1-25-2019

Mary’s Minute

“80% of success is showing up.”

                                                                       ~ Woody Allen

We can define success in many different ways, but I think that Woody Allen’s advice works regardless of your definition.  Attendance matters.  We know that for our students and for ourselves.  Just showing up makes a difference. 

I received a letter this week from former Perry Central teacher and life-long PC fan, Charles Schnell.  He said that when he taught at Perry Central he wanted Perry Central to be the best, so he maintained a 21 and ½ year record of perfect attendance.  My jaw dropped at the thought of that feat.  First of all, it is simply amazing, but I also thought what it said about how he feels about Perry Central and how he cared about his students.

When we “show up” – whether that means going to class for college students, going to work for us adults, hopping on the school bus every morning for students, attending not for profit meetings, or simply being present when we are talking to someone – we will find success.  Research shows that being present leads to happiness, and educational research points to the link between school attendance and grades.  I have not seen the research, but I am willing to bet that students perform better when their teachers have great attendance. 

And the story of Mr. Schnell reminds me of one more thing “showing up” illustrates.  It shows we care.  Thanks for showing for up for our students!

                                                                           Have a great week!

                                                                                             Mary                                    

1-18-2019

Mary’s Minute

"Finding good players is easy.  Getting them to play as a team is another story." 

                                                                           ~ Casey Stengel

Typically the word team conjures up sports images.  Since I have personally never played on a sports team, that reference is abstract to me.  Yet, I feel like I understand the value and the elements that make up a successful team. 

We are all part of different teams and different levels of teams.  Our families are one team.  As teachers, we see our students as members of another kind of team.  We have work teams.  Teams are also at different levels.  For instance, for me I have my administrative team with whom I work most closely, but I also consider the entire Perry Central staff my team, and going one step broader, I am proud to be part of the team of the Perry Central community. 

Teams are not just about having good people, although that is certainly a plus.  A successful team is about how the people come together.  I can boil down the elements of team to two concepts:  sharing a common goal and relationships.  For a team to be successful its members need to share a common goal, and they need to care about each other.  I think both are essential.  At Perry Central relationships matter, making us one step closer to having a successful team.

I am especially proud to be part of a strong, caring administrative team, which includes a supportive school board.  It isn’t something I take for granted.  We share common goals of creating positive experiences for our students, and we care about each other.

I was fortunate to be able to represent my amazing team in Indianapolis on Tuesday night.  I am grateful for our shared vision and our strong relationship.  I was lucky enough to dine with the Governor, but I was there representing my awesome team!  

                

                                                                              Have a great week!

                                                                                               Mary                                    

1-11-2019

Mary’s Minute

“If you’re crazy enough to do what you love for a living, then you’re bound to create a life that matters.” 

                                                                                    ~ Herb Kelleher

Herb Kelleher not only loved what he did for a living, he loved the company and the people with whom he worked.  Herb was the long-time President of Southwest Airlines and is credited with making Southwest the fun airline.  Herb recently passed away, but leaves a legacy of being passionate about what you do.

I have always felt very fortunate to love what I do for a living.  It seems pretty easy to love what you do when you work with great people and are driven by a mission of helping children.  It is neat to think that a natural by-product of loving what you do, is creating a life that matters. 

Then again, maybe it is not that you love what you do that allows you to make a difference, but because you make a difference it is easier to love what you do.  The chicken or the egg isn’t important, but the exciting part is that they do go together. 

I always told my own children how important it is to find a job you love.  I also always told them that they had an obligation to make the world a better place.  Now I realize that the two are connected!  How cool is that?  Find a job you love and make a difference!  Or is it make a difference, and you are sure to love what you do?

                                                                            Have a great week!

                                                                                          Mary    

1-4-2019

Mary’s Minute

“Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees.”

                                                            ~ Swedish Proverb

Some of us are big picture people, and others are better at details.  Some of us can recognize the forest better, while others are experts at understanding the intricacies of the trees. 

The Swedish proverb warns us of the danger of getting too bogged down in the details to remember the big picture.  For me the big picture is often the “why” of what we do.

My daughter, Zosha, wrote about creating solid New Year’s resolutions in her blog.  (Motherly plug: You can follow her on Facebook at Choose Happy or on her website, Zoshamarie.com.)  One of her suggestions was to focus on the “why” of your resolutions to gain true focus and to remain motivated to complete the goal.

