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

9-18-2015

Mary’s Minute

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

~Peter Drucker

The difference between leadership and management was a common theme in nearly every administrative class I took for my superintendent’s license.  It is true that organizations need managers to make sure things run smoothly.  This is where knowledge of policy, procedures, and budgets come in handy.  Many elements of working with people also fall under the management umbrella.  The important element in operating an organization is leadership.  At Perry Central we strive to do things right, but as Drucker points out we believe that we must do the right things.  We are fortunate to have a school board that leads with the goal of doing the right things.  Speaking for myself, I know that I make mistakes, but my quest is to treat people fairly and do the right things for our students, employees, and community.  Leadership, like everything we do, falls back to our core beliefs, so when we believe that kindness matters that effects how we treat people and run our organization.  In education there is a rule of thumb to make decisions that are best for kids, and at Perry Central we take it a step further striving to do what is best for kids and also the right thing.  Again, I know that I fail, but I will continue to strive to do the right things because that is the true essence of leadership and the heart of Perry Central.

Have a great week!

Mary

 

9-11-2015

Mary’s Minute

“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.”

~ Dalai Lama

 “The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.”

~ Albert Schweitzer

When we ponder the “meaning of life” it can translate to a deep philosophical discussion or a fun conversation to lighten the mood.  The truth is at some point we all ponder the question, and from an educational standpoint we take it a step further to ponder the purpose of education.  Just as philosophers spend countless hours contemplating the query, educators focus many strategic planning sessions on the same basic inquiry. 

I think being happy is pretty important, so the Dalai Lama’s simple quote has great meaning to me, but I have long believed that we have an obligation to make the world a better place.  The great thing is that the two viewpoints go hand and hand since the key to being happy is serving others and being compassionate.  Finding happiness is sometimes allusive, and moments of happiness may occur in more selfish ways but true happiness comes through living a life of service to others.

How does all of this translate to education?  One of my favorite quotes about the purpose of education comes from my mentor, Jerry Harste, “Education is a metaphor for the kind of lives we want our students to lead.”  Using Jerry’s definition, if we figure out the purpose of life, we also have figured out the purpose of education.  Our focus is obviously learning, but at a deeper level it is about finding joy in learning and serving other through what we learn.

I love to think about “deep” questions – I think it helps us to realize that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, and also to not take ourselves too seriously.  Education and life are complicated endeavors.  Reflection and conversation around our mission in life and our vision for education are important, but sometimes the simplest answer is the best.  What kind of people do we want to be? 

                                                                                Have a great week!

                                                                                Mary