Monday Mush -- Moving Forward

I hope your long weekend was great!  We certainly needed it!  I hope you took the advice of the “Friday Flush” and got some great rest! 

This quote is a great way to start a week in my opinion.  We need to be people of action.  Study after study has proven that successful people don’t give up.  They find a way to win, achieve, or reach their goals without taking “no” for an answer.  Successful people simply don’t take the easy way out by saying “oh that is too hard” or “that is impossible.”  They find a way, and more importantly, they never doubted they could do it the whole time.

Randy Pausch, the famous “last lecture” professor, said in that famous speech that walls are put up in life not to stop us, but to separate those that really want something from those that don’t.  If we really want to achieve something, we will find a way around any wall. 

That is what we do as educators.  There are many kids that some would say “can’t learn” or they “can’t read” or “they will never catch up.”  But, we don’t give up.  We see potential where others would take the easy way out.  We know that moving forward slowly is still moving forward. 

Action is trying something new….action is not throwing your hands up and walking away….action is making a difference. 

I appreciate you guys….you don’t quit….you see the good in kids and their potential when the kids don’t see it….you help them see it and feel it….

I hope this is a great week….Happy Monday!

Fake Friday Flush

Happy “Fake Friday” to everyone!  This seemed like a great picture to take with us into our long weekend!  

I hope everyone gets to practice these 3 r’s this weekend for sure!  You deserve it.  We have all been going 100mph to get the year off to the amazing start that we have had so far….so now we get a chance to stop and catch our breath. 

Make sure you find time to rest….don’t make a “to do” list for everyday….sit and read or watch a movie….be bored on Facebook…find a friend you haven’t seen and meet up for lunch….only invite over people for dinner that don’t care that you didn’t clean.   And if something stresses you out, don’t do it. 

It is ok to be selfish at times…selfish for your sanity and your family.  It is ok to say no to some good/fun things, if it means you get a chance to relax and be a better person for it. 

Don’t be afraid to say no this weekend to somethings, and do somethings for yourself.  We spend the bulk of our day serving others, this weekend is about spoiling yourself and relaxing. 

If your kids need a ride to the movies, they can miss one social event….If you are out of bread, you can eat cereal….if you “haven’t exercised in forever”, then a couple more days won’t matter. 

I hope this is a great weekend….thanks for how hard you work.

Happy “Friday!”  

Monday Mush -- Character

Ok, we will start a Monday off without a video this week…but it is still a great football quote. 

At first blush, it sounds harsh…it sounds like we are hoping to eliminate those that are weaker, but I think the quote is looking far behind that.

Football is a metaphor of life in some ways that is simply marked off in 100 yards.  There is a struggle…there is determination…there is a strong need for teamwork…there is a strong need for a team… 

In our life, we need to first and foremost be people of character.  People that do what we say and mean what we say…People that you can lean on…people that make others better.  If that quality isn’t being defined and amplified, we are becoming weaker…our influence isn’t as meaningful or as strong….our ability to overcome obstacles shrinks.

We can’t afford to be weak…we can’t afford to role model a lack of character or determination…we can’t afford to give up on kids or our situations.

We have tough assignments…we have jobs that demand much more than we are paid for….but we have character that leads us toward knowing the greater good.  We have a responsibility for our students’ futures to give them all they need to be successful.  We are planting seeds and watering seeds…seeds that one day will grow…character is part of that watering process.

Thank you for being a team mate with me….thanks for playing so hard this season.

It will be a great week…happy Monday!

Steve Jobs -- Friday Flush

On the Friday during the week of the launch of the IOS 8 seems like the perfect time for a Steve Jobs quote.

This quote is so true, and it for sure could be said by teachers world-wide.  We do what we do because we love it, and we see it benefit that is far greater than ourselves.

But, this quote goes beyond that.  It isn’t just about “us” or “me.”  Loving what I do is great because “I” love it….it is kinda selfish.  I do what I do because it is good for me.  But, this quote goes much further.  We do a GREAT WORK because of this love.  If you love what you do, you dig deeper, you try harder, you don’t give up, and you make a true difference.  You guys do that.  You do GREAT things because you are dedicated to your job and your mission.

I love bragging on you guys and the work that you do…I know it isn’t easy.  I will never promise you an easy road here, but in June I know we will look back and see the great work we did, the obstacles we overcame, and the students we positively impacted.

I would encourage you this weekend to look at the things in life that you love to do…look for why you love them…look for how to increase those.  Are there things you do “just because” or that don’t get your passion?  Are there people that suck your passion?  Find ways to increase the things you love to do and decrease those you don’t.  We can make things better in our own life by looking at where to put our passion to make things GREAT.

Thanks for being a GREAT staff…I hope your weekend is restful and wonderful.

Happy Friday!

Monday Mush

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8vXroMMGdM (3:19)

I am sure most of you have seen this movie, but as a back story to this scene.  The Asst. Coach was passed over for this job, and basically was promised that if Coach Boone lost one game, they would fire him and place him as head coach.  Of course, it was all based on race.  So, the Asst Coach had everything to gain by keeping his head down and letting his team take an unfair loss.

But that isn’t what happened.  True to the actual events, he stopped the game to make sure that it was called fairly.  He knew the stakes were personally high for himself, but his integrity won out. 

There are several aspects of this video clip that make it applicable to what we do, in my opinion.

