This is the song I sung to Jakob tonight. He was falling asleep as I was singing, and I realized the song was just as powerful, just as resonate as it was then. Draw whatever parallels to today’s world that you see fit.

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, ‘n’ how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, ‘n’ how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, ‘n’ how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, ‘n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it’s washed to the sea?
Yes, ‘n’ how many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, ‘n’ how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn’t see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

So, this past Wednesday, I went back to the Beacon School, where I had spent nine years before moving on to start SLA. I went because SLA’s science teachers wanted to meet with Beacon’s science teachers to talk about the implementation of their integrated biochemistry curriculum. It was Philly’s Spring Break, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to go back and see everyone.

The day started out perfectly, as I walked in the door, and the first person to see me was one of my former Ultimate players, Ashley, who spent two years playing on the boys’ team as she (and her coach, Abby) started the girls team which, now in her senior year, is going to the Eastern Championships. I wonder if Gamal and Matt (the SLA teachers) were surprised when she took a twenty-yard run-up into a hug, but for me, it was a wonderful way to start a return to Beacon. And it did set the tone for the day.

All day long, I saw former students and former colleagues who really have, over the past nine years, meant the world to me. And I don’t think I was fully prepared for all of the emotions that I felt walking through those hallways. There are many folks in that building who I have spoken to a ton this year, but it means all the more to see them in person. And then there are the folks who I haven’t talked to, but who have always been close to my heart, and seeing them reminded me of how much I care about them.

And then, I always was powerfully reminded of what a powerful place Beacon is. Gamal and Matt really seemed struck by the energy and positive vibe of the place. And for me, after spending a year away from it, I was reminded of what we built, and what is possible. It really remains a place that has an energy and intelligence and passion that few places in the country can muster.

And through it all, there was one powerful thought — Yes, it was a wonderful place to spend nine years. And yes, there are many, many people at Beacon who I miss terribly, but I’m not the person I was even nine months ago, and as much as I love Beacon, I made the right decision to leave and start SLA. And walking through with Gamal and Matt, I realized that I’ve got the chance to build a school that can be for Philadelphia what Beacon has been for New York City. Are we just replicating Beacon? No, but certainly, we stand on the shoulders of giants. But we will create a different school with a somewhat different vision… and with some luck, we’ll even do some things better than we did them at Beacon.

And this is who I am now, the principal of Science Leadership Academy, and the last year of my life in Philly has given me the perspective to go back to Beacon and celebrate the life I led for nine years, and the community I was a part of for those nine years, while knowing that I made the right decision to take on new challenges.

Thanks to Beacon for an amazing nine years, and thank you for welcoming me back and reminding me of everything that I have always loved about that place. And most importantly, thank you for letting me be a part of a school that always dared us all to dream of what was possible. That gift that Beacon gave me — the ability to dream big — and to see so many of our dreams become reality — is why today, I believe in what SLA will become.