9-29-2017

Mary’s Minute

A few weeks ago I wrote about the concept of home not being a place, but more of a feeling of security and belonging.  That was before I visited Mackenzie Petty’s classroom!  Her classroom was so inviting that I could understand how students would have a safe feeling just being present in that space.  Many people talk about their “happy place” which is often the beach or somewhere in nature.  We all do things in our homes that make us feel at ease.  We try to do the same with our school environment.  Place and space do not make up for the human factor of being with a person/people who give us that feeling of security, but place does matter. 

I appreciate the efforts of our PC team to create spaces that help students feel nurtured and secure.  When we think about finding our “home” we must look at people first, but it is important to think about the places and factors that contribute to that.  At school it is creating spaces like Ms. Petty and so many others do in their classrooms.  It is the beautiful homey feeling that is created in the high school and elementary offices. 

In our homes, it is doing the little things that make us feel happy and safe.  Living in beautiful Perry County helps too! 

Home is in the heart, but place and space matter!

                                                          

                                                            Have a great week!

                                                                                   Mary

9-22-2017

Mary’s Minute

“The reason many people in our society are miserable, sick, and highly stressed is because of an unhealthy attachment to things they have no control over.”

                                                                     ~ Steve Maraboli

There are a lot of moving pieces in our world today.  There are a lot of things about which we can stress.  Whether those things are on the local, national, or international news or in our personal/professional lives, the challenge is to sort out the things over which we have control and let go of our unhealthy attachment to those that our out of our control. 

Sometimes we do not even realize what is making us miserable, sick, or highly stressed.  It is just something we feel in our guts.  It is important to stop and think about the source of the discomfort ant then to challenge ourselves to take control of the things within our control and to let go of the things outside our scope of influence.  In our professional lives, we may feel for the home experiences of our students or legislative mandates. When we stop and take a breath, we realize that what we can control is building positive relationships and providing the best possible learning experiences for our students.  In our personal lives it may mean letting go of the stress of things we see on the news or letting go of people, as we accept that we are only responsible for our own happiness. 

Life is too short to hold onto unhealthy attachments.  Let go of the things you cannot control, and dig in deep to the things that make you happy and where you can make a difference!

                                                      

                                                                          Have a great week!
                                                                                       Mary

9-15-2017

Mary’s Minute

“Act as if what you do makes a difference; it does.”

                                                            ~ William James

I have met teachers at workshops before who say to me when they find out that I am a superintendent, “I am JUST a teacher.”  I quickly correct them to remove the “just.”  It is true in whatever work we do, but especially in the world of education, there is no, “just.”
Regardless of our job titles, we need to remember that the work we do matters.  It takes people doing different roles to make an operation work, and all are important. 

We can use the analogy of a cog in a set of gears or a link of a chain.  Taking away a single link or a single cog puts a stop to the action.  The work of everyone makes a difference.  At Perry Central we need our bus drivers to get our students here safely, we need our custodians and maintenance to create a positive learning environment, we need our cooks to nourish our students’ bodies, we need our instructional assistants to give students the extra help they need to learn, we need office staff to manage students and communication, and we need teachers to teach our students.  

The beauty of education is that in addition to the basic roles that positions suggest, we all make a difference by being positive role models and providing encouragement to students.  I hope that you realize that there is no “just” before anyone’s duties.  What you do matters!  Thank you for the difference you make.

                                               Have a great week!

                                                                      Mary

9-8-2017

Mary's Minute

“For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home.” 

                                                          ― Stephanie Perkins 

“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”

                                                          ― Maya Angelou

While we watch people's homes destroyed by Hurricane Harvey and people leaving everything they own behind running from Irma, it makes me reflect on the notion of home.  Home is a place where we feel safe.  I would say instead, that it is not a place where we feel safe, but a feeling of safety.  Home is a feeling, or even a person or people.  

A massive hurricane destroys more than roofs and windows; it takes away a feeling of safety at every level.  In loneliness we ache for a person who can make us feel safe. 

Perry Central has been called a family, and we also think of it as a place we feel at home.  It is a place where our worth is not questioned and we feel safe.  It is certainly who we want to be: a safe place where we feel valued. We want to be a home! 

My heart aches for people losing and leaving their physical homes, and I emphasize what a tragedy these families are facing.  I hope in some small way, they can take heart knowing that home is not a place, but a feeling. I also thank our team at Perry Central being "home" for our students and a refuge from the storms of life. 

                                                                 Have a great week!

Mary

9-1-2017

Mary’s Minute

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

                                                                                   ~ Annie Dillard

“Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.

                                                                                   ~ Stephen Covey

Studies of human behavior teach us how habits are formed – about how our brain creates patterns that define our behaviors and in many ways who we are.  An isolated behavior alone does not define us, but eventually patterns of behavior and thought make us who we are.  At what point does an isolated action become more than that? 

If we wake up one morning with a stomach ache, do we panic and run to the doctor?  Probably not, but persistent symptoms tell us that it could be more than a random pain. 

Good habits and bad habits are developed sometimes through deliberate actions and sometimes by just gradually slipping into practices.

Just as we need to know when it is time to see a doctor because a simple pain is potentially a symptom, we also need to look for patterns in our lives.  Moments turn into days, and the way we spend our days is the way we spend our lives.  Our thoughts become patterns that can define us.  If we create patterns of positive thoughts, that is who we become. 

Mathematicians make their lives out of studying patterns, and like them we need to be aware of patterns that we develop in our thoughts and actions.  The first step to breaking out of a pattern is to define it.  It is important for us to define and potentially change patterns of thoughts and actions before they define us.

                                                                              

                                                                                     Have a great week!

                                                                                                 Mary