11-13-2015

                                                                
     

Mary’s Minute

Words matter. Words have long been a treasure to me. Words are a powerful vehicle to help, to harm, or to bring enlightenment.  Words can used in simple, practical ways that are also vitally important as they give direction and warn of danger. I love words and have long loved other people's words, as I enjoy sharing and collecting quotes. I had forgotten until this week where my appreciation for other people's words began. Mrs. Gondring was my senior English teacher.  She made English literature come alive and always carried herself with the a quiet grace that defined her.  When it came time to write a speech my senior year, I didn't turn to Google or one of the many websites devoted to quotes for inspiration. I didn't open one of my quote books since it was before I began my collection.  Instead, sweet Mrs. Gondring loaned me her shoebox full of words she had clipped from magazines or jotted on scraps of paper.  I smile thinking of how I had the honor of flipping through the hundreds of scraps that she had collected. That simple shoebox was a treasure box!  The speech is long ago written and forgotten, but the gift Mrs. Gondring instilled in me lives on. Mrs. Gondring at 98 passed away this week. She was such an indelible blessing to Perry Central and to the world. I wish that I could find the words to express my appreciation for this special lady, but ironically I find myself at a loss of words for the woman who helped teach me the power of words.
                                                             
                                                                               Have a good week!
                                                                               Mary

11-6-2015

Mary’s Minute

“How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”

~ Dr. Seuss

Time is a crazy concept.  I think even scientists cannot understand its vastness and limitations, and it certainly boggles a lay person like me.  The bottom line is that time is finite.  The older we get the faster it seems to go.  Days, weeks, months, and years fly by, and like Dr. Seuss we are left asking, “How did it get so late so soon?” or How did I get so old so fast? or How did my kids grow up so fast?  The other obvious factor that comes into play is that because of our unpredictability mortality we never know how much time we really have.  For people who long for control, it is a great reminder that we don’t control our destiny.  Time rolls on, and we cannot predict how much time we have in this lifetime.  With these factors in mind, the simple solution is to use our time wisely.  Every moment counts and more importantly, we need to treasure the time we have.  We must be accountable to ourselves to make sure we are satisfied with how we spend our moments because the way we spend our moments is the way we spend our lives.  Time is perhaps the greatest gift we have because it is something we cannot get back. 

 

                Have a great week!

                Mary

10-23-2015

Mary’s Minute

“Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights.”

              ~Pauline R. Kezer 

“We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance.”

               ~Harrison Ford

 

Fall is perhaps the greatest time of the year to live in Perry County.  The weather seems perfect this week, and the fall color is breath-taking.  Although change can be a frightening endeavor, nature’s way of bringing in change reminds us that change is beautiful.  Fall color is a great reminder that we should not fear change, but rather see it as an opportunity for growth and a second chance.  is in a beautiful way that helps us see that change is not simply necessarily, but that it is helpful, providing a chance for new growth and second changes.  The Kezer quote makes me think of the important interplay between continuity and change.  The frame of our deciduous trees provide the foundation of continuity that Kezer describes, while the falling leaves represent the branches for growth.  When we are confronted with change and fear, let us try to remember that change can be as beautiful as autumn in Perry County!

                                                                                    Have a great break!

                                                                                         Mary

10-15-2015

Mary’s Minute

"What a teacher writes on the blackboard of life can never be erased." ~Author Unknown

 

Teachers make a difference - we say this over and over, and I cannot thank Perry Central teachers enough for the difference they make.  I had a powerful conversation that made me think about this phenomena.  Connie Holm and her mother spent a lot of their summer with her ill father in the hospital. During this time health professionals constantly were reminding Connie of the difference she made in their lives. Connie's mom asked, "Did you teach every doctor and nurse in this hospital?"  Connie shared that the experience was humbling and also provided an opportunity for reflection. Connie wondered/worried what memories past students held that might not be positive. I assured Connie that she should not worry, but her insight really made me think.  Our interactions with people matter; we leave an impression.  What we say to people, what we do for people, the way we make people feel - leaves a lasting impression. Each time we interact with others, we hold a metaphorical piece of chalk.  We hope that we leave people with positive memories, but we also have to take responsibility for the potential negative impacts we may have.  Personally, it is pretty scary!  What memories are we writing?  Thank you to Connie for sharing her insight, and especially to Connie and others for making a positive difference in our students' lives.

 

                                                                     Have a great week!

                                                                       Mary

10-9-2015

Mary’s Minute

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things.”

                                                                                                                                                              ~ Steve Jobs

Everyone agrees that the past several years have been difficult financial times in education.  In my thirteen years as superintendent funding has been cut more years than there have been even modest increases.  Through the tough times Perry Central has stayed strong and continued to build new programs.  One reason is our relentless vision to do what is right for our students, but to do that under difficult conditions something more is necessary.  We must think creatively, and we are fortunate at Perry Central that we have board leadership and a team that is always willing to look at situations from multiple perspectives to save money and/or make things better.  We don’t say things can’t be done; we always know there is a way.  We really don’t feel like what we do is anything special.  We just make things work, and somehow things do always work out when we live in the world of possibilities.

Have a great week!

Mary

10-2-2015

Mary’s Minute

“Follow your instincts. That's where true wisdom manifests itself.”

                                                                                      ~Oprah Winfrey

In our personal and professional lives we are constantly confronted with opportunities to change and grow.  Every single day we are forced to make decisions.  As educators we pride ourselves in continuous improvement and decision making based on theory and research.  At the same time we also need to trust our instincts.  We cannot use our reliance on our gut feelings as an excuse to ignore important information and opportunities to learn and grow.  We need to gather information by trusting the process of continual growth, examining it through our basic instincts because in many ways instincts can be defined as an impromptu manifestation of our core values.  We must stay true to our basic beliefs, and positive change occurs when we interrogate new ideas or practices against our beliefs.  In the moment, the best way to check the congruence is to trust our intuition!  We may make mistakes, but usually instincts are not random but a reflection of what we know to be true and right.

                                                                                Have a great week!

                                                                                Mary

9-25-2015

Mary’s Minute

“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.”

~ Marian Wright Edelman

Perry Central was born because a group of caring citizens believed in the power of education.  Perry Central was created because of the hard work and determination of Perry County residents who came together over fifty years ago, believing that our children deserve the very best possible education.  Many students were still using outhouses before the consolidated Perry Central campus opened in 1966, with schools spread across central and northern Perry County.  It is this spirit of hard work, determination, and pride that makes Perry Central what it is today.  Our roots are solid and steeped in optimism.  It is very fitting that our school corporation is called Perry Central Community School Corporation.  It is the sense of community that makes us who we are, and that is directly linked to the diligent individuals who believed in our students.  Our job now is to uphold the high standards that began over fifty years ago, and to continue to nurture an educational culture that will be part of a solid foundation in another fifty years.  The link to this video is a brief representation of what this sense of community means to us:   http://www.pccs.k12.in.us/2015-commercial.html  We extend our sincere thanks to those who came before us.  We understand the awesome responsibility we have to uphold the strong ideals upon which Perry Central Community School Corporation is built.  It is a huge charge, but also an exciting one! 

Have a great week!

Mary