End of Year Speech

The teachers were asked to take a survey about different random elements.  I took that information and quotes to create this that was read on the last day. (Pardon the typos)

What we will remember….

Ok, so it has been said that what matters in life isn’t the year of your birth or the year that one passes from life.  The thing that truly matters is the dash.  It is the smallest part of the tombstone, but I think the most important. 

What is the legacy that you are leaving behind…what does your dash say?  For many of us, it is the jobs of life …. Parent, teacher, good friend…but it much more than jobs….the dash is experiences….it is events….it is creating memories that you didn’t know you were creating. 

Without a doubt, you do this every single day.  Your dash speaks volumes.  I see you get up way too early to teach way too many kids way too much information in way too short of time when they would rather be sleeping, playing video games, texting, watching tv, talking, playing outside, or a host of other things.  Your dash is moving kids that don’t want to moved….loving kids that don’t know how to love or be loved….and giving kids hope and a future that didn’t know they were missing either one.

I see teachers like Ms. Lang who wants her tombstone to read “her children are her life” or Ms. Crissman’s to say “she made a difference.”  Ms. Kulpa wants her to say “She left the world in a better place” and Ms. Hodges’ to say that “she always did it with a smile.” 

It is with that mindset that we got so many things done this year.  It is with the drive and determination that we are like our super heroes.  Many of you are like Jennifer’s, Stephanie’s or Kim’s favorite “Wonder woman who is strong, beautiful, and can tackle anything” and “takes care of business.”  Or you are like Ms. Jurkowski’s, Ms. Neiman’s, Ms. Ramos’, Roberts’,  or Ms. Krahn’s  favorite superman who has perseverance.  And have to be made of steel as well as travel in a blink of an eye by flying! As well as have “wisdom and power” or hey even knowing that “great things come in small packages” like Mighty Mouse helps like Ms. Walker pointed out to me.  Or maybe you are like Ms. Kulpa who wants Batman’s car or Ms. Lang who wants Betty Boop’s shape…. I don’t think she is really a super hero though….  Regardless, we all do the same amazing things.  Humans have a great scope of power that any superhero has. 

That is why we look up to real life heroes like Ms. Neiman’s husband the Iraq war vet.  Or so many “moms and dads” that was pointed out by Ms. Lang, Lewis, Williams, Jaster, Kulpa, Krahn, Ramos, Haines, Ms. Blasé, and Ms. Hagensick.  Seeing so many people that have been touched by their parents in such a life-changing way makes you wonder the legacy that we are leaving.  Whether it is our personal children or our students…are we being the hero that they need?  Are they seeing us display integrity, citizenship, work ethic, fairness, and overcoming obstacles?  Can we be that real life hero that someone remembers in 30 years….?

It is evident that you guys do.  I see classes like Ms. Jurkowskis that are “busy, silly, and entertaining”…or Jennifers that is “loud…in a good way”   or see Ms Hodges being “Wild, Crazy, Wild, Loveable, and Wild”….or Ms. Ramos being “lively and energetic. “…or Ms. Krahn’s crew that was “chatty, lovable, and leaders”….or across the hall in Ms. Lynch where they are “challenging, quirky, and brilliant.”  -- those seem to always go together….Or Ms. Jaster’s class that is “energetic and special.”  Or Ms. Williams that are “caring and inquisitive”….And some days they may be like Ms. Hayes’ group that is just “full of gas.”

Whatever the make-up of the class…you put your personality in the mix.  You made it yours, and you developed a family with your relationships.  You made the dynamic not only work for you, but for the kids….you made a difference because you cared.

You are great for so many reasons like Mr. P relating to students…not sure what that says about his maturity, but it is a skill nonetheless.  Like Ms. Williams craziness…really??? Nooo???  Or the patience of Ms. Jaster…with the “special class”….We all the ability to laugh at ourselves like Ms. Lewis does or be like Ms. Kulpa where the “kids like her, and learn anyway.”   Some days takes Ms. Ramos’ “organizational skills”  to get through while others take Ms. Hayes’ “meds and patience.”  But above all it takes Ms. Krahns and Ms. Hoth’s “passion for kids”….Passion to change the future….passion to make a difference.

