Reflecting after three weeks at CCS

I would like to share this story written by Henry Miller. It is about a little boy in India who walks up to a guru – an Indian wise man—who is sitting and looking at something in his hand. The little boy goes up and looks at it. He doesn’t quite understand what it is, so he says to the guru, “What is that?”
“It’s a cocoon,” the guru tells him. “Inside the cocoon is a butterfly. Soon the cocoon is going to split, and the butterfly will come out.”
“Could I have it?” asks the little boy.
“Yes,” says the guru, “but you must promise me that when the cocoon splits and the butterfly starts to come out and he is beating his wings to get out of the cocoon, you won’t help him. Don’t help the butterfly by breaking the cocoon apart. Let him do it by himself.”
The little boy promised, took the cocoon, went home with it, and then sat and watched it. Finally, he saw it begin to vibrate and move and quiver, and finally the cocoon split. Inside was a beautiful, damp butterfly, frantically beating its wings against the cocoon, trying to get out and not seeming to be able to do it.
The little boy desperately wanted to help. Finally, he gave in and disobeyed the guru’s orders. He pushed the two halves of the cocoon apart, and the butterfly sprang out. But, as soon as it got up into the air, it fell down to the ground and was killed. The boy picked up the dead butterfly and in tears went back to the guru and showed the butterfly to him.
“You see, little boy,” the guru said, “you pushed open the cocoon, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” said the little boy, “I did.”
And the guru said, “You don’t understand. You didn’t see what you were doing. When the butterfly comes out of the cocoon, the only way he can strengthen his wings is by beating them against the cocoon. It beats against the cocoon so its muscles will grow. When you helped it the way you did, you prevented it from getting strong. That’s why the butterfly fell to the ground and was killed.”
It’s a story every parent should remember, every teacher should heed and every administrator should implement. Handing a child everything they want and fulfilling their desires tends to weaken the muscles (learning power) they use to “fly on their own.”
I have been in Chase County Schools for three weeks and have seen a healthy tradition of academics and activities that continue to excel because of its outstanding students/teachers/sponsors/coaches and community support.
Can Chase County Schools improve? Anything is possible when a community and school constantly work together. I know that Chase County Schools will work hard to reach academic and activity goals and once those goals are reached, higher reachable goals will be implemented. We can enjoy our accomplishments, but we should never be totally satisfied. Therefore, let’s continue to take a progressive approach, which will help strengthen the academic and activity “wings” of our students.