1-6-2017

Mary’s Minute

“Patience is not simply the ability to wait - it's how we behave while we're waiting.”

~ Joyce Meyer

I started my career as a kindergarten teacher, and when I told people that I was a kindergarten teacher the first comment I usually got was, “You must have great patience.”  The truth is I don’t.  I am not good at waiting – I don’t do well in lines, and I am action oriented and want quick results.  Normally in January I write about new beginnings and resolutions.  This year as we begin the New Year, what is on my mind is the power of purposeful waiting.  With the gloomy days of winter upon us, we long for warmth and sunshine.  With resolutions for changes in our lives (my standard resolution is always to lose weight!) we yearn for quick results.  When I think about waiting for spring or working for results, I think a simple comparison to waiting in a check-out line is helpful.  I have waited in line at times when I felt like my head would explode because I was so impatient and so rushed.  At other times, I have simply taken a deep breath and used the wait time as an opportunity for reflection and relaxation.  The line moves the same pace regardless of the state of mind.  The difference is what we do to ourselves.  Waiting to me implies wasted time, but I think the power of patience is that we use our wait time to be construction, even if that productivity is simply personal reflection and rejuvenation.  Whatever change you are looking forward to – whether as part of a resolution, in your teaching, or in your life, I hope that your waiting is purposeful in a way that doesn’t waste time but uses the down-time as a chance for another type of growth.

                                                            Happy New Year!

                                                                        Mary

12-16-2016

Mary’s Minute

“I like to turn things upside down, to watch pictures and situations from another perspective.”

                                                                 ~ Ursus Wehrli

This quote represents an extreme example of looking at things from another perspective.  I like to consider how things look to other people.  I had a neat talk with someone sharing his experience visiting PC with his grandson for the first time.  It said a lot to me about perspective.  The first part of the story is humorous.  The young man pulled up and saw the dome and was wide-eyed with excitement at the opportunity to play basketball in “the dome.”  His awe dissipated when his perspective changed, and walked in the less impressive interior, surprised at how small it felt. I only laugh about this since pragmatically, the dome has its share of issues! The story of this family continues as they walked around PC.  The person told me that he had never been in Perry Central, but he was impressed at how clean it was and how he could tell from what was posted on the doors and hallways that we had caring teachers!  I know we have great people, but it is nice to see it from another perspective – through the eyes of a visitor.  Likewise, from the inside I know we have top-notch schools, but the perspective of a letter grade from the State DOE offers another perspective.  We may not need to stand on our heads, but it is nice to consider how PC looks from the outside looking in.   Congratulations!  Upside down or right side up, I am proud of you!

                                             Mary

12-9-2016

Mary’s Minute

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

~Mahatma Gandhi

When we forgive others we free ourselves from a tremendous burden.  I love the notion that forgiving comes from a position of strength, rather than weakness.  Maybe if we realize that holding a grudge makes us weak, it will be easier to forgive.  I think that an element of forgiveness that we also forget is the need to forgive ourselves, and Gandhi’s perspective might be most helpful when we consider how to forgive ourselves for past mistakes, shortcomings, or omissions.  The response from a position of strength is to let go of our past mistakes.  A true position of strength is to learn from our mistakes, but to be able to move on.  This is true for our personal lives, but it is also true in our professional lives working with children.  We set high standards for ourselves, and when we fall short it may not be easy to “forgive ourselves” or let go and move forward.  The same is true for our feelings about our students.  Our students may let us down, but the sign of a strong teacher is one who can forgive and maintain a positive relationship with students.  There are many examples we could give about the value of forgiveness – forgiving ourselves, forgiving others in in our personal lives, or forgiving co-workers and students in our professional lives.  The concept works in all of these, and it is helpful for me to reflect on how I can be strong by moving forward with a heart full of forgiveness. 

                                         Have a great week!

