"Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own."
---Charles Dickens---

Of all the holidays, my favorite one is the Thanksgiving Holidays in November,because they give me an opportunity to reflect, a moment to pause from life’ s treadmill, and savor its blessings.

This holiday provides a much-needed relief from my hectic life both as a school principal and as a part-time university professor.

What am I thankful for? I am thankfulfor the opportunityto continue tolearn and elad. nImy twentieth yearas principal, I feelgrateful for theteachers, studentsand parents in mylearning communitywho inspireme to make a differencein the livesof children. After my doctoral degree in educational leadership from USC, I am thankful for the opportunity to continue to learn from educational experts who keep me abreast of current research findings and issues.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Educationis learning what you didn’ t evenknow you didn’ t know“. The more we learn, the more we realize how little we really know. Will Durant, a philosopherand historian, also said,“ Education is aprogressive discovery of our own ignorance."As I engage in professional discussionswith colleagues and spend weekendsburied in professional readings, Ifind books are a refuge. Books are an escape from the prison of the self and an escape from the responsibilities of the here and now. Learning and books are my therapy, keeping all my problems in perspective.

This month is not only for thankful reflection of the past year, but it’s also a time for anticipation. The growing crispness of the air, the colorful leaf changes, and other signs of winter’s imminence inspire me to look forward to the winter holidays. Therefore, November is the perfect month to look back and forward at the same time.

Quotes on Thanksgiving:1. We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.

2. If the only prayer you said in your whole life was“thank you,” that would suffice.

3. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

4. Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.

5. Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.

6. There is one day that is ours. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American.

7. Reflect upon your present blessings,of which every man has many―not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

Books I have read this school year:
■Talent Code by Daniel Coyle
■Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose
■College Knowledge by David Conley
■Sparks of Genius by Robert Root-Bernstein
■Two Cultures by C. P. Snow


교육문의 drsuzieoh@gmail.com