Difficult Decisions

It is difficult to see the path ahead. With the deluge of data, information, analysis and opinion about current events it is even tough at times to be optimistic. And in the midst of this there are many difficult decisions to be made. Roy Disney claimed that “It is not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” I am not sure that I totally agree. Keeping values at the center of decision making is critical and you can rarely please all people. So many decisions have an impact across our community and knowing that the value we place on scholarship can have an impact on safety is a tremendous weight. 

My belief is closer to the courage intrinsic in Theodore Roosevelt’s maxim, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” For our school, the right thing is to offer the best education we can that upholds our mission and pillars. We espouse the value of critical thinking and this is more important than ever as we wade through the competing sets of guidelines and statements from health organisations, state agencies and worldwide experience.

As we grapple with reopening, I am appreciative of the ideas and input from across our community and the caring with which advice is offered. We will make the best of these times and the learning community we offer will enable our students to be engaged and challenged as always. I know that our faculty and staff are committed to our mission as I see them preparing for the year ahead and thinking through how we will tackle these times. Yes, there are many difficult decisions ahead, but we have our values and community in which to find strength and we can only do the best we can for everyone who is part of our community.