Superintendent's Report
New class at THS addresses 'what comes next'
Marvin Beaty

Recently I read the poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes. "What Happens to a Dream Deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore- and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over- like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load- or does it explode?"

Hughes' poem is a bit graphic and gross at an initial glance but upon further review is something we all must address at some point in time.

We all have dreams and ambitions for our future and the future of our children. We can all look back and wonder "what if" when it comes to our lives. As we walk the dusty roads of our memories, we have the luxury of hindsight. This hindsight offers us a chance to ponder how our lives would be different today if we had made different choices in our past.

It is in this train of thought that has led TISD and THS to put together a program of study at the high school which addresses the students' future. For lack of a better name it is called "Leadership Class." But, it could just as easily be called the "What Comes Next Class."

This course is the brainchild of several TISD school board members and administrators. The purpose of this course is to put our students in a position to seriously contemplate the future events of their lives. It is our desire to force them into a situation where contemplating life after high school is not avoidable. Moreover, by facing the issues of life after high school, we can eliminate much of the fear of the unknown by traveling this path together. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale wrote, "Change your thoughts and you can change your world."

The class is being taught by an extremely bright, energetic and charismatic individual in Shannon Davis. Mrs. Davis has joined forces with Mrs. Martin, the school's counselor, and Mrs. Seldan, the counselor's aide, in order to bring a multitude of college and trade school representative to THS to visit with our students in an intimate setting.

They have set forth a course of study that seeks to answer the questions that plague many high school seniors and their families; what will I do after graduation, can I get into the school of my choice, how do I pay for college, am I good enough to compete in intercollegiate athletics, what is college life like and are the other kids there like me? These are but a few of the nagging questions that confound students all over the country when contemplating life after high school.

We are moving in a direction that will take this idea of life after high school all the way down to the kindergartners. We must stop asking the question, "Am I going to college?" and begin asking "What college am I going to attend?"

Our kids are all capable of dreaming big. Dreams should not be deferred simply because of fears relating to the unknown.

Nelson Mandela said, "There is no passion to be found in playing small-in settling for a life that is less than what you are capable of living."

I agree! Please join me in encouraging our kids to dream big and to follow those dreams with a passion that is greater than they have ever known. It is definitely true that a dream deferred leaves us feeling as if our life has not amounted to what we were certainly created to achieve.

Great things can and will happen for your children when we join together to make it happen.

Remember, you are always welcome in Troup ISD.