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Friday, February 8, 2008
“The Needs of the Many…”
“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one, or the few.”
For all of you Star Trek fans, you will recognize this memorable line from Mr. Spock from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. For others, this memorable line will strike a chord in each of us: the idea of sacrificing our all for the greater good of humanity. In essence, this line should serve as a reminder that we must value and work for the good of all our community - not just the one or the few.
As I travel out and about, I am challenged each day to impact the “needs of the many”. Whether it’s One Book, One Waco or participating in our Business Leadership in Schools program, I see the value of sacrificing my time, energy and my all into making a difference in education in our community.
This week I saw the “needs of the many” take place.
We had an event for high school students as part of our One Book, One Waco program, and to my shock we had 50 people at Barnes and Noble, discussing Same Kind of Different as Me. A majority of those 50 people were high school students, and it was great to see them engaged in the text of the book and in community together. We thank our sponsor Barnes and Noble and Craig Nash for their support and generosity in hosting us.
I moderated the event, and I was so amazed at the depth of their answers. I was amazed at their dedication to reading and our community. And, I was amazed that this book touched the “needs of the many.”
Another event happened this week to help “the needs of the many.” I visited Waco High, and I participated in an interviewing session for their Career Development program and AVID program. I interviewed students about possible employment opportunities in their future, and I gave them advice on being in the real world. I was not alone. There were other business leaders there, making a difference - focusing on the “needs of the many.” These leaders gave their time, energy, and effort to help educate our local students about future opportunities.
Why am I sharing these examples?
I am sharing these examples because I believe in the future. I believe in our local students and that they will succeed if we as a community continue to give them the resources to succeed. And we are doing a great job so far. I am sharing these examples because of my personal campaign to make a difference in education and champion reading in this community.
Another alarming statistic about reading is that 38% of employers find high school graduates “deficient” in reading comprehension. One in five U.S. workers read at a lower rate than normal. This is according to the National Endowment of the Arts.
So, this is why the “needs of the many” are important: We must continue to provide opportunities for students to expand their horizons through reading programs, discussion groups, job shadowing, mentoring, and through guest speaking opportunities of our business/community leaders.
We must do these things because the needs of the students, the needs of the teachers, the needs of education outweigh the needs of the one or the few. This must be a collective vision - a collective mission.
Because yes we can make a difference. We can.
So, being out and about has given me a new realization of the “needs of the many.” It has given me a lifechanging new perspective about our role in the grander scheme of things. It has given me a passion for youth, education, reading, and doing all I can to help our students and teachers succeed. And, it has given me a new challenge, mission and vision.
Remember, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one or the few. There are needs out there for our students, and I hope that we as leaders can continue to make a difference by putting those needs ahead of the one or the few.
Please stay tuned to our updates on One Book, BLS and other programs as we continue to join other educators and community leaders who champion, support and underscore the importance of education and reading in our community.
That’s out and about. That’s the “the needs of the many.”
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