So looking back on the year…we saw a great Kinder/First Mother’s Day tea or kids beam with pride from accomplishing something or being on an awesome team.  We had talent shows, girls on the run, night events like McDonalds, and field trips….oh yea and we taught a little between all of that too!  Ha.  We had kids in jammies, a great 5^th grade Main Event, great teacher appreciation week, and even a snake running across the doorway.

Every day here is an adventure…we are all not sure what is around the corner, but we know that we want to find out and we want to do it together.

So take a moment and find that teacher that you wanted to say something to.  You told me…but you didn’t tell them.  Tell them what they do for kids and what they do for you….they make a difference in tomorrow….but they make a difference in today.  They even make a difference in your dash.  Your dash isn’t just what you have done…it is what others have done with you and for you.

So, wherever you go in the years to come…whether a Hound or another mascot or moving on to something entirely new and different…we are better because of you.  We were a team that will never be exactly the same as today, but we learned something and we got better every day.  Always remember that you can make a difference, you can affect the future, and you can leave each place you touch better because of your time there.

Final "Flush" for 2012-2013

As the final “flush” of the year, I thought the above quote was QUITE appropriate.  We have an amazing year!  I am so proud to say that I work alongside of you!  You are a great team.  This is the time of year of so many goodbyes.  You will be saying goodbye to kiddos, goodbye to parents, and goodbye to coworkers.  Some people out of those groups won’t be back here in Hound country next year, so it is even a bigger and harder goodbye.  But, the joy is that we are going to say HELLO again and OFTEN!  I hope that we find ways to stay connected with students, parents, and of course each other.  I have heard that each goodbye makes the next hello closer….I am excited to hear about what the future holds for so many of you.  I am very sad to have to say goodbye to some of you guys, but I know that the horizon holds something even greater for you.  Please make sure we know about it when it happens for you!  We want to celebrate all of your successes with you.

I wanted to take a minute and first say “thanks” to all of you.  You had a new principal with a new vision/mission, and you jumped right in.  I had a great year, and I learned so much from you.  I appreciate your hard work and your flexibility.  We accomplished some great things, and we are making real estate agents much happier as the community is loving you guys!  You are rockstars in their books, and in mine too.  So, I thank you for being able to stay out of the negative elements of our jobs and focus on the positives.  This summer will be a great time to unwind and focus on relaxing and refocusing.  I hope that you get to do EVERYTHING you want and much more, and I hope you get to fully reflect on the good you did this year.  We can all improve, and there is for sure a time to reflect on that too.  But, all too often, that is the only aspect we reflect on, and that isn’t healthy.  Look for things you did right and you are proud of….find ways to replicate it and build on that energy.  You have amazing strengths and talents, and I know you will find more and more ways to use them effectively. 

I also wanted to highlight some key players that are moving on from us this year…I know we all know who won’t be joining us in the fall, but I wanted to say “thanks” to them personally as well.

Lana Kulpa – She is for sure an icon in this community, and it is amazing the amount of lives that have been touched because of her dedication to students.  She has dedicated the lion share of her experience/time/sweat/tears to Huggins, and this community will never be able to thank her fully.  She is choosing to take some time to be a daughter now.  She is going to continue her serving attitude, but now it will be for her dad.   

Karen Parris – She is also another “legend in her own time” because of the amount of time she dedicated solely to the students of Huggins elementary.  She has taught in no other LCISD school, and she is quick to make relationships with students and parents.  She is leaving big shoes to fill, and she seems able to adjust to any situation quite easily.  One of the qualities that everyone talks about with her is her amazing sense of humor.  I am personally privileged as a parent to have had a child in her class, and I thank her for touching so many lives.

Elizabeth Stevenson – We were glad to get a glimpse of the magic that can happen in Ms. Stevenson’s classroom.  She was with us this school year in a whirlwind of change for her family.  New state, new home, new job, and oh yeah new baby!  She jumped in ready to go from day one, and she came back guns blazing after her time off with the baby.  She has so much enthusiasm, and she is a great fit anywhere she goes.  She is wanting to be closer to home, so we are most likely losing her to the Maroon or blue track.  They needed a little gold on that side of town, and we know she will be back to us one day!

