Pursuit of Excellence

Excellence \Ex"cel*lence\,
n. [F. excellence, L. excellentia.]
1. The quality of being excellent; state of
possessing good qualities in an eminent degree;
exalted merit; superiority in virtue.

  Consider first that great OR bright infers not
  excellence.                           --Milton.

On Friday I visited my new school Morrison Academy - Bethany Campus. It was just a casual BBQ that I was invited to so I could meet the staff. I was a little nervous as I don't usually like meeting a large group of strangers. I get all nervous and usually resort to hanging out with 1-2 people I feel comfortable with. Although I did end up doing exactly that, I was glad I went.

I especially enjoyed the "Thank you's" that the staff were saying to many of the teachers who were leaving the school. They shared about their positive attitudes, their love for the students, their kindness and friendliness, their professionalism and their love for God. I felt like I was in the midst of "Giants": Good teachers who really loved God and who were extremely humble people. They even prayed that the new staff would not just "fill in" the places that the old staff had left behind but that they would start new stories and build on the work that God had already started.

Since I first learned about the school I have been extremely impressed and encouraged by the level of excellence that the school strives for. My first glimpse of the school was through the recruitment video I watched on-line. The calibre and thoroughness of the video blew me away. I was actually quite intimidates and called the school "very sleek" as I recall. Watch video here.

Now that I've been hired as a staff I continue to be amazed at the level of excellence that the school strives for.

Exhibit 1: Here is a brief history of the school which really demonstrates where the school has come from.

Exhibit 2: The school invests in the latest of technologies (every classroom will be equipped with a Smartboard beginning this fall); they use Moodle to update parents, staff and students of weekly homework, lessons and events at the school; our staff e-mail system is now using gmail;

Exhibit 3: The school invests in a great deal of training and support for the staff. I'm being flown to North America for a two week training in Houghton, New York, expenses paid. I was given a copy of the Lonely Planet: Taiwan as a welcoming gift. Their website is extremely detailed and gives ample of resources, links and information.

I'm excited about the new school year and look forward to putting my best in. I'm still nervous, but feel comforted by the examples that I can follow at my school.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” —Colossians 3:17, 23-24