“Optimism is the ultimate definition of a leader. A leader has to look optimistically at what is ahead while not ignoring the challenges that must be overcome. Those challenges are in government, politics, world leadership and even in community life.”  Those challenges are also in education.  This quote by Linda McMahon captures my core beliefs about leadership and especially leading in a challenging environment. 

Leading Selma City Schools is a challenge.

Although we are a small school district, our obstacles are many.  They range from the national teacher shortage to the extreme poverty in our community.  Like many of life’s obstacles, these are challenges that are beyond our immediate control. 

Yet I remain optimistic.

Research supports that people who are optimistic are more committed to their goals and tend to be more successful in reaching their goals.  Optimistic people are more satisfied with their lives and have more quality mental and physical health when compared to pessimistic people. We cannot control many aspects of what happens in our community, our nation or the world.  We can, however, choose optimism. We can choose to believe that the best is yet to come.

What do you believe in for our community, for our schools and for our children?  I believe that we must provide our children with a better world than the one that they currently have.  I believe that a quality education is the difference maker.  I have faith that the tireless efforts that our teachers and leaders are employing will not be in vain.

I also believe that faith without work is dead. Therefore, we must remain vigilant in our efforts. With a laser-like focus, we must work smarter and not just harder.  Whether working to improve our community or our schools, we must be optimistic. 

Selma City Schools is in the midst of a transformation.  We are transforming into a culture of joy.  Our challenges have been identified and we are more determined than ever to ensure that we are working at a level of excellence while keeping students first. As superintendent, I am humbled and optimistic about leading this charge.

If you’re interested in hearing more about our work to improve outcomes for our students and the community, please be sure to join us for the State of our Schools Community Summit.  It will be held on Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. at the Selma High School library.  We hope you can join us.  Our scholars need us working together. Their future depends on this.

For more information, email me at avis.williams@selmacityschools.org.