“Forgiveness is accepting the apology you will never get.” Shawne Duperon
This blog post will be concise. As I write this post, the sun is setting on a period of my life that I will take away many lessons. As I transition, I am taking away the knowledge that faith and hope deeply drive people, as well as fear and narcissism.
In December 2019, I sought out an opportunity to spread my wings and provide meaningful experiences for students. That is when I became intrigued and immediately felt like the horizon was calling me to pursue a new challenge that was much bigger than myself. This opportunity would require the new leader to reopen a school closed due to COVID-19, maneuver masking and social distancing protocols, support simultaneous in-person and virtual learning, weave the needle to bring people together, and then, be the social-emotional support for adults and students. It felt like the universe was conspiring to bring this leadership challenge to me at this time.
Although I did not foresee a pandemic, I believe we are called to “do hard things.” In educational leadership, it takes clear conviction and the courage to do things that may not have been done before. This pursuit will cause those in your care to live in eternal hope that their work is meaningful and worthwhile, or be obstinate. If we make the choice to actively work against elevating our collective humanity, then we will forever rest in bigotry.
The ultimate lesson comes in knowing that your authenticity, voice, and discernment as a leader are what pull people through difficult times and allows for you to still love on your greatest advocates. Family.
As the sunsets on one opportunity and rises on another, I will miss those who knew me best. A deep thank you to my supporters and champions for kids. We were able to do great things, even if the outcome wasn’t what I had initially hoped for or expected.
I look forward to telling more stories and spreading joy and light; the future is bright.
Dr. Diggs