9-18-2020

Mary’s Minute

"The one who falls and gets up is stronger than the one who never tried. Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying."

                                                                  - Roy T. Bennett

We all have times when we don’t feel like we are on top of our game – well, I guess I shouldn’t speak for all of you, but I sure do.  What if when we fall we didn’t see it as failure, but as a win because we tried? 

I am trying not to dwell on the funk that the pandemic has created, but the truth is that it continues to be a challenging time. For me the surest way to see the positive within the negative, is to remember that in trying and getting back up, we become stronger.  The fact that life gives us challenges and opportunities to fail is something to celebrate because we have chances to learn and grow through our mishaps.   

In this way we can celebrate 2020 because it has given us plenty of opportunities to grow!  And so, we should celebrate falling because in falling we can get back up!

                                                                            Have a great week!

                                                                                               Mary

9-11-2020

Mary’s Minute

“Flexibility is the key to stability.”

~ John Wooden

This quote reminds me of the paradoxical idea that the only real constant is change.  John Wooden was likely talking about basketball, but he could have been talking about a pandemic.  The only way that we can maintain any sense of stability in our work or personal lives during this crazy is to be flexible. 

For instance, the guidance that we receive from the health department literally changes weekly.  If we are not flexible, our plans would quickly fall apart.

The same is true in our personal lives.  The pandemic has changed the way we do things.  For some people, it has created major challenges, and for some of us it has just knocked us out of our routines and filled us with anxiety because of the uncertainty of the future.  When will we be able to travel regularly?  Will we be able to continue school in person?  How long will we be wearing masks?  Will someone in our family become ill?  The only way that we can feel at all grounded in this period of uncertainty is to embrace flexibility, remembering that the path to stability is flexibility. 

I wish you well!

                                                                                                Mary

9-4-2020

 

Mary’s Minute

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.”

                                                ~ Heraclitus

 

We all have unique backgrounds and experiences, so when are exposed to something we each see it through our own unique lens.  Scientists work hard to create experiments that are neutral, so that outcomes can be controlled, but in real life, there is no neutrality. 

For instance, we did a survey for staff because it is important to know how people are feeling and to gain insight about how we can improve.  People in the same buildings, who theoretically had the exact same experience and access to information, saw things drastically differently.  Fortunately, more people viewed them in positive way than negative, but the negative responses are equally important.  All insight is important because ultimately reality for an individual is their personal perception. 

The same is true for teaching.  A teacher can present material (“teach”), but the ultimate experience that each student receives (the “learning”), can be very different among students. 

I want to constantly be aware that I cannot assume that everyone sees the world the same way I do or has the same experiences that I do.  To be a better communicator, I need to remember that the river and the person stepping into it are never the same.

                                                Have a great long weekend!

                                                                             Mary

8-28-2020

 

Mary’s Minute

"Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them."   

--Marcus Aurelius   

During the first week of school a teacher said to me that she had forgotten how good it would be to see the kids.  Getting ready to reopen school, dealing with the stress of the pandemic, and feeling the anxiety of uncertainty was consuming. 

In life it is easy to focus on the challenges, but this teacher reminded me of something so important.  When we dwell in the positive of life, the negative doesn’t seem so overwhelming. 

In education, the positive part of our job is working with children!

To focus on the positive instead of the negative should be easy, but we all know it isn’t.  There is so much more good than bad in the world – even during a pandemic.

Sadly, we may get 50 words of praise, but we focus on the one word of criticism.  We need to focus on the positive!  We need to focus on the stars and run to them!

Have a great week!

                                                                        Mary

8-21-2020

 

Mary’s Minute

“The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy, we can all sense a mysterious connection to each other.”

― Meryl Streep

 

I believe that one of the things that makes great teachers great is their ability to empathize with their students.  It really is an amazing ability that one human can “feel” the pain of another.  Brain research proves that empathy is very real.  In an experiment where researchers tracked brain activity of a person whose finger was hurt, and also the brain activity of a person watching the pain, they found the exact same part of the brain was affected.  Brain research also shows that some people are more capable of empathy than others, but also excitedly, that empathy can be enhanced and taught.

The first step to peace, joy, and love is to be able to understand how another person is feeling. 

Two strategies that I recommend for enhancing empathy are listening and literacy.  If we really listen to others, we are more likely to understand their perspective.  Another powerful path to improving empathy is literacy – reading and writing.  Reading other people’s stories, whether fiction or non-fiction, triggers the part of our brain that helps us empathize.  Writing is another powerful tool to generate empathy.

As humans, we have this beautiful ability, to feel pain that others are feeling, so let’s use it to make us better – as individuals and as a society.

                                                                                    Have a great week!

                                                                                                Mary

8-14-2020

 

Mary’s Minute

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.  Without them, humanity cannot survive.”

                                                                                ~ Dalai Lama

I recently signed up for a course called “Love as a Force for Social Justice,” and it has me so excited that I don’t even know where to begin!  I am excited about learning – admittedly I am pretty busy, but I decided to devote some time for learning by signing up for this free course through Coursera taught by a Stanford professor.  (I highly recommend this course or any of the hundreds of free learning opportunities available!)

I am so excited about the topic – LOVE.  We sometimes shy away from talking about love because we associate it merely with romantic love, but love is so much more!  The course focuses on agape love of kindness and compassion, but touches on all types of love. 

It puts the theory behind the way I was raised and what I believe about life.  Love really is the answer!  Kindness and compassion can change the world, and they can be heightened in all of us and taught.  Brain research shows that our brains are programmed to love one another.

During this stressful time, I want to focus on love.  We need it to survive, not just now, but as humans.  Love really is the answer! 

                                                                                                Love to all,

                                                                                                                Mary

8-7-2020

 

Mary’s Minute

“There is a crack in everything.
That's how the light gets in.”

― Leonard Cohen

My theme for the school year is “Be a Light” with my goal of supporting others in a humble way.  For me thinking of light is a way to acknowledge in an optimistic way that there is darkness in our lives right now.  There is uncertainty and even sadness, but there is LIGHT!  And it is the light that we must focus on and celebrate.

The quote from a Leonard Cohen poem reminds me that it is okay to have weaknesses and weak moments.  I think we are all having are moments where we are struggling.  For me it happened last night.  I had a long to-do list, but I was too emotionally and physically exhausted to do anything.  I cracked and just slept – I let the light shine in, and I woke up refreshed and grateful.

It is okay to have cracks.  Our cracks not only make us human, but they allow the light in so we can grow and be a better version of ourselves. 

Don’t be too hard on yourself.  Allow yourself to have cracks.  Let the light in, so that we can be a light for others.

                                                                        Be a light!

                                                                                    Mary