3-20-2015

Mary’s Minute

“It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want — oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”    ~Mark Twain

This winter has left most of us with a bit of spring fever, but Twain’s quote puts a different twist on the notion of spring fever.  I like the idea of being happy with what we have and offering gratitude as a way of living, but there is also something motivating from having a yearning for something more.  Being content or satisfied is a pleasant feeling, but it can also lead to complacency.  A little fever – or the kind of yearning that Mark Twain shares – keeps us pushing forward.  We must enjoy where we are, but also push forward.  At Perry Central we work for that kind of balance.  We certainly are proud/satisfied with the work of our students and teachers, but we can never become complacent and stop pushing to be better and to do more.  A 98.6% graduation rate is pretty impressive and says a lot for our school community, but we cannot stop there. We need to make sure we keep the supports in place to insure success for all students!  We are grateful, but we also have a yearning for more!

Happy Spring!

                                                                                                Mary

3-13-2015

Mary’s Minute

“Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.”                                                               ~Mother Teresa

 

Last night Perry Central gave 80 students and chaperones a once in a lifetime experience as they traveled to see the Lion King Broadway musical in Louisville.  We cannot give our children every experience that we wish we could, and in this case, not every one of our students was involved, but for the students who sat in awe during the performance the experience made a difference.  I think Mother Teresa would be proud to see PC doing our part to change lives – one child at a time.

Another story for the week I want to share was a simple conversation I overheard on the school radio.  The elementary called to a person in maintenance for cleanup.  The response was that he was on his way, which was great in that he cheerfully was ready to stop what he was doing and make sure students had a pleasant and safe learning environment.  The story does not end there, though.  Another voice came over the radio to intervene.  It was another maintenance person, who said he was in the area and would take care of it.  It may not seem like much – after all they are just doing their job.  For me, it does mean a lot; it is pitching in to help others.  It is helping one person at a time, as Mother Teresa suggests.  It is working with a “happy heart” as my dad encouraged our family to do.  It is helping the person nearest to you.

Maybe we cannot change the world, but we can do our part to spread joy and make a difference by giving one child a special experience or showing people that we are willing to stop what we are doing to help them.  We do not have to travel to the ends of the earth to change the world; we can start as Mother Teresa suggests, with the people nearest to us.  These stories make me proud to be part of the Perry Central community!

Have a great week!

Mary

3-6-2015

Mary’s Minute

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”

~ Hans Hofmann

We live in a busy world.  Our minds are full of so much information, and we rush from one activity to the next.  There are endless products on the market that fill our closets and homes with things we need and want.  I think we all have times when we feel we want to slow down and simplify our lives.  That may mean making a conscious decision to slow down by giving up activities or even de-cluttering our home.  This quote reminds us that to simplify our lives allows us to sift through to what really matters.  Busy lives and stuff don’t make us happy or help us to make the world a better place, but somehow we are compelled to strive for more, more, more.  Society pushes us in the direction as we are bombarded with more opportunities and more products.  Opportunities to reduce must come from within because outside forces consume us with a message to expand.  It is in the quiet of simplifying that we can come to a more peaceful being and understanding of what really matters in life.  How can we eliminate the “unnecessary”?  The answer is not easy, and each one of us needs to figure it out for ourselves.      

Have a great week!

Mary