From My View - Dr. Jim Wipke

It's been a while since I've sat down to share a few thoughts via the From My View blog.  However, recently, I received a gift that almost brought me to tears. Yes, I — a 52-year-old superintendent of the Ladue School District in the state of Missouri – was on the verge of tears because of a gift. Before you start imagining a trip to Hawaii or a brand-new car, let me set the record straight: it was a pen. To be precise, the gift was a wooden pen snugly encased in a leather holder. Yes, a pen. Your natural reaction might be, "Why would a pen bring you to tears?" Years ago, when I worked in another school district, a guest speaker named John O’Leary shared his remarkable story with us. I use the term remarkable because, in reality, John’s story is remarkable but came about through a horrific accident. Many of you know John — he burned 100% of his body at the age of nine. He grew up in the St. Louis area, living in an area very close to Ladue. During his visit, I was pr

It all came into focus at the top of South Mountain. A recent trip to Arizona with my wife, Jennifer, and children Jacob and Jordan was fantastic for spending precious time together, and also came with its share of meaningful moments. As we stood at Dobbins Lookout, gazing over the Salt River Valley – the Phoenix metro and the many miles of desert extending outward – I thought about all of decisions and opportunities that life affords us. The drive up the mountain had been slow at times as we snaked back and forth, gaining altitude little by little. With careful navigation, we arrived at our lookout point, and I thought about how we often encounter winding roads in life. These roads will throw different turns and obstacles our direction, and sometimes it might feel like you aren’t making much progress. But the hope is that if we approach each obstacle with thoughtfulness and persistence, we can take one small step after another, eventually leading us to where we want to go. Once we’re