10-21-2016

Mary’s Minute

“Relax!  Life is beautiful!”

                                                              ~ David Wolper

Fall break is upon us, and it is a good time to think about recharging.  Our physical surroundings and life in general truly are beautiful, but sometimes we get so busy that we forget to enjoy them and relax.  Wolper puts it so simply, but also so accurately. 

Sometimes our minds are in overdrive, and we are physically rushing from one priority to the next.  In these times, we it is difficult to slow down and relax.

I read a neat strategy of how to get grounded when life feels frenzied.  Choose an object, preferably a natural object, like a leaf or a flower, and focus on it, taking in every intricacy of it.  By doing this for several minutes our mind is able to unload some of our burdens, and life is reduced to beauty and simplicity.  It makes sense the beach is a relaxing place for many people because at the beach it is easy to focus on the simply beauty of the ocean or the horizon.  We have just as much natural beauty right here in Perry County.  The moon is another natural source of soothing simplicity for me. 

I hope that staff and students can find some time – even just a few minutes can help – to get grounded by enjoying the beauty of nature and in doing so, realize how wonderful life is!  Wherever your happy place is, I hope you find it this fall break in order to relax in the way you deserve.  Thanks for all you do!

                                                          Have a great week!

                                                                                     Mary  

10-14-2016

Mary’s Minute

“The things that change our lives (and the lives of others) are rarely the long-scheduled events, the much-practiced speeches or the annual gala. No, it's almost certain that the next chance you have to leap will come out of nowhere in particular, and you'll discover it because you're ready for it.”
                                                                                         ~ Seth Godin

I read that Michael Jackson was infamous for calling his producer in the middle of the night with ideas. On one of the calls, when the sleepy producer tried to put him off, MJ replied that he had to act right now because if he didn’t Prince would get the idea.  The rather odd notion that Michael believed in was that ideas are out in the universe, and if we do not grab them, they will move on to someone else.  I admit it seems pretty far-fetched, but it also has an element that makes sense to me.  For me, it may not be as dramatic as snatching an idea before it is given to someone else, but as Seth Godin’s words suggest, ideas or opportunities,   come at us when we least expect them, and the key to success is being ready for them. 
I believe that there are no coincidences, which to me is exactly why we always need to be ready and open for when chances jump out at us. 
Ideas that can change our lives and our perspective on life, can grab us.  The key is to not let them slip by, but rather to be open and ripe for discovery. 
Our destiny is out there, but it likely will not come when it is scheduled.  It will come when we least expect it, and the key is that we always need to be ready and open.

                                                      Have a great week!

                                                                                     Mary  

10-7-2016

Mary’s Minute

“One of the oldest human needs is having someone to wonder where you are when you don't come home at night.”                                                         ~ Margaret Mead

I have been watching the Weather Channel quite a bit the last few days in anticipation of Hurricane Matthew slamming the U.S.  I marvel at how at times like this everything stops – meetings are canceled, classes are suspended, scheduled medical procedures are delayed - entire cities come to a halt.  How is it that things that seemed so important yesterday, suddenly do not really matter?  The rhetorical question has a common sense answer (Duh!), a spiritual response (Catastrophes help us focus on what really matters in life.), and also a response directly linked to educational theory.  One of the most well-known educational theories is that of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Basic Needs.  The theory suggests that children cannot learn until their basic needs are met.  Obvious basic needs are food and shelter, but other needs when unmet have an equally devastating effect on learning.  Putting it in the simplest way, children need to be loved before they can learn. 

Jennifer Mitchell did a really cool thing this week, asking elementary teachers to tell three things about Perry Central that they appreciated.  The responses were powerful and heart-warming!  One thing that stood out is that at Perry Central teachers and staff members care about kids! 

Hurricane Matthew and P.C. as a caring community may seem totally unrelated, but just like coastal residents are seeking shelter from a torrential storm, you provide the warm blanket of hope for our students who come to us from stormy lives.  You are amazing!

                                                               Have a great week!

