About Darrel Gregorio Medellin-Sturgill

About the Author
Meet Darrel Sturgill

For over four decades, I’ve had the privilege of serving in Catholic education in St. Louis — fifteen years as a middle school social studies teacher and more than twenty-five as a principal and school leader. Along the way, I’ve discovered that leadership isn’t just about policies, procedures, or test scores — it’s about people, purpose, and presence.

This space — my blog — began as a quiet place to process those lessons. Over time, it’s become something more: a collection of reflections, stories, and small reminders that faith, humor, and humanity still matter.

Why I Write

I write because life keeps whispering lessons when I slow down long enough to listen.
I write because the stories of my students, colleagues, and community have shaped me more than any textbook could.
And I write because I believe that sharing the journey — the honest, imperfect, hopeful parts — might help someone else see light in their own.

If a post makes you smile, think, cry, or whisper “me too” under your breath, then it’s done its job.

What You’ll Find Here

You’ll find reflections on faith, leadership, aging, grace, and laughter — told through the lens of an educator who still believes in the power of kindness and the quiet work of showing up every day.

Some days, the posts are deeply personal.
Other days, they’re just a nudge to slow down and see the sacred hiding in plain sight.
Always, they’re written with heart.

A Note on Connection

This blog isn’t about collecting likes — it’s about connection. Each comment, each email, each “Follow” button pressed reminds me that words can still bridge distance and make us feel less alone.

If something here resonates with you, stay a while.
Subscribe, share, or simply come back when you need a spark of hope.
Because sometimes, the tiniest ember of encouragement is all it takes to relight the fire within.

In Gratitude

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for allowing me to share a small part of your journey with mine.
I don’t take it for granted.

— Darrel Sturgill
Educator • Storyteller • Eternal Student of the Human Spirit

Comments

Inclusion - Giving Students What They Need to Succeed

I officially surrendered my man card the day I said, “I do,” back in 1987. Apparently, there are no returns. Yesterday I wept in my office. Not the dignified, single-tear kind of weeping. I’m talking full-on, reach-for-the-Kleenex, thank-God-the-door-is-closed weeping. We had just told a parent—whose child is on the spectrum—that we believe in her son, and we want him to stay at our school. Those words cost us something. They cost planning. They cost resources. They cost energy. But they didn’t cost us our mission. And here’s the irony: this conversation came on the heels of another one where I had to tell a “potential family” that we didn’t believe our school was the right fit for their children. Same day. Same office. Same principal. Two completely different outcomes. If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s an internal battle between a principal’s head and heart, let me assure you—it’s not theoretical. It’s daily. And sometimes it’s exhausting. Like most of my blogs, there’s a b...

On Humanity, Rumor, and the Discipline of Decency

Every so often, the world reminds us, sometimes gently, sometimes with a jolt, that God’s plan for us still runs through the old, unfashionable virtues: love, charity, humility, friendship. Not as slogans. As practices. Lately, the reminder hasn’t come through a clear, verified tragedy so much as through the way we react to rumor, outrage, and one another. In an age where headlines race ahead of facts and partisanship outpaces compassion, the simplest test of our humanity may be this: Do we refuse to cheer the suffering, real or rumored, of those we disagree with? I think about friendship across differences. Actor James Woods once said of director Rob Reiner that political differences never stood in the way of their love and respect for each other. Reiner fought for Woods when others wouldn’t. They worked together. They remained friends. That’s how it is in the real world, or at least how it should be. You don’t have to agree to stay human. I also think about families who live with add...

Reigniting the Fire: From Embers to Flame

There’s a moment in an interview with Michael Franti that’s stayed with me. He spoke about how a roaring fire, once reduced to embers, doesn’t need much to come alive again, just a gentle breath, a little attention, a whisper of wind. And suddenly, the flame returns. That image, embers waiting patiently for someone to believe in their potential, feels deeply personal. Franti once said, “I think of love as an action. Finding something that’s outside of yourself, to serve someone else’s soul, helping to ignite someone else’s spirit, to bring about ease of heart and joy, serenity in somebody else.” That quote reminds me that reigniting a fire, whether in us or in others, is about connection. It’s about showing up, listening, and offering warmth when someone feels cold inside. Not long ago, I found myself in a place I never expected to be. The fire inside me had dimmed. Life hadn’t knocked me down in one dramatic blow; it had chipped away, little by little. Leadership challen...

The Ex4mined L1fe

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