Two Roads

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

At the close of my senior year thirty-two years ago, my closest classmates were preparing to enter the University of Alabama as Computer Science majors. To the surprise of many, I took a different road—education. It was a choice that has served me well and a field that has allowed me to use a variety of talents. It is a profession to which I have given much. It is a profession which has given back in return.

Two roads diverge again for me now. One path is familiar and comfortable. The other offers both a challenge and a chance to affect change on a larger scale, and it is that road I am choosing to take.

I will be retiring at the end of June.

If I had it all to do again, I would do very little any differently. Four school systems and 28 years brings one in contact with a wide variety of people. Along the road, I have been privileged to work with some incredible talent, and a fair share of it has been during this last 12 years here in this place.

Over a year ago, our school system revisited its vision and found that the words “moving forward” encapsulated how this system sees itself. The slightly longer “Moving forward to meet the demands of a changing world” recognizes that the world we must prepare for tomorrow will be different than the one in which we live in today. New tools and new practices will replace the old, and my desire is to be a part of the process for making that journey easier for others.

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.

Moving forward,

Frank Buck