeating the Wicked Witch of the West. Finally in the end, all four friends realize that their goals were always within their reach.
High school is much like Dorothy's story. You find yourself dropped into a whirlwind of new experiences, some strangely familiar. You follow the path of grades 9, 10, 11 and 12, yet this path is rarely obstacle-free. You will make wonderful friends who will stand by you through anything - and even rescue you from danger and evil. Because there will be danger; of course there will be danger. You will need to make mature decisions even as you are still maturing yourselves. But in the end, it will all be worth it: your goals will be yours for the taking.
So enjoy the journey, my friends. May you find the wisdom to stay on the right path, the heart to love completely, and the courage to stand up for what you believe. And may you always find your way home.
What an inspiring note to your 8th grade students. I particulary like the last paragraph as what you write is simply what is most important in one's life, which is indeed wisdom, love, courage, and a place to call home.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great inspiration Mrs. Reagles this piece made me understand that we will go through obsticles in order to reach our goals but on the way we will meet brillant people that will make those obsticles easier to overcome.
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