                                                         Mary

12-2-2016

Mary’s Minute

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

                                                                                ~ Buddha

I don’t consider myself a worrier, but I have a terrible habit of analyzing everything over and over again in my mind.  Time is so precious that losing time to mull over the past or worry about the future is such a waste.  I know this intellectually, but emotionally it is not always easy to let go and live in the moment.  What I like about the advice from Buddha is it reminds us that by living in the present we not only can be happier, but can also be healthier.  That is powerful stuff!  Live in the moment to be happy AND healthy! 

When I think about what makes Perry Central special, I think that the overall ability of our staff members to live in the moment with our students is what helps create our caring community.  Yes, we have to use past data and plan for the future, but what sets PC apart is the ability of our teachers and staff to care about students in the moment.  Our teachers understand that living in the present matters and that our students deserve that!  Here's to living in the present wisely and earnestly!

                                                     Have a great week!

                                                      Mary

11-18-2016

Mary’s Minute

“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

                                                                          ~ Robert Burns

This quote from a Robert Burns poem, To a Mouse, popularized by the title of the John Steinbeck novel, reminds us that we are not in control of our lives.  Like the little mouse who worked and worked to build a house in a field only to have a farmer destroy it with the swift work of a plow, we never know in life when our plans will be plowed under.  As humans we definitely are planners and not only are we planners, but we are worriers.  The mouse “plans” but likely does not worry about the potential for plans going awry.  When the mouse’s plans do not work out, it likely quickly moves onto another plan without dwelling on the past and worrying about the future.  Planning is certainly necessary in life, but we need to be cautious so that we do not plan so much that when our plans do not work out that we are paralyzed.  We could learn from the mouse to not take life so seriously!  The realization that plans can go awry is our call to be flexible and to recognize that life is bigger than us.  No matter how much we want to think that we are in control, we are not.  The real key to our success is being able to deal with that ambiguity in life.

I want to give a shout-out to Mrs. Rasche and her class for inspiring me through my observation of their discussion of this quote!

Keep planning and striving for excellence, but remember that when your best made plans go awry, the key to success is being able to adapt.  Our success is less about what happens to us, and more about how we react to what happens.

                                                              Have a great week!

                                                                                        Mary  

11-11-2016

Mary’s Minute

“Find something you are passionate about and keep being interested in it.”

                        ~ Julia Childs

I spent most of the day with Perry Central AP Language students and a panel of community members, as students presented their FedEx Day projects. The idea behind FedEx Day is to deliver an idea in a single day.  Students were given the task of coming up with a project that will foster Perry Central’s mission of “Building Tomorrow’s Potential. Today.” 

I have just three letters to describe the work, the passion, and the presentations of our students, WOW!  Students created projects with a vast variety of goals, all focused on bettering Perry Central and the community.  The other thing the projects had in common is the passion they have for them.  Projects stemmed from students passion for drama, debate, reading, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).  They tackled tough issues like the foster child crisis in our county and community unity.  They had goals of building awareness, raising funds, and helping future generations.  They looked at ways to beautify our campus and build a legacy for the future.  These students created sound arguments for their projects and presented their information well, but what excited me most is their passion.  A few years ago we adopted the term “passion based learning” to define the kind of student centered learning we wanted to foster Perry Central.  Today I saw that in action, and it makes my heart sing!

                                                  Have a great week!                  

                                                                  Mary  

11-4-2016

Mary's Minute

"The power of imagination makes us infinite."
                                                                      ~ John Muir

I am a big believer in the power of hard work to accomplish goals, and I am in awe of the body of knowledge that exists in our world today. Yet, when I think about how we can change the world, I realize that it is thoughts the creation of new ideas. We cannot discount the importance of our students working hard and mastering existing knowledge, but if we do not allow their imaginations to soar we have not truly educated them. To help our students see the importance of nurturing their imaginations, we need to give ourselves permission to be creative and let our imaginations run free. We all have our own ways to feel creative, and it is important that we put ourselves in positions where we can be creative in order to truly be learners. Learning is not just manipulating existing content, but taking it to the next level by making it our own. Through imagination learning is truly infinite. You deserve that. Your students deserve that. Let yourself be creative!  To infinity and beyond!
                                                                          Have a great week!
                                                                             Mary