4-29-2016

Mary’s Minute

 

“Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.”                                     - Kurt Vonnegut

 

 

Frustration comes from situations that are out of our control.  The issues that have arisen this week with ISTEP testing certainly created frustration for our students and teachers.  Tara and our other administrators spent hours resetting tests and calling the Department of Education and Pearson.  There are some major issues with the system, and we have serious questions about the validity of the test.  The problem is that this week and beyond, there is a strong sense of frustration because it is out of our control.  We will continue to work through the system to do what we can to make the system better for our students.  As for today, we can either laugh or cry to deal with the frustration!  In between our students and teachers testing, and Tara being glued to her computer to reset tests and call tech support, I hope they can find ways to laugh!  After all, although the DOE, the state legislature, and the testing company may be in the drivers’ seat, they cannot control our attitudes and our ability to make light of frustrating situations.  I hope you laugh!

                                                                                Have a great week!

                                                                                                Mary

4-22-2016

Mary’s Minute

 

"Love begins by taking care of the closest ones - the ones at home." — Mother Teresa

 

When I read quotes from Mother Teresa, I smile.  Not only do I love the words she spoke so selflessly, but they remind me of the beautiful selfless person she was.  This quote particularly touches my heart because it reminds me of a quote I heard from my dad hundreds of times, “Treat the people you love the most the best.”  Like Mother Teresa, thinking of my dad speaking these words with sincere love for his family, also makes me smile.  The lesson is so simple, but so important.  The concept seems pretty basic for the obvious reason, but besides the fact that the people who we love the most deserve the best we have to give, there is another important reason to “start at home.”  The way we treat others affects them, but it also affects us.  When we treat the ones we love the most the best, we will also be more likely to make a positive impact on the world – treating people with love makes us better.  When we can start at home and treat the ones we care about the most, the best, we will also spread light to the world because we are better because of it.  We cannot treat others with love, without becoming better for it. That is part of what makes Perry Central special.  Because of the family atmosphere we have, people “start at home” treating each other with kindness, which spreads to everything we do.  I can’t help but think that my dad and Mother Teresa would be proud of the way Perry Central people treat the people they care about with genuine kindness.

Have a great week!

Mary

4-15-2016

Mary’s Minute

 

"Don't let your sins turn into bad habits." — Mother Teresa

 

We all make mistakes, or in the words of Mother Teresa, we all sin.  We are human.  Mother Teresa gives us an interesting approach to our mistakes by reminding us that the real damage comes when we allow our mistakes to become bad habits.  This notion reminds me of a quote used in sports, "Don’t practice until you get it right; practice until you can’t get it wrong.”  The point is in the power of habits.  We don’t want mistakes to turn into bad habits, and we want things that are positive to turn into good habits.  Habits are powerful, and we need to remember that in order to avoid bad habits and to develop good ones.  Like everything else, part of the magnitude of the phenomena is recognizing it.  When we do something wrong, do we stop and think about how we insure it does not become a bad habit?  Or even more importantly, when we do something right, do we think about how we can practice doing it right so that we can’t get it wrong, so that it becomes a good habit?  I can say that I really had not given this idea a thought, but using Mother Teresa as an inspiration, I will work to use my sins as opportunities for change so that they do not become bad habits.

Have a great week!

Mary

4-8-2016

Mary’s Minute

“A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.”

                                                                                                 ~ Arnold Glasow

I like to use “I” when accepting responsibility, and ‘we” when taking credit or showing ownership.  Everything that occurs at Perry Central is a team effort – when things go well, it only makes sense that we talk in terms of “we” and “our” because our success belongs to our entire team.  Perry Central students are not “my students” but “our students.”  Our beautiful facility is not “my building” but “ours” because it belongs to the taxpayers and is operated by a group of dedicated staff members.  If things go wrong I want to accept the responsibility, and will gladly use the pronoun "I," but I work to catch myself from using the word "I" for credit or possession.  Maybe it is just semantics and is not that important, but I truly believe that the words we use reflect our beliefs and help guide our practices.  When we start saying “we” instead of “I” it subtlety changes the way we are viewed by others, and more importantly it helps instill a powerful attitude of collaboration and connectedness.  Words matter – even the one and two letter ones! 

                                                                                      Have a great week!

                                                                                              Mary

4-1-2016

Mary’s Minute

“Life is less stressful when we seek the simple solutions.”

                                             ~ Moriel Randolph

 

The older I get the greater I see the need to simplify.  A popular book right now is The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which I have not read yet, but just through association I have been inspired by it.  I am looking for ways to have less and to care more.  Looking at ways to simplify certainly has implications in our material possessions, but also in all areas of our life.  It is a way to look at the world.  Quoting the song, I recently was saying to Zoe and Bill, “In the end, only kindness matters.”  For me this is the simplest way to think about living and interacting with others.  Sometimes in life I think we try to hard when ultimately the simplest solutions are the most effective. 

I know that life is not always that easy.  I love complex theories of learning and believe that as educators and people we can benefit from stretching ourselves.  I also think that sometimes we need to step back and “declutter” by remembering at the most basic level that sometimes the simple solutions are the best. 

If we can find ways to declutter our lives in all aspects from our thoughts to our material possessions, I believe we can live less stressful lives.  My goal is to keep emptying my closets while working to fill my heart with positive thoughts.

 

                                                            Have a great week! 

                                                                        Mary