11-20-2015

Mary’s Minute

A simple question that educators must never forget is, “What is our purpose?”  As simple as the question seems, I think sometimes schools fail to think deeply about it.  Most agree that the purpose of schools is for learning.  Everything else we do needs to center around our core mission – learning.  At Perry Central we spend a lot of time thinking and talking about learning.  There are a lot of catch phrases in education that relate to the unfaltering quest to promote student learning.  We have heard phrases like, “Failure is not an option,” or “whatever it takes” to describe schools’ efforts to ensure learning for all students.  At Perry Central we truly believe that we want all students to learn and do our best to take away barriers.  We believe that students cannot simply opt out of learning.  For instance, if a student chooses to not do an assignment, in some systems the student would simply take a zero and never be held accountable for the missed learning.  At Perry Central, we don’t let students off the hook that easily.  First, we try to make assignments meaningful so that students will choose to do them, but if they don’t, their first option is not taking a zero.  We communicate with parents, assign them to Learning Lunch or to Eighth Period (after school tutoring).  Although they may get a grade cut for being late on an assignment, they can’t opt for a zero by not doing the work.  We provide every support possible to make sure they do the work!  Why?  Because our primary purpose is learning.  We also understand the importance of teaching work ethics, like timeliness, (We will save that for another discussion.) but learning is our purpose!  We are proud of the results of our philosophy.  By creating support systems for students, they continue to do well, not just here but also when compared to students across the state, and more importantly when they leave Perry Central and go off to college.  I extend my sincere thanks to our teachers and support staff for understanding that learning is at the core of what we do!  Your efforts are working!

Have a great week!

Mary

11-13-2015

                                                                
     

Mary’s Minute

Words matter. Words have long been a treasure to me. Words are a powerful vehicle to help, to harm, or to bring enlightenment.  Words can used in simple, practical ways that are also vitally important as they give direction and warn of danger. I love words and have long loved other people's words, as I enjoy sharing and collecting quotes. I had forgotten until this week where my appreciation for other people's words began. Mrs. Gondring was my senior English teacher.  She made English literature come alive and always carried herself with the a quiet grace that defined her.  When it came time to write a speech my senior year, I didn't turn to Google or one of the many websites devoted to quotes for inspiration. I didn't open one of my quote books since it was before I began my collection.  Instead, sweet Mrs. Gondring loaned me her shoebox full of words she had clipped from magazines or jotted on scraps of paper.  I smile thinking of how I had the honor of flipping through the hundreds of scraps that she had collected. That simple shoebox was a treasure box!  The speech is long ago written and forgotten, but the gift Mrs. Gondring instilled in me lives on. Mrs. Gondring at 98 passed away this week. She was such an indelible blessing to Perry Central and to the world. I wish that I could find the words to express my appreciation for this special lady, but ironically I find myself at a loss of words for the woman who helped teach me the power of words.
                                                             
                                                                               Have a good week!
                                                                               Mary

11-6-2015

Mary’s Minute

“How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”

~ Dr. Seuss

Time is a crazy concept.  I think even scientists cannot understand its vastness and limitations, and it certainly boggles a lay person like me.  The bottom line is that time is finite.  The older we get the faster it seems to go.  Days, weeks, months, and years fly by, and like Dr. Seuss we are left asking, “How did it get so late so soon?” or How did I get so old so fast? or How did my kids grow up so fast?  The other obvious factor that comes into play is that because of our unpredictability mortality we never know how much time we really have.  For people who long for control, it is a great reminder that we don’t control our destiny.  Time rolls on, and we cannot predict how much time we have in this lifetime.  With these factors in mind, the simple solution is to use our time wisely.  Every moment counts and more importantly, we need to treasure the time we have.  We must be accountable to ourselves to make sure we are satisfied with how we spend our moments because the way we spend our moments is the way we spend our lives.  Time is perhaps the greatest gift we have because it is something we cannot get back. 

 

                Have a great week!

                Mary