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A Message from the Head of School - Quarter 1 Reflection
As I write this from my desk chair, I can hear the faint voices of children playing on the lower school playground. It is a sweet sound that often invokes memories of my own childhood. We played a lot of kickball growing up, along with Red Rover (I don’t think we’ll be bringing that game back anytime soon), freeze tag, and imaginary adventures on the Oregon Trail.
I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, in a county with twice as many cows as people and, at the time, only one stoplight. Our high school had, and still has, a gravel track and wooden bleachers by the football field. Teachers smoked in their workrooms, and my high school trigonometry teacher kept a "spit bottle" on his desk for his smokeless tobacco. Compared to many schools, we lacked the resources, programs, and sophistication of neighboring suburban schools. However, what we did have was a strong connection with our neighbors, a genuine sense of belonging, teachers who refused to accept excuses, and parents who held us accountable and demanded that we finish what we started.
I realize as I write this that I risk sounding like one of those "walked uphill both ways to school" guys... but that isn’t really my point. My point is that as I look back on my life, I can see more clearly, and appreciate more deeply, the moments, both good and bad, that shaped me. As parents, I suspect you can look back on your own journey and say the same.
There is a song titled "Blessings" by Laura Story with a poignant verse that asks: “'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're here? What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?”
Parents, my encouragement to you is this: if you find yourself falling into the comparison game, comparing your child’s or family’s school experience to someone else’s highlight reel, please cut yourself some slack. Today’s social media world is not reality. Social media is simply a collection of highlights. Behind a polished post, there may be hurt, struggle, or challenges that aren't being shared with the world. When we live in a state of continuous comparison, everyone loses. It quietly erodes how we view ourselves, our families, our children, our churches, and our school.
Our challenge as parents is to look beyond moments of frustration or disappointment when our children make mistakes, and instead embrace these moments as opportunities to learn, grow, and persevere.
At Oakbrook, we are a perfectly imperfect school. We are filled with imperfectly perfect children, raised by imperfectly perfect parents, taught by imperfectly perfect teachers, and supported by perfectly imperfect administrators. Yet, despite our flaws, we have a community anchored in strong relationships, a deep sense of belonging, teachers who refuse to give up on students, and parents who partner with us to hold our children accountable.
As Paul writes in Romans 5:3-4, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
Through the remainder of this school year, I pray we will extend grace to one another, give others the benefit of the doubt, assume best intentions, and approach challenges with curiosity and empathy, recognizing that every perspective carries a different view. When we do this, we model for our children how to overcome hard things with strength and grace.
That’s my view from here. May God bless each of our Oakbrook families!
-Andrew R. Bell
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