1.       Regardless of circumstance, doing right is doing right.  We don’t have to be perfect, but we can find a place to dig our heels in and stand up for what we know is right. 

2.       Most situations that matter are much bigger than ourselves.  What we choose to do has a much greater affect when we focus on others, rather than ourselves.

3.       We give 100% on every play.

4.       Determination not only wins, it can set you worlds apart.  Being determined is having a tunnel vision and a goal that is relentless.  We can have that for our students, and teach them to have it for themselves!

You are an amazing team…thank you for all of your determination and integrity.

Happy Monday!

Friday Flush -- A year from now....

I love this quote….I think it is absolutely perfect to have on the mind going in to the weekend.  I know many (ok all) of us using are dying for the weekend to get here.  We need the rest, the “me” time, the chance to reset, and the chance to let go of some work stress.  But, I truly hope that for everyone the weekend can provide some reflection time.  How can I be better at my job, as a spouse, as a friend, as a parent, as a …….. 

What are your goals?  That is almost cliché sounding…we hear it alllllll the time.  But have you ever thought of it from the perspective of this quote.  In a year, you may be glad you started something today.  Maybe it is food/exercise related, maybe it is job/school related, maybe it is a home goal….but regardless of personal or professional, it is worthy of being looked at closely.  It is worthy of some thought.

I hope you are able to set goals for yourself and your students that are tough to reach.  I hope the bar is high enough that you work at it and feel a great sense of accomplishment when you reach it.  I hope you are surrounded with friends and colleagues that will truly celebrate with you when you do too! 

Thanks for all you do!

Not the slowest zebra...

Wow…it was a LONG “short” week for sure!  Crazy how 4 days can feel so long sometimes.  I was impressed with lots that I saw this week for sure.  Some great behavior in the halls, café, and in the classrooms.  I see increasing small groups, better focus on planning, more academic vocabulary, and a sense of urgency in instruction.  Those are some amazing things to have in place after only 2 weeks of school.  Our kids will certainly benefit from that!  Thank you!

What a great quote… I found this to be quite meaningful to me.  Often times we find ourselves playing the comparison game…it is a dangerous game for sure.  We see other’s “highlight reel” of life and we compare it to our “blooper reel.”  We see what others do in the class by Facebook only, and we don’t think we stack up.  You have a tough job, and if you spend time beating yourself up, it won’t make it any easier.  We all have ways we need to improve, and we should focus on it.  But, we improve by looking in a mirror, not at the people around us.

This quote also helps us not have too much “pedestal thinking” too.  Sometimes, we feel pretty good about ourselves if we can just think of some people that we are “better than.”  So, we don’t push ourselves to get better because at least we aren’t “those guys.”  Great athletes don’t get better by playing mediocre athletes and winning.  You don’t see coaches having the varsity teams play the junior varsity team for the varsity players to improve.   It is good for the JV team, but not for the Varsity.  So, we push ourselves by knowing what we need to improve on.  We compare our improvement based upon our own needs.  We focus on improving ourselves.  This keeps us from thinking “well the lion won’t eat me as long I am faster than one other zebra.”  We need to think how to lead the pack and be the fastest zebra.

Well, I know this was random…zebras…athletes… blooper reals….but I hope it gives you something to think about over the weekend.  I hope today that you are better than you were yesterday. 

Thank you for all you do….Happy Friday!

Monday Mush -- wining streaks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL5lwQdd1Ws (:55)

De La Salle was known (and still is) as one of the best high school football programs of all time.  They hold a record that will probably stand for many, many years to come.  They won 151 games in a row and countless state championships in California.  The movie “When the Game Stands Tall” is about what happens to a team when that streaks stops because they lose.  It is a new team of younger players, and they don’t give 100% in their practice and commitments.  So, they lose.  The above scene is a depiction of the locker room after that loss. 

Here are some “take aways” that I had:

1.       We don’t need anger to solve our problems…”we don’t do that here.”  Anger clouds our perception…it clouds our reasoning ability…it clouds our focus…we can’t see what is truly important, if we let anger get the best of us.

2.       It is ok to show emotion…bad things happen, and sometimes we need a moment to collect ourselves and reset.  As we see from this team, how you “get up” when you are “knocked down” makes all the difference in the world.

3.       We need to speak truth about our shortcomings/mistakes.  If we lose, we lose.  We don’t have to sugar coat that.  We need to be honest with stakeholders as they are putting their trust in us.

4.       A game doesn’t define us…we are defined by much more than that.  “Let the way that you live your lives define you.”  I am very glad that I am not defined by one single moment in my life.  I am not always perfect and on my “A game,” so I am glad I get to look at a much larger sampling of my life.   

5.        It isn’t about a record or a streak.  We don’t “play” our game for the numbers or for the status of it.  We play to become better at being a supportive member of society….a better team mate.  We learn that the world is bigger than us, and that we have an important role to fill.  We need our kids to know that too.

In the movie, the players make “commitment cards” that they give to another player to hold them accountable to.  They may be like “I will not drop any passes in the next game, and I will do an extra 20 wind sprints after practice is over.”  They look for a way to go above and beyond the expectations of the team…they look for a way to do more….The way to get better is to do more….I thought that was a great thing to do with kids too.  Find a way to have kids hold themselves and each other accountable to doing more, and you will just have to get out of the way and watch the magic happen.

Thank you for all you do!  Happy Monday!