Courage

"Courage...it's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.  You rarely win but sometimes you do." -Atticus Finch

Recently, I re-read "To Kill a Mockingbird."  I know, nerd alert, right?!  Like many of you are doing right now, I read it when I was in high school.  Since it is such a classic, I wanted to read it again with a different perspective as an educator and a parent.  It was well worth the time.  There are lessons to learn about prejudice, acceptance, perseverance and courage.

The quote above is from Atticus Finch, a character in the book.  If you have read the book, you know the significance of this quote to the story.  Even if you haven't read the book yet, I think it is meaningful to think about in general.  My take on it is that sometimes the right thing to do isn't always easy, for whatever reason, but since it is the right thing to do we have an obligation to take it on.  

It takes courage to start something and see it through despite the challenges you may face.  Sometimes doing the right thing not only presents challenges but may require us to do something that is not particularly comfortable to us...that takes courage too.  At Perry Central, I see a lot of students doing courageous acts.  There are students doing things that aren't easy or that requires them step out of the comfort zone but they are doing it because they know it is right.  Friends of Rachel, Commodore Table, and the recent canned food drive are a few student led initiatives that come to mind.  Your courage can and does inspire others and because of that our wins aren't rare, like Atticus experienced, instead they are much more common.  Thank you to all of those doing courageous things!  You are making a difference.