According to an article on the front page of the newspaper, the local Board of Education recently unanimously approved a new Deputy Superintendent. Although some might consider his unanimous appointment to such a prestigious position a “lucky break,” the truth is he had been advancing throughout his two decades in public education. As he transitioned through various roles such as classroom teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal, and district administrator, he amassed a proven and impressive record of leadership, service, and dedication to student success. Additionally, those broad areas of experiences gave him a comprehensive understanding of the areas he will now oversee.
Meanwhile, he advanced his own education, earning a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and other advanced degrees. He also served as an adjunct professor at a university where he helped prepare future educational leaders.
He is committed to excellence in his personal life, as well. He and his beautiful and talented wife have been married for 27 years, have two children who are now successful adults, and are active in their church.
Reading about his success reminded me of this insightful quote (of uncertain origin): “The harder I work, the luckier I get.”
Phyllis A. Whitney, a prolific author from yesteryear, would agree. In Guide to Fiction Writing, she says that other writers would comment on how “lucky” she had been to have met with such success, especially since she acknowledges her talent, in the beginning, was “untrained” and “modest.” Along with blows and disappointments, she received extraordinary breaks, leading her to conclude: “Opportunity is like a train on an endless track. Now and then it makes a stop at your station, often without fanfare, and without warning” (p.4).
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| ChatGPT created this image, using prompts provided by the author. |
Referring to an unexpected opportunity that had been given to her, she says, “How very, very lucky that the train had stopped where I could get aboard. Or was it possible that without realizing it I had been getting ready for that train for a long time?” (p.5).
Indeed, she had been preparing herself even with no train — no opportunity — in sight. She’d been learning the craft of writing and continuing to write, write, write, refusing to give up even when some of her work was rejected for publication. Thus, she was ready when the train stopped, and her life took a turn for the better (p.5).
She believes “life is full of trains that stop. What counts is what we are doing with our lives when there is no opportunity and not a train in sight” (p.6)
