What Matters?

For a good part of the day today I've been thinking about and reflecting on the life of Martin Luther King.  I've struggled with how to articulate humbly what that life means to me, a white man in one of the whitest states in the U.S.  While reading some of Dr. King's quotes, the following one struck a chord with me: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter."

So I must ask, what matters?  What matters to you?  What is something that you're no longer willing to stay silent about?  Lately for me, the thing that matters to me is equity.  The Leadership Team prepared a budget for next school year using equity as one of the tenets.  One of the cornerstones of the work we are committing to next year is getting our students what they need, knowing that some of our students need more than others.

When I introduce myself to some of younger students and they ask me what a superintendent does, I tell them that I work with all the adults in Montpelier Public Schools to ensure that all our students feel safe and welcome, so they can learn and grow to the best of their ability.  The only way this can happen is if all students have what they need to feel safe and welcome, otherwise I don't think they will be able to learn and grow.

What matters to me is equity.  What matters to you?  Honor Dr. King's legacy by not staying silent.