From Beliefs to Blessings

A frequent recurrence to fundamental principles is absolutely necessary to preserve the blessings of liberty.  NC Constitution Art. 1, Sec. 35

During the State Board Meeting, Legislative Liaison, Ann McColl, referenced the quote above from the North Carolina Constitution. She frequently referred to the Board’s Legislative Directives. As she reminded the board of the priorities they had set for themselves, I found her approach resonating with me. Organizations have Mission Statements, Vision Statements, Core Values, Goals and Strategies, but without someone continually recalling them or highlighting them, they can degenerate to a shallow life of pretty words on a forgotten page.

My church has a mission statement on the front of our weekly bulletin. One of our Assistant Pastors is especially great at recalling the elements of the Mission Statement as he makes particular announcements. As he mentions a new program that may have an associated cost, the potential pain of implementation is mitigated when we are reminded that it supports our stated goals.

Our school has a mission statement that represents the work of many over the course of a full year. It was built on a foundation of shared beliefs about the purpose of education and our hopes and dreams for the new school. Parents, students, staff, and community members each shared their desires and beliefs. This mission statement is central to who we are, but absent a constant check-in with it, it could lose its power to guide our efforts. Ideally, our elected Site-based Management Team will constantly check it against our progress attempting to determine that we are still aligned with our goals.

As a principal, I was motivated by Ms. McColl’s approach with her State School Board presentation to also continually touch on our school community’s beliefs. As the statement (written in 1776) from the Constitution of North Carolina warns, a continual check-in with our core beliefs is absolutely necessary to keep receiving the blessings and success our school has enjoyed. Regardless of the institution, we cannot lose sight of our guiding principles.