Nice title, eh? Actually, it was the title of my recent TedX Talk – presented earlier this week at the second annual TedX event in Lincoln (affiliated with TED Talks, a nonprofit website that features a broad variety of thousands of online speeches). This year’s talk gave me the opportunity to develop a message around my greatest passion: kids.
I had about 15 minutes to give the talk, relating stories from my journey in public education – talking about how I have been influenced by tremendous mentors who encouraged me – and speaking to the power of recognizing and rising to the challenge of dealing with pivotal yet unannounced moments in life. Citing examples of how people come together to heal and recover, I used the examples of the immigration raid while I was superintendent in Grand Island, and the recent fire at Lincoln Public Schools District Offices. I closed by doing some forward-thinking about the future of public education, and talked about the value of educating each and every child that comes through our doors.
As I was leaving the TedX conference, I was greeted by several people who enjoyed my talk. One young man, in particular, referred to my immigration story and said that he, too, was an illegal immigrant in another state with parents who lived in fear of arrest and deportation. He cited the encouragement of the adults in his life who allowed him to obtain a college degree(s) and the subsequent six-figure income he earns as a software engineer in Lincoln. He said he is now willing to give back and wants to help young people achieve. And when I suggested being a Teammate – he immediately responded “yes.” At that moment all the stress over the preparation and expectation for my keynote speech, faded away, with this one individual who made my day.
Despite the anxiety of having to prepare and actually practice a structured speech, I am looking forward to the next opportunity for telling the story of public education. I have the best job in the world, because it really does offer an opportunity to truly change the world – one person at a time.
Until next time,
steve
