3-18-2016

Mary’s Minute

“We need to accept that we won't always make the right decisions, that we'll screw up royally sometimes - understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it's part of success.”

                                       ~ Arianna Huffington

I love this notion of ridding our thoughts that the opposite of success is failure.  Failure can be an important step towards success.  I like to think of mistakes not as failure, but as approximations.  Consider a baby learning to talk.  When the baby says, “Da,” we do not consider it a failure for appropriately saying, “Daddy,” but instead praise the approximation that puts our baby one step closer to normal communication.  Life and learning are not about failure, but about approximations that help guide us.  It is through our mistakes that we learn.  Sometimes mistakes are costly and difficult, but as long as we use them as stepping stones to better decisions, better living, or deeper learning, then they are not failure. 

 

Traditional notions of learning, tend to see student answers as right or wrong, but when we think of wrong as not being failure, but an approximation then we can use the “wrong” answer as a valuable step towards greater understanding.  Sure we all love to not make bad decisions, but let’s remember that even mistakes lead us to greater understanding of academic pursuits and life lessons.

 

                                                                       Have a great break! 

                                                                       Mary

3-11-2016

Mary's Minute 

We all have bad days.  Sometimes it is as simple as just feeling down or having a few things go wrong that make it seem "bad."  The worst days are the ones when the negative things happening have consequences that make us dread days to come.  They are the days that we fear a good night's sleep will not cure.  The reality is that even on these kind of days, in fact, especially on these kind of days, we need to see all the good in life.  On bad days it is tougher to practice the art of gratitude, but more important than ever that we be thankful for all the good in our lives.  It is on the days when it is difficult to see the beauty in nature, that we most need nature's wonder to give us pause.  It is the time when we don't want to laugh that we most need to strive to yfind humor. It is when we don't want to speak to anyone that we most need to gain strength from the kindness of others.  Life is not always easy.  Tough things can happen, but bad days do not define us.  All of the things that make us have good days are still right under our nose, even during the worst of times.  My wish is that you never have a bad day, but realism says we all will.  The next best hope is that we use our positive attitudes as power against negativity during tough times.

Thanks for all you do!
Mary

3-4-2016

Mary’s Minute

“Everyone shines given the right lighting.  For some it’s a Broadway spotlight, for others, a lamp lit desk.”

                                                  ~ Susan Cain

My son, Bill, has taught me a lot about introverts and extroverts, since his introvertedness is in direct contrast to my extrovertedness.  A simple explanation of the difference in the two personality types is that introverts gain energy from being alone while extroverts gain energy from being around people.  Like most characteristics, people cannot be pigeon-holed into a single type, but the concept is good to help us understand how our students, friends, and family members operate.  I have learned that Bill can function very well in a crowd and come off to people as being comfortable and confident, but at the end of a day, he needs to be alone to recharge.  For me it is just the opposite, being with people invigorates me.  When I think about our students, I have to admit that schools by nature favor students who gain energy from others.  I am not sure of the answer to this, but it does make me conscious of providing opportunities for students to work both in groups and alone, and to provide “recharging” spaces for introverts to be alone when needed.  As for me as a mother, I have learned to be more patient when Bill wants to just be alone, not taking it personally that he doesn’t want to spend time with me.  Our goal is to provide just the right lighting so that all of our students can shine!

                                                                       Have a great week! 

                                                                                        Mary

2-26-2016

Mary’s Minute

“Everybody is a genius.  But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”    

                     ~Albert Einstein

 

It seems in society we spend a lot of time, energy, and money trying to decide how smart people are.  This is a deficient model, looking at what is missing instead of what is present.  Instead of asking, “How smart are you?”  We should be asking, “How are you smart?”  One of our goals with classes like STEAM, Power Hour, and Genius Hour is to build on students’ strengths.  We call these efforts passion-based learning, as we seek opportunities to help all students become the geniuses Einstein describes.   It is important to create experiences that allow students to be put in situations where they can be judged by their strengths.  One important part of this is to nurture all talents and abilities, including visual arts, music, emotional intelligences, athletics, as well as traditional subjects.  It isn’t always easy in today’s world, but Einstein’s words are an important reminder to be cautious about how we sort and label students.  Our students are full of wonderful strengths, and our goal is to nurture their strengths as we lessen their weaknesses. 