I thought this idea of remembering to see the forest, while visualizing the trees, was a good one.  I think it has relevance to all goal setting.  If we want to lose weight (the tree), we need to also remember the “why” of leading a healthy life, etc., (the forest) in order to stay focused and maybe even to set the right goal. 

In education we are constantly focused on goals, and as we focus on goals with our students we also need to constantly remind ourselves of the big picture.  For instance, we need to remember that the reason we teach phonics is to teach students to learn to read and to love reading.  The reason we teach government is to create a critical citizenship. 

The trees are important, but when the trees come together to create the big picture of the forest, we can push ourselves to an even higher plane.

                                                                Happy New Year!

                                                                                 Mary

12-21-2018

Mary’s Minute

“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”

                                                                 ~ Charles Dickens

Christmas, and the holiday season in general, is not a day but a feeling.  Whether or not you celebrate Christmas a religious holiday or not, it still represents a season of love and giving. 

The simplest way that I can describe the feeling of Christmas for me is love.  Giving of gifts is not about the material item, but about giving to people for whom we care. Sharing a meal is not simply about indulging in delicious food, but about sharing time with people who are special to us.

There may be things in our life that are challenging or situations that make us sad, but this time of year, we can find joy. 

Yesterday, Tara and I had lunch with Pat and Sheila Clark, who have endured much sadness.  Yet, Pat and Sheila find joy in living and giving.   

This time of year, we are quick to offer a greeting of “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas” to strangers.  There is love in our hearts and our voices.

My hope is that the love that we feel this season can stay with you throughout the entire year!

                                           Christmas love to you all!

                                                                          Mary

12-14-2018

Mary’s Minute

“Deliberately seek opportunities for kindness, sympathy, and patience.”

                                            ~ Evelyn Underhill                                                                                        

In today’s world, we all have been faced with talking to an automated service, “For English press or say one.”  It usually begins with simple enough questions, but can quickly progress to pure frustration for me.  I have found myself almost screaming, “I want to speak to a representative!”  My voice gets louder and more frustrated with each automated response, “I don’t understand; please restate the reason for your call.”  

Recently I have made a conscious effort to be more calm and kind to automated services.  I know that a computer doesn’t have feelings, but I have decided that for my own sake I want to practice kindness.  I have started saying “please” and “thank you” to a computerized voice. What I realized is that by being patient, soft spoken, and polite, regardless of the circumstances, I feel better myself. An added benefit is that I get practice in an important skill.

I want to be more kind, sympathetic, and patient to people because I want them to feel loved and cared for, but I also know that being kind makes the person offering kindness feel better. I need to do all I can to practice the important skill! “I will connect you to a representative now.”

                                       Have a great week! 

                                                    Mary

12-7-2018

Mary’s Minute

“There are more honest people and more good people than there are thieves and bad people. It's just always been that way.”  

                                                        ~ Michael Nesmith

This quote precisely sums up the story I wanted to share this week.  At the end of my somewhat hectic story, I was left with a feeling that there is more good (much more good) than bad in the world! 

Last week I was at a conference in Indianapolis and during a reception staged in an open lobby area of the Westin I hung my coat on the rack provided.  I left the reception, leaving my coat behind for another meeting in the same hotel.  When I received a fraud alert that my credit card that I left in the coat pocket, along with my driver’s license and a little cash, was being used, I rushed to the coat rack to find my coat and its contents gone. 

The Westin front desk clerk, Cooper, quickly involved the security supervisor, who started watching surveillance video.  In the meantime I Ubered to my hotel to avoid the cold without my coat.  (Sidebar – I Pricelined and stayed at a different hotel to save $$.)  About an hour later I received a call from Justin who told me he had good news and bad news.  He had recovered my coat, but not the contents.  I had already cancelled my credit card and knew I could easily get a replacement license, so I wasn’t disappointed.  The great part of the story is that Justin tracked down the people who took my coat (found them swimming in the hotel pool) with the woman in the group wearing my coat!  It gets even better – Cooper, the desk clerk, delivered my coat to me!  I was overwhelmed by their good, which for me far out-weighed the negativity of losing my cc and license. 

This story is not about a cold night in Indy, but about all the good there is in the world.  We may get discouraged when we watch the news, with our jobs, or with the students in our classrooms, but when we look around, we know that there is much, much more good than bad.  I want to focus on the good! 

                                                         Have a great week!

                                                                          Mary