One of the things I love most about being able to serve as Superintendent in Fayette County is the opportunity I have to spend time with our amazing students. When I visit schools, I enjoy striking up conversations with our kids, hearing their observations about learning and watching them make discoveries in class. On a monthly basis I meet with a great group of middle and high school students we call “Stu’s Crew.” Over lunch, we sit and talk about what’s happening in their schools and they give me feedback and insight from the most important point of view of all … the lens of our students. When I’m hosting Kids Say the Funniest Things, I can hardly keep a straight face sometimes, and I really look forward to the student calls we get during my quarterly live call-in show on Channel 13.

Aside from these regularly planned interactions, I am also blessed to receive cards, letters and emails from our students. I feel so fortunate when they reach out to share their ideas and thoughts with me and I am reminded how much we can learn from them. This week, I received an email from a student at Bryan Station High School that touched my heart and caused me to reflect on how important our work is. I want to share it with you today:

Hello, my name is Heather Chancey. I am writing you today because of an incident that happened over this past weekend. I was on my way to Louisville and my car caught fire. A lady and her friend stopped to help. I asked them their names … well, come to find out the lady who was driving the car was the principal at Tates Creek Elementary and the other lady with her was a teacher there. I just wanted to tell you that it makes me really happy to know that we actually have teachers and principals out there who are really that nice. I would love to hear back from you and figure out what I can do for this lady because without her I would be on the side of the road right now.

She went on to explain that she was with two other friends from school and that they all wanted to find a way to repay the kindness of these two strangers. The email itself was nice enough, but to understand why it touched my heart, you’d have to also know that the lady Heather and her two classmates met on the side of the road was Dee Patrick, the principal at Tates Creek Elementary. Dee was driving to Louisville because her father had just died and she was on her way to be with her family. When we shared Heather’s email with Dee, she said that her dad always took time to help anyone in need, and she knew he would’ve stopped to help Heather and her friends.

Dee’s decision to stop on the side of the road was born of a desire to do the right thing and help a person in need. She had no idea the impact her choice would have on the three students in the car. But she showed compassion and concern in her time of grief and in doing so, set an example for each of those young ladies. Her actions taught a powerful lesson and reminded me of just how important and life changing each interaction we have can be.

As we go about our every day, it’s easy to lose sight of the many ways we are influencing our kids, shaping their views of the world and teaching them how to respond to different situations. Our actions send more powerful messages than our lectures. Please remember the importance of being there for one another, of setting examples for our children by the way we behave, and of looking beyond our own concerns to help those who need us most. Our goal of becoming a world class school district will be measured by more than test scores, accolades and innovative program offerings. It will also be found in the way we treat one another, the values we instill in our children and future we build together.