Centered

I have become a huge fan of the Apple TV show Ted Lasso. Initially, I was put off by it as I thought it would be an extension of Saturday Night Live-like characters and comedy bits. However, two episodes in, I was hooked. The show follows Ted Lasso’s journey as a college football coach in Kansas hired to lead a professional British soccer team.  It is a show filled with subtle brilliance and feel-good moments that remind you of what is important in life.

In the last episode of the second season, Ted quotes Albus Dumbledore of Harry Potter fame when he says, “It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

I thought about the choices I have made and those around me. When I made the choice to become a teacher, I wanted to make a difference in the lives of children. I wanted them to discover the joy I found in learning. I wanted them to love school as much as I did when I was growing up. It is what got me up every day. 

The choice of service to my community had consequences. There were not many rungs in career advancement for a teacher, nor would I ever make a six-figure salary. But I knew I could make a difference in the lives of young people, and it is that knowledge that brought me the greatest satisfaction.

The only reason why I chose to leave the classroom was that I thought I could make the same difference on a larger scale, first as a beginning teacher mentor, then a principal, to today as the Executive Director at the Arizona K12 Center. 

When I think about those who choose to be police officers and firefighters, I envision how their families must feel every time there is a shooting or a fire. I think about the family members whose loved ones choose to serve in our military and what must be going on in their minds when they are deployed to places of conflict. I think about the healthcare workers whose skill and compassion brought comfort and care in my mom’s final months and days. 

Their choices make our lives better.

We all make choices. It is the choices we make when no one is looking that define who we are. I am grateful we continue to have people who make the choice to serve others; they are the backbone of our communities and provide the moral leadership we desperately need.