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