Final Monday Mush

I think this is the perfect quote to end our “mushes” on this school year.  We have done so much…we have been through so much, but it is important to remember that we are all here for a reason…the kids in your class are there for a reason. 

Think about all the faces in your class…they were there for a reason.  What did you do for them that only you could have done?  What did they do for you?  There is for sure a reason that paths were crossed.  It is a great time of year to look at the growth kids made, to look at specific ways that you helped kids, and to see the ways that your life was changed.

Next year, there will be a new set of team mates, kids, and parents.  I know that they will be needing you for very specific reasons.   I know each of us will be planning on how to be that person that others can rely on and grow from next year.  I hope that we begin to have that vision to see others that cross our paths as potential.  It is exciting to see how there are others that need us, and I truly believe cross our paths for specific reasons.

I thank you for being such a great team this year.  It was a lot of work and we had plenty of ups and several downs, but we did it together, and I hope you can look around and be a better person because of those around you.  I know your students are.

Thank you for all you do!

Happy Monday!

Final Friday Flush

We are getting close!  Summer is for sure almost “loaded!”  It is coming, and I know we are all very ready!  You guys have worked so hard, and you have accomplished so much!

That beach trip, that time in a hammock, reading a few books, vegging out watching movies, and car trips are all in sight.  You have earned it, and I hope that you get to do so many things that relax you.  I hope it is family time, “you” time, and time to recharge.  But we have one more week to make a difference….let’s remember to focus on the kids this week.

This is the last memory they will have of us for a while…it is part of their memories of Huggins.  Let’s make sure this week is about relationships and not just “to do’s.”  I know we have to pack, move rooms, and complete that checkout list.   But, we have kids that want to know they matter to us…they want to be missed…they want to know that we are proud of how hard they worked.  We pushed them hard and had high expectations….they deserve the chance to hear how proud we are of them!

Next week will be a whirlwind, but I can promise you that next week will come to an end…I promise you that your checklist will get done, they always do.  So focus on your kids and your families! 

Thanks for all you do!

Happy last “Flush” – Happy Friday!

"Monday" Mush

Happy fake Monday tomorrow!  We always like a short week!

I am always a sucker for these personality tests, but I thought this one was VERY user friendly and predictive.  It has great information at the end, and it would be a perfect discussion item for your team!

http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

Takes about 10 minutes, and it is quite good!

Happy “Monday”!

Friday Flush -- Nick Nolte or Socrates?

If it is on the internet, it must be true! I research a lot of quotes, and it is always funny who they are attributed to…this one was attributed to Socrates, Dan Millman, and Nick Nolte.  If you don’t really care where it came from, skip on down to the next paragraph.  Well, they are all 3 kind of right.  Dan Millman wrote a book called “Peaceful Warrior” in which there is a gas station attendant known as Socrates.  In the movie edition of this book, Socrates was played by Nick Nolte.  So truly this quote isn’t from the ancient philosopher, but really from Dan Millman in his best-selling book.

So, regardless of who said it….it is still a POWERFUL quote.  We all have a past…some good, some bad.  We all have things we can brag about, and we all have things we wish were very different.  Our energy cannot change those things.  It cannot preserve the good, and it can’t change the bad.  Our future can.

I am not the person I want to be…I won’t ever be able to say “I have arrived,” but I do want tomorrow to be able to say “I am better today than I was yesterday.”  We get that by using our energy is changing tomorrow, not fixing yesterday.  Tomorrow has potential…we truly have a way to change it…yesterday is static and it can’t be undone.

I hope this weekend is a large time of rest as you enjoy a long weekend….as we are close to the finish line think about what is ahead of you! 

Happy Friday!

Monday Mush -- SEAL Life Lessons

http://advice-223.lifebuzz.com/10-lessons-from-navy-seal/?utm_source=sp&utm_medium=April&utm_campaign=Spots&fp=sp

A few years ago, I read this at our “closing meeting” – was going through my “mush folder,” and I thought it was great advice as we start in “graduation speech season.”  Some great “life lessons” with much larger meanings and purposes.

I think that our “day to day” shows our character…our integrity…our heart. 

I will keep my comments brief, so you have ample time to read.

I thank you for your daily dedication to these students and their families.  We are perfect, and some days are TOUGH….but we don’t “ring the bell” and we find a way to laugh even “neck deep in the mud.”

Thanks for all you do!

Happy Monday!  

Friday Flush

Are you feeling the finish line approaching?  It is coming!  That is a good, good thing…. 

People ask me all the time this time of year, “So things winding down now over there?” Or something similar.   I tell them that we don’t seem to “wind down”….we stay full speed and seem to pick up a crazy pace all the way to the end….we go full speed off the cliff to finish the year. 

I am not a runner…but the few things I have done in a 5K or while jogging prove that I can push myself when the end is in sight.  If I was running aimlessly and didn’t know how long I had to keep it up….I would quit.  I would walk or sit down.  BUT, if I know that the finish line is close and my pain will come to an end soon, I can keep moving.  I can even pick up the pace to get there faster. 

That is where we are now…we have the days numbered…we know it is coming…there is a beach or pool or hammock in our sights!   But, we have lots to accomplish and push through to get there.  There is nothing wrong with picturing the finish line…actually I think it helps you not sit down or start walking!

Thanks for pushing through the end for these kids!

Happy Friday! 

Monday Mush

Steve Jobs had a life of driven passion and excellence.  He had a vision for how to live each day….of course he had big broad vision, but he took it in chunks.  So each morning he asked himself a simple but highly motivating question…..Below is a short youtube about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5SMyfbWYyE (1:53)

I hope that vision provides you with motivation.  I hope it provides you the ability to say “yes, I am doing what I should and want to be doing” – I hope that is true for all of us.  I hope that every day we can see the world clearly as we would if we knew our days were numbered. 

Thank you for giving your passion and your energy to tomorrow’s future….thank you for being all in here.

Happy Monday!