Being Purpose-Driven

“What on Earth am I here for?”  Ever ask yourself this question?   “What is it that I am supposed to be doing?”  Has that thought ever popped in your head?  Most people, if required to be honest, would answer in the affirmative to these questions.  Let’s set something straight from the start – you are not an accident!  You are here for a purpose.  About a decade ago, I read Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life.  What I found from this 40 day journey is that there are reasons we were created.  We were created by someone else and for someone else.  We are here for a purpose; perhaps a purpose that extends far beyond our time here on the third rock from the sun.  It is a blueprint for a lifestyle based on purpose and not on culture while challenging conventional thought.  If you live your life with a purpose, several benefits begin to happen. Your stress level will decrease (I am still working on that), you will be able to focus your energy, and simplify your decisions. One principle that I learned is to never confuse activity with productivity.  If you want to have an impact, focus on the purpose. Prune away the activities that have no purpose.  Sure, you can be busy without a purpose, but what’s the point?  Throughout history, people who have made the most difference were the most focused on the purpose.  That includes the greatest teachers ever.

What does a “Purpose Drive School” look like?  For us, it is preparing kids for the next level, to facilitate growth in each student no matter where they begin while providing an incredible educational experience.  The school should be a place where kids want to be and are challenged every single day.  Those schools are easy to manage when there is clarity of purpose.  That purpose governs the way we teach, the ways we interact, the example that we set, and the manner in which we conduct ourselves.  There is less fuzziness between what is right and wrong.  There is more integrity.  The purpose sets the standards and defines the expectations.  Purpose Driven schools have a common goal within its walls.  They deliver a quality education because quality is defined by the purpose.  When high performing teachers plan lessons, they ask themselves, “What is the purpose of this lesson?”  When quality teachers assign work, they precede this with “What is the purpose of this assignment?”  Ideally, a “Purpose Driven School” will be almost self-governing because it is based on high principles.  Let me be succinct – we are well on our way to being the type of school that I have described above.  That is because we have the ability to “walk the talk.” As we enter our second semester, let’s focus on providing all that we can for these kids.  Let’s focus on the purpose for each and every one of them.  In doing so, we will make a difference.