                                                                                           Mary 

9-30-2016

Mary’s Minute

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion; if you want to be happy, practice compassion.”                                                           

                                                                                   ~ Mary Stewbeck

“Choose to be happy.  It is a way of being wise.”             ~ Colette

I am quick to talk about the power of mind over matter and willing ourselves to act or feel in a certain way.  I believe that we can choose our attitude and that being happy is a choice.  I recently read an article from Washington Post that pointed out that it is not always that simple.  The article suggested that we need to accept and own our feelings.  Sometimes sad or bad things happen, and we need to process those feelings rather than simply discounting them and willing ourselves to be happy.  It made me consider thinking of happiness as something more than just a choice, but as a way of life.  If happiness is not as simple of a choice as I have always claimed, we still have control over it through our actions.  Actions lead to happiness, and the surest way to be happy is to help others.  Happiness can seem like a selfish feeling, but the truth is that true happiness is always connected to others. 

I still believe that happiness is a choice, but I am seeing the route to it being a little different than simply choosing the feeling.  The choice is not in choosing our emotion, but in choosing actions that lead to happiness.                                          

                                                                   Have a great week!

                                                                                        Mary  

9-23-2016

Mary’s Minute

“Spread love wherever you go.  Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”

                                                                                               ~ Mother Teresa

The word love can be used in many different ways.  “I love your new haircut” as a thoughtful compliment.  “I love you, man!” to an old friend, or the tender “I love you,” to a significant other.  Eskimos have many words for snow because for of their need for precision in describing the white matter.  I wish we had more words for love in order to better describe its intricacies.  The Greeks had six different words for love.  My favorite is “agape” or love for everyone.  I believe that this is the love that Mother Teresa spoke about.  Love for our families and significant others is a special kind of love that is certainly connected to a love for all, but Mother Teresa’s brand of love is the kind we want to model our lives sharing.

When my dad died I remember as a family pouring over the intricacies of his monument.  We wanted the phrase, “Love Never Ends” etched in the granite as a reminder of the kind of love that Mother Teresa describes.  Not to take away from the relationship of my mom and dad, but we didn’t want the phrase engraved near their wedding date because we wanted the “love” that we were describing to stand for more than romantic love. 

Love – Perry Central style – is what Mother Teresa describes.  That love is our goal.

                                                                       With love, 

                                                                      Mary

9-16-2016

Mary’s Minute

“A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.”

                                                                                     ~ Lao Tzu

We all have times when we feel overwhelmed.  It is tough for me to even type the “o” word because admitting it makes me feel weak.  An analogy came to me the other night that helped clear my mind.  It was very late when I walked through my kitchen and noticed the dishwasher had completed its cycle and needed to be unloaded.  I sighed thinking of the task, which at nearly midnight seemed exhausting.  I opened it and thought I would just put away the plates and leave the rest until morning.  The plates proved to be an easy job, so I grabbed the bowls and put them in their place.  Before I knew it all that remained was the silverware – the dreaded silverware!  I had another moment of defeat, thinking it would have to wait until morning, but maybe I would just grab all the spoons.  The forks, and then the knives easily followed.  Just like that the job that had felt overwhelming just minutes before was done because I broke it down into single steps.  I realize that a simple household chore does not compare to the vast workload that teachers and many others face, but as I was stacking coffee cups the similarities stood out to me.  The task before me was not a difficult one, but in the moment it felt exhausting and somehow the dishwasher not being unloaded made the rest of the incomplete household chores surrounding me seem paralyzing.  Tasks, difficult and simple, can seem crushing, but when we start that journey of a thousand miles with that single step we feel empowered to keep going and before we know it we feel better and have a task crossed off our to-do list.  We all have journeys before us.  I wish you the best in your metaphorical trek and encourage you to remember my household conundrum and feel empowered!

                                                                        Have a great week!

                                                                        Mary

9-9-2016

Mary’s Minute

“Every person in this life has something to teach me – and as soon as I accept that, I open myself to truly listening.”

                                                                      ~ Catherine Doucette

For me there are two valuable lessons in the quote above.  The first is about valuing perspectives, and the second is about the act/art of listening.

When we see that every person has something of value to teach us, we begin to see the world differently.  This attitude enables us to think knowledge as relative and dynamic.  Not everyone is equal in intelligence, but everyone has a unique perspective that is of interest and can enlighten others.  If we think of intelligence as a finite body of knowledge, then we can dismiss the value of others, but knowledge is not finite.  Teachers who see their students in an active sense, not as passive participants, understand this notion.  Once we truly accept the value of multiple perspectives, then our next task is to use active listening to learn from others.  It may not always be easy to live without judging others and recognizing that we can learn from them, but when we do we open ourselves up to endless opportunities for growth, fueled by inquiry.  Believe that we can learn from everyone, and I promise you that we will!

                                                                   Have a great week!

  

                                                               Mary