SUPER MONDAY

A motivational and informational morning message from Superintendent Willis

Week 6~ September 18th, 2023

Super Monday Message

The most commonly searched and referenced poem in American, and possibly the world, is The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. It’s also frequently called The Road Less Traveled. One of the most poetic things about poems is that you can interpret them however you like. In the case of this work by Robert Frost, most people make their interpretations based solely on the last two lines…“I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

As your thought provoking motivation for the week I ask you to take a look at a few other lines from the poem. Read the whole poem and then I’ll call out a couple other lines….

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Quick interpretive summary…The traveler in this poem had two paths. He or she thought one path was less traveled… “Perhaps a better claim, because it was grassy and wanted wear.” However, after choosing one path the traveler decides the paths are really about the same… “Had worn them really about the same” and “both that morning equally lay.” The traveler then speculates what he or she will say about the decision in the future… “I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence.” 

The traveler believes that he or she will look back on the decision and assume that it made all the difference. We do not know if the difference was positive or negative. We don’t know if the traveler made it to where they intended to go. We just know the traveler believed that they would look back on the path they chose and say it made a difference.
Of the many many possible interpretations of this poem, I believe it’s a great lesson about looking optimistically forward. Frequently we face a path that appears better than others only to second guess that the other options might have been just as good or better. Don’t dwell on what could have been, your decisions do make a difference, but you decide if it’s a positive or a negative. When we optimistically move forward any perceived negative difference from the past becomes a simple stepping stone to our bright future. One of my favorite quotes is the Henry Ford classic “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” Have a great week 6.

Super High Fives

Just a couple of the awesome recent accomplishments that need a big thank you. 

• A Super high five to the Piute High School student body officers for organizing a fun spirit week. Participation was high and the activities were fun. 
• Super high five to the Piute High School class of 1968. They held their 55 year class reunion on Friday and we enjoyed hosting them. The class was possibly the biggest in school history with 51 featured in their senior year yearbook and others that did part of high school with them. Also a super high five to their high school teachers Afton Morgan and Clyde Whittaker that attended the event.

Other Super Information

• The November ballot will have a question about a bond for a consolidated elementary school in Junction. A public hearing will be held on October 24th at 6:00 PM at Piute High School. Everyone is invited to the meeting. This link is to a community information folder regarding the proposal.

Super Weekly Schedule