                                                            Thanks for all you do! 

                                                                    Mary

2-19-2016

Mary’s Minute

 

“What is art but a way of seeing?”

                                                                                                            ~Saul Bellow

 

I have always enjoyed “art” but never considered myself very good “at art.”  I love the notion of thinking of art as a way of seeing the world.  During my graduate school years, I spent time exploring semiotics, which is the study of sign systems or ways in which we “see the world.”  In our world and therefore in school, we value verbal and mathematical way of knowing.  Maybe society downplays the value of art and music because they are more difficult to test.  My comments are not meant as a political commentary on testing, although I do have opinions.  My purpose today is simply to reflect on the role of the arts not just in school, but in our lives.  They provide a powerful lens to see and know our world.  I love words, so I like to read and listen to the spoken word to learn.  I need to remember that music, theater, and visual arts also provide a way to express ourselves and to learn.  My daughter, Zoe, loves to read and write, but she also loves to draw.  (Thank you, Mrs. Poehlein, for encouraging her!)  I especially love to see Zoe combine visual art with words as she sketches to accompany the written word.  These places where “ways of knowing’ intersect are inspiring and uplifting.  I suspect there are a lot of people who do not feel they are good “at” art, but if we can see art as a way of knowing our world – both by observing and creating, I think we can see it as more accessible.  We don’t have to be Picasso to reflect on a painting or to doodle as a way of expressing our feelings.  Try seeing yourself as an “artist” not in a traditional sense, but as someone who uses art to communicate and know our wonderful world.

 

                                            Thanks for all you do! 

                                                          Mary

2-5-2016

Mary’s Minute

 

“Control what you can control. Don't lose sleep worrying about things that you don't have control over because, at the end of the day, you still won't have any control over them.”

                                                                        ~ Cam Newton

“Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.”

                                                                        ~ Swedish Proverb

“A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work.”

                                                                        ~John Lubbock

 

“Don’t worry,” is one of those phrases that we probably catch ourselves saying to people several times a day.  We all know intellectually that worry is not productive, but we all do it.  When I think about things that cause me worry, I would put them in three categories:  things within my control that I need to accomplish; things outside of my control; and things that I have not taken time to categorize to know whether I can control them or not.  What I mean about the third category is that sometimes I just worry without even taking time to know why.  Sometimes I find myself fretting without even knowing why, but once I stop and think I feel better.  For me, it is important to consciously define what is causing me grief.  Then I can take action if it is within my control or do my best to let it go if it is something out of my control.  Procrastination can not only delay action, but also enhance worry.  I have found myself putting things off that I dread, only to realize that once I jump in and get it done, it really wasn’t that bad.  And so, I will end with how I began with some simple advice, “Don’t worry!”

               Thanks for all you do! 

                                                Mary

2-12-2016

Mary's Minute

"People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude."

                                                                                ~ John C. Maxwell

Words are powerful, and we need to use them wisely, but words alone can be misunderstood.  In today's world where emails and texts outnumber personal conversations, we all have learned the lesson of how words alone can fail us.  Spoken words may convey our message better, but as Maxwell reminds us they also communicate our attitude.  I have respect and appreciation for our students, staff, and community.  In fact, my goal in life is to have love in my heart for all people.  This quote reminds me that I need to be careful so that I leave people knowing I care wth words and subtle actions that communicate my attitude.  I think of how important our office staffs are in this regard.  When they answer the phone or greet students or visitors, they express words and share an attitude.  Simple things, like a smile are powerful communicators, and I love when call one of our offices and can tell through the phone line that the person on the other end is smiling.  I am not sure if there is a scientific study to prove it, but I am confident that a smile can be "heard" through a telephone line!   I could give countless examples of how people communicate their attitudes at PC.   Have you ever met Dave Reese in the hallway when he wasn't smiling?   The spring in Jeremy Edwards' step says that he loves Perry Central, no matter how overwhelming his workload may be.  Visitors to Perry Central comment about the culture.  It is not just words spoken that leave visitors with this impression; it is the communication of positive attitudes that come through in subtle, yet powerful, ways.  Thank you for letting people know that Perry Central cares!  

Have a great week!

Mary