Believing Before Seeing

DeWitt Jones is a professional photographer and motion picture director who spent over 20 years as a photo journalist with National Geographic. In the era of digital photography, where people can point and click endlessly until they take a good picture, what separates Jones from all others? In a word, it is his VISION.

Jones said, "When I was growing up, I used to hold the maxim - I won't believe it until I see it. Yet the more I shot for Geographic the more I realized I had it backwards. The way it really works is I won't see it until I believe it. That's the way life works."

Think about those words for a minute. "I won't see it until I believe it."

In education, (and in all walks of life I suppose) we often talk about change. I suggest that there is no value in changing education - the goal is to IMPROVE education! If we want to see improvement in education, we must believe.

Lucky 13 - My Resolutions

For 466 students at Saline High School, 13 is their lucky number. It has been worn on varsity jackets and sweatshirts, dangled on tassels and held a place in the yearbook since they were in kindergarten. For those 466 students, 2013 represents the year of their graduation. As the parents of a member of the Saline High School Class of 2013, my wife and I are very aware of our daughter's excitement about graduation and the uneasy feeling that accompanies the thought of her leaving home. 

While I have never been a fan of New Year's resolutions, this year I commit to the following: 

• I will express gratitude to her teachers and coaches for the role they've played in her life. All the experiences, (good and bad) have helped develop her character and resilience. 
• I will let her experience both success and failure on her own - she is much more capable and independent than I may be ready to admit. 
• When she does need me, I will be there to support my daughter while she solves her own problems and handles her own issues. 
• I will remain aware and grateful that there are 465 other students at Saline High School going through this journey with her - many of them have been an important part of her life. 
• I will accept what is rather than what could have or should have been. 
• I will savor each and every experience she has during her last few months of high school as a part of the growth and maturation process. 
• I will continue to be her biggest fan.
• I will continue to enjoy and be proud of the young woman she has become!

What is your New Year's resolution?