I started my week reading Dr. Seuss stories to bright-eyed, energetic kindergarteners at my childhood alma mater, Maclary Elementary School in Newark. By Wednesday, I participated in a Q & A session with members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, part  of the University of Delaware’s Division of Professional and Continuing Studies. And by week’s end I was joining the friends and family of Dorothy Chere, as they celebrated her 100th birthday. These groups may vary greatly in age, aspirations and experiences, but each serves as a reminder of how the choices that we make today can impact generations to come.

With the General Assembly returning to Legislative Hall next week, there will be many important conversations taking place and, ultimately, decisions being made on a wide range of topics including education, job development and public safety. Nationally, the conversations vary from sequestration to Medicaid expansion to marriage equality to gun safety. These issues are impacting us all, regardless of our age, background or party affiliation. And though we may never live in a perfect world, we strive to leave this world better than how we found it – it is the tie that binds us all.

The boys and girls I met on Monday are years away from applying for their first job, but when they do – thanks to our ongoing efforts to strengthen Delaware’s public schools – they’ll be better prepared to compete in a global economy. It’s that type of future oriented thinking, combined with unwavering determination and a desire to continually improve, that keeps Delaware moving forward.

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