Have you ever stopped to assess what you’ve accomplished in your life? As we chronicle our lives via Facebook, blogs (ahem), Twitter, and other social media outlets, are we really doing anything, or are we just passing time? Sometimes it takes a special person who has accomplished a lot in life to recognize the impact one person can have in a community. John Harding Lucas, Sr., is one of those people.
At the Council of Urban Boards of Education(CUBE) Annual Conference last weekend, the Benjamin Elijah Mays Award was given to Dr. Lucas for his commitment to school children in Durham, North Carolina. A former school board member, teacher, guidance counselor, coach, principal, and university president, Dr. Lucas was also on the Board of Directors of the National Education Association. He has also been recognized by the North Carolina School Boards Association as a champion of excellence, equity, and access. The award is named after Dr. Mays, a former school board member in Atlanta, Georgia, who was a civil rights activist, teacher, minister, and author.
In his speech, Dr. Lucas celebrated his award with his family, and the pride he had in his family was evident to all in attendance. He captivated the audience as he spoke and it was easy to see how he was an effective teacher or coach, even though he was so much more than that. For more about Dr. Lucas, see NSBA’s press release. So Tweet away, but the next time you update that status, think about what you are really accomplishing.
