You have within you the strength and wisdom to do great things for youngsters in your Catholic school and collectively for the whole country. It is a time that calls for heroes, not the one giant hero who will slay dragons, but a multitude of heroes. Whether or not you want it, the call is directed at you.

And so the dance begins! What dance you may ask? Well, it really does not have a name. To provide some concept of what I am about to describe, I will call it "The Ballet." I am choosing ballet because it has many intricate steps and details. It is filled with awe, wonder, mystery, delicacy, and music. It has a story to tell and a message to be learned by those who create, perform, watch, and listen.

The Creator of the dance is God. The Catholic administrator is the one, I believe, who has received the message to put this dance into motion. I believe that our personal mission is to deal with everything truthfully and to learn the art of communicating that truth to those who were sent to us to lead. It is from the God within ourselves that we learn to respond rather than react to situations that make it difficult for the dance to become a reality. After all, who created the reality? And where is it written that difficulties are not part of the dance?

An administrator's life should be rooted in the faith that she or he has been called by God to make a difference in the lives of all those with whom he or she comes in contact. This includes teachers, students, support staff, parents, pastor, parishioners, maintenance personnel, and the community. We have been called to serve with joy. Our leadership is rooted in the fact that we have been called by God to orchestrate "The Ballet" with love.

As orchestrators, we are called to empower people who need Jesus' love, compassion, and healing. Mistakes will be made. As orchestrators, we have the ability to recognize those mistakes within ourselves, admit them, learn from them, and go about continuing "The Ballet" on firmer ground.

Parents are the primary directors of "The Ballet," teachers are the ones who show the dance steps, and students are the dancers. We all want our dancers to be great people. The love and compassion shown by the orchestrator, the directors, and the teachers, will indeed ensure that the dancers will not only be great, but they will be able to dance "The Ballet" with the love of God in their hearts for the rest of their lives.

By involving ourselves in education, we the administrators, parents, teachers, students, schools and community are called to make sure the dance, "The Ballet," happens. Therefore, we are the instruments that God is using to help students (dancers) see that there is a better way. God needs these dancers to finish their story-so that a different world can be had for the dancers of future generations, and a new ballet can be performed. This is progress--this is growth--this is God intervening so those miracles can happen.

"May God raise up among us a leadership that will lead us in a dance we can do for ourselves..."
     Joan Chittister, O.S.B.

Miss Thomasina J. Wyatt, Principal
St. Thomas the Apostle School
Old Bridge, NJ

References
Chittister, J., O.S.B. (1993, May/June). "Fulfilling the Promise: the Role of Leadership in the Church." The Catholic World, 100-106.
Starratt, R. J. (1993). Transforming Life: Conversations about Leadership and Renewal. Australia: Australian Council for Educational Administration, Inc.