Jamie Macleod --  One of the biggest shoes we are having to fill next year is for our beloved nurse.  How can you easily find someone that can coddle a Kindergartner for a scraped knee, can scold a 5^th grader for ditching class, can use an ice pack to solve 100 problems, can see through a veiled stomach pain to find a true issue, and has the medical knowledge/advice for the one million of possible ailments floating around this place.  Then throw in the fact that she is amazing at communicating with parents on so many levels.  Yep those nurse booties will be tough to fill!  She has wrangled with parents and stood her ground in tough situations, and she has hugged kiddos while sweating in that Hound costume on multiple occasions.  We wish her the best in looking for that slower paced job…

Delana Jones – I would think that you could easily make the argument that there is no one on campus that wears more hats than Delana.  When trying to write interview questions for her replacement, we found that her true job description doesn’t cover near enough.  She works with ESL students, helps in the office, pulls students, answers phones, staples, files, copies, and that is all before her first cup of coffee!  She is leaving some fast shoes to fill, but I know she is ready for the next step in her career path.  She will be continuing to train others, so if you need a good personal trainer, give her a call.  And, she will be working with a family company that is growing quickly, so she will get the joy of working from home.

Sandra Hodges – I will for sure miss seeing her smile everyday next year.  She is truly and quite literally like a Timex watch – she “takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’”  We are so grateful to her kind spirit in working with our PASS kiddos.  I love her ability to put her arm around a student who is upset and watch their body language immediately change.  She is able to be a positive presence in their lives that unfortunately don’t have that presence at home.  She will be joining the maroon track as well next year at Polly Ryon Middle School, so she is moving from being a Hound to being a Longhorn!

Nick Palacios – I will miss having Nick around.  I don’t like losing testosterone around the building!  We all know what Nick puts up with on a daily basis, and we can’t thank him enough for being able to “play Gumby” the way that he has.  He is amazing at being flexible with his schedule to accommodate the needs of the student….which change VERY quickly.  He is able to stay on top of paperwork while staying on top of behavior and academics.  He is heading across the district to Jane Long to work with their PASS students as well as with his wife.  They will save on gas on their short commute too!  We wish him the best, and I am sure all will be great unless he offers his wife TOO much advice….

Elana Lang --Words can't express how big her shoes are to fill!  She has a tremendous love of Science that kids can't help but catch on to.  She is amazing at making learning fun and hands on  She seems to have a way of joking with kids that draws them in, and it is clearly evident that she loves children.  She is following these 5th graders to the 6th grade campus to keep an eye on them for us...

Words can’t express how thankful I am to each one of you….make sure to find time to thank them as well!  They will be missed!

I hope everyone has a wonderful last day with the kids, and a great summer!  The mush and flush will resume in 13-14!

The Last Monday Mush

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi

What a great quote as we head into our last week of school for this year!  It is amazing all the things that we have accomplished this year, and I owe each one of you a huge thank you for hanging in the way that you have.  The Huggins community is better for all of us working together the way we have.

This quote sums up the way we can start living this summer.  We can enjoy each day for the gift that it is, and we can keep learning and looking for more opportunities to conquer new tasks.  I hope the summer is of course a time for relaxing, but I also hope that it is a time for you to develop steps towards your goals.  What do you want to learn or do?  Start deciding now how to go about finding a way to do that.  I know the summer is a great time to get started.

Take every moment that you have this week with your students and cherish them.  This is your last chance to remind them of all the good they have in front of them and how proud you are of them.  They aren’t a perfect crew…I know that much, but I also know that you will miss them.  Don’t be afraid to tell them that.

I will miss you guys over the summer as well as missing greatly those that are not returning to Hound country.  It won’t be the same without you.

Remember that you make a difference every day, and I appreciate that more than you will ever know. 

Happy Monday!