3-27-2020

Mary’s Minute

“Strangers are just friends waiting to happen”

                                                                   ~ Rod McKuen

A single interaction with a person you have never met can change everything.  For years growing up my siblings and I loved to hear the story of my mom and dad’s first date.  They met on a blind date on July 10, 1960.  They were strangers, but not for long. 

Each day our paths cross with strangers, and every so often one of those strangers can change everything. We can’t predict what stranger it will be. The romantic stories are perhaps the ones that stick with us, but it is true for friends and even acquaintances.  My best friend, Dixie, was a kindergarten teacher next to me my first year of teaching.  We were strangers, and she admitted years later that initially she didn’t really want to like me!  Now I think we both agree that we have changed each other’s lives in some way.

Over the last few months, people who were strangers to me have become my friends. 

Teachers often start the year with a room full of strangers in front of them.  Over the course of the school year, teachers are changed by their students and a teacher who was a stranger to students may have changed their lives.

During these days we are striving to avoid strangers, but in doing so I think it makes us more reflective on what chance interactions with strangers can mean to us and to where they can lead.  We will be grateful for the time when we have the chance to cross paths with strangers and the potential for amazing changes.

                                                         Stay safe and well!

                                                                  Mary

3-20-2020

Mary’s Minute

“I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.”

                                                                          ~ Anne Frank

I woke up this morning a little shook from a bad dream I was having, but also with a vivid memory of a conversation I had with myself in the dream.  In the dream (I don’t even remember the details) something bad was happening, and I consciously (at least as consciously I could in a dream-state) decided to change the negative outcome.  In my slumber, I asked myself if I was allowed to do that, and answered myself by saying, “It’s my dream, I can make it end however I want.”  I think that now more than ever we need to dreams, and we need to remember that we have the power to decide the endings because they are our dreams!

One of the greatest examples of seeing beauty in despair is Anne Frank.  I recently saw where someone compared our plight of being stuck in our homes for a few weeks to Anne Frank and her group’s struggle.  It sure was a way to put things in perspective!  Through her greatest challenges, Anne kept a positive attitude as is documented in her diary. 

We can do this!  Keep your dreams alive, and remember that they are your dreams, so you get to pick the outcome.  And from Anne Frank remember the power of positive thinking.

                                                                   Stay safe and well!

                                                                                     Mary

3-13-2020

Mary’s Minute

“Adversity introduces a man to himself.”

                                                                ~ Albert Einstein

This has been a tough week.  People in our country and world are very sick, the stock market is plunging, and we all have feeling of uncertainty and even fear!  I feel like in my many years in education I have been through some challenging times, but this situation is certainly at the top of the list. 

Obviously, I wish we were not dealing with all of this, but I also have to see the positive in the situation.  During tough times we see who people really are, and we see for ourselves what we are capable of doing. 

Sometimes we forget ourselves what we are able to accomplish, but in adverse situations when we are forced to spring into action, it is more evident.

We also can see the good in others.  I am thankful for how the Sheridan community has come together to do what is best for kids when we have been forced to close schools.  Our teachers have worked to provide quality learning, and our cafeteria staff has found a way to provide lunches for students. 

Indeed, tough times can bring out the best in people.

                                                 Stay safe and well!

                                                                      Mary

3-6-2020

Mary’s Minute

“Service is the rent we pay for being.”

                                                                   ~ Marian Wright Edelman

This week I had the pleasure of reading to a first grade class.  I chose the book, Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, the story of a woman who had three goals in life: to travel the world, to live by the sea, and to make the world more beautiful.  As my own children were growing up I always talked to them about our obligation to make the world a better place.  Miss Rumphius understood that obligation.  Whether we call it making the world more beautiful, making the world a better place, making our mark, or making a difference, I believe like Marian Wright Edelman that serving others is part of our duty in life. 

We all have the capacity to make the world better.  The fictional character Miss Rumphius planted lupine seeds to cover fields and hillsides with blue, purple, and rose-colored flowers.  Some people make their mark in big ways and are rewarded with Nobel prizes for their new discoveries and extraordinary acts.  But making a difference doesn’t need to make a big splash.  It can be a tiny ripple with lasting effects. 

Teachers make their mark by giving children skills and confidence to live productive lives.  Cafeteria workers nourish our students’ bodies and build their self-esteem with their cheerful dispositions.  Bus drivers get our students to school safely and are the first and last smile from school each day.  Custodians create a clean and nurturing environment.  Working with pride and kindness is a way to make the world a better place!

The first grade class I read to wrote a song about me, and one of the students drew an awesome picture of my dog, Doc. We can all make the world more beautiful – a better place, and this week a group of first graders’ kindness made its mark on me.

                                                                      Have a great week!

                                                                                    Mary