who am I?

I saw this postcard this weekend and it made me laugh.
Yeah, I'm 35 years old and I feel like I'm still figuring out who I want to be. (And some days, what I want to be, too!) I'm a heck of a lot closer to that answer than I was at 25...when I was pretty sure I knew everything. How misled I was! I'm even closer than I was when I was 30. Maybe I'll have the answer by the time I'm 40?! Or maybe I'll still be figuring it all out. I guess in a way I want to still be figuring it out because I've never thought of myself as one to stay stagnant for very long.
Our yoga teacher Deralyn wears a shirt from time to time that says "Transformation in progress". I love it. It sounds so much nicer and more graceful than "work in progress" although I'm pretty sure I'm more of a work in progress than a transformation in progress on any given day. Ah...I can always dream of more grace.
I needed a little today. I got all riled up about this very question "who are we", in fact, as it applies to St. Andrew's? I feel like we know who we are as a school and yet sometimes we're afraid to really live into that because of the consequences, because of who it might leave out...or include. I was in a discussion today that was all about SAT scores and data to compare us to other schools and accomplishments and careers of our graduates as a way to promote us in the community, and I'm afraid I didn't respond all that gracefully to the notion that there are only acceptable careers to list or that our SAT scores answer the question of "who are we?". I can apologize for raising my voice. But I can't apologize for believing that we're a school that welcomes back a student who had to leave because his mother was diagnosed with cancer and the family wasn't sure it would be able to juggle treatments, homework, the commute, etc... That we're a school where an advisor stops to make a student a PB&J sandwich in some hope that it will make the moment feel a little better...and provide a place of comfort in a rough day. That we're a school that really does care about the whole child.
We're a big heart with high expectations because we believe kids/teenagers are capable of great things. We're a place that believes in students and tries to help them believe in themselves. We're a place that serves as a reality check in hopes of preparing them for the world after St. Andrew's where we want them to lead meaningful lives for themselves and those around them. We're a place where adults try to model what we ask for from students and where students push us to be our best...and vice-versa. We're a place that looks out for one another and that provides a safe enough community to dream big dreams even if you don't reach them. We're a place where compassion and accountability co-exist.
And I'm not sure how to quantify those things on a piece of paper for prospective families. But THAT is who we are.
Now who am I? I might not be as clear about that...transformation/work in progress, I think.