Superintendent's Report
Bestowing the gift of grace

I ran across a wonderful story a couple of weeks back that I wanted to share with you.

Bill Tucker's father was a hard-working man of business that had fallen gravely ill. By the time he had recovered, the family business had been lost. Mr. Tucker, being a man of aggressive ambition, scraped all the money the family had left and purchased a sewing machine. He bid for and received a job reupholstering all of the chairs in a local theater.

One problem, Mr. Tucker did not know how to sew. However, he was determined to learn. Therefore, one fine morning Bill and his father set out in the family's old pickup to retrieve the second-hand sewing machine from the seller. I'll let Bill tell the rest ...

"We were driving along and were so excited, and I, like any 16-year-old driver, was probably not paying enough attention to my speed. Just as we were turning on the cloverleaf to get on the expressway, I will never ever, ever forget watching that sewing machine, which was already top-heavy, begin to tip. I slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. I saw it go over the side.

"I jumped out and ran around the back of the truck. As I rounded the corner, I saw our hope and our dream lying on its side in pieces. And then I saw my dad just looking. All of his risk and all of his endeavor and all of his struggling and all of his dream, all of his hope to take care of his family was lying there, shattered.

"You know what comes next, don't you? 'Stupid, punk kid driving too fast, not paying attention, ruined the family by taking away our livelihood.' But that's not what he said. He looked right at me. 'Oh, Bill, I am so sorry.' And he walked over, put his arms around me, and said, 'Son, this is going to be okay.'"

The names change and the scenario is always different, but it is not a new story. Kids do foolish things. Well, we must admit, they have had excellent teachers, they have been watching us!

While we cannot and should not take away life's natural consequences, we should always consider displaying appropriate grace, an unmerited favor to those that let us down. The simple words "this is going to be okay" carry so much power. Life can be a cruel teacher and often doles out lessons without a hint of hesitancy; we must utilize the one thing a parent has that his/ her child needs, unconditional love and acceptance.

One thousand years ago, children did foolish things. One thousand years from now, children will still do foolish things. This should not be shocking to us nor should it be met with total surprise. Children have many needs. A very great need they have is to always know there is someone they can depend on regardless of the circumstance.

All of the material possessions will eventually give way to the elements and deteriorate into nothingness. However, our families will live on and on. Let's practice living up to Mr. Tucker's example and let our children know it is going to be okay.

I'm proud to say Troup ISD is full of people that work diligently each and every day to push your children to achieve at their highest level. However, when they fall short there is always someone there to pick them up and tell them it's going to be okay! Remember, you are always welcome in Troup ISD.