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