"We turn not older with years, but newer every day."
Emily Dickinson, American poet


"Growing older frees you from all sorts of previous restrictions and guilts. Beauty is accepting what you are, who you are, and how old you are."
Betty Friedan, American political activist


The culmination of the old year and the commencement of the new one provide us the opportunity to reflect upon 2000’s goals and establish new directions for 2001. It’s a time for a new beginning and renewed hope.

Year’s end is also a time when families gather to acknowledge and share the values of home. In the multicultural society of America, many people celebrate the meaning of the season in many different ways. However, for all of us, this is a time to to look back at twelve months marked by achievement and loss; it is a time to look ahead to personal and collective prospects.

When I became a school principal eight years ago, I lost my personal and social life. Now that I am in the last year of my doctoral program, I have also lost my sleep. I hope to earn the doctorate by May, 2001. As a life-long learner and an educator with 26 years’ experience in the Los Angeles Unified School District, I have never been satisfied with the status quo.

Realizing that a successful life is one filled with continuous challenges, almost three years ago, I enrolled in the U.S.C. School of Education doctoral program. The projects, class discussions, and class readings have made a direct impact on my work at school. Studying the latest research on educational leadership, organizational theory, and instructional improvement has enabled me to reexamine my educational career from a deeper, more insightful perspective.

Simultaneously running a school and pursuing a doctoral degree is challenging, if not daunting. However, it’s also exciting and energizing.

I hope to continue to learn, so I can provide more effective and inspirational educational leadership.
This year I have had to grieve for four people I knew who passed away: one of my school parents, a very young former teacher at my school, a retired principal’s husband, and, a recently retired school principal. Their sudden death opened my eyes to the realities of the world and taught me a valuable lesson about its fragility. My perception of the world immediately took on a different light. I have learned to value time and the importance of our daily existence in the world.

*Books I Read and would like to recommend to friends:
—Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (I cried.)
—Moving Beyond Words by Gloria Steinem
—A Gesture Life by Chang-rae Lee
—Who Moved My Cheese? By Spencer Johnson
—From Harvard Univ. to Hwa-Kye-Sa Temple by Hyon-Gak, (an American Buddhist who became a monk )

(*Please note I cannot devote too much of my time in recreational reading any more because of time constraints for the required class readings and dissertation literature review of my doctoral program.)

Blessings to you in the New Year.
Let’s commemorate the dawning of 2001!
(Suzie K. Oh can be reached by fax at (323)256-1765 and by email at sjo1212@aol.com and she has been the Principal at Third Street School in the Los Angeles Unified School District since 1993.)