Monday, February 28, 2011

People Will Surprise You

I had a student who came to my office during the beginning of PM 4 yesterday because he said he did not "feel like" going to class.  I told him there would serious consequences for skipping class and we went back and forth.  He decided, in the end, to head to class.  When I went down to see him he was actually enjoying the class and getting something out of it.  What he thought would happen, in fact, did not.  He almost allowed his fears and negativity get the best of his behaviors.

Students, when we start making decisions based on fears and selfish motives, we usually end up more miserable than we were to start.

I witnessed something amazing at Schnuck's grocery store yesterday.  I was in a long line waiting to check out and there was an older woman in front of me trying to purchase her items with some difficulty.  She was paying with food stamps and the sales clerk was having a hard time running them through.  Then, the gentleman waiting patiently behind her, without knowing this woman, handed the cashier a $50 bill and paid for the woman's groceries.

That deed made me feel good and I did not even do it.  It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes by Todd Whittaker, "When you do something nice for someone else, two people feel better, and one of them is you."  Let's not miss opportunities to make someone else's day, and in turn, make our own.

Friday, February 25, 2011

No False Starts

I want to send a shout out to our 9th grade math teacher who is all over her AM 1 class holding them accountable.  Students, if you don’t do homework, you don’t pass.  Step it up and do your job.  I cannot back you up, nor will I try, when you are not doing your part. 

One thing I appreciated growing up from my dad was the morning greeting he gave me every day as a kid.  He was always up earlier than me, but when I got up he’d greet me with enthusiasm.  He always acted upbeat and positive and set the tone for the whole family.  I never once heard him complaining or talking about how he dreaded going to work.  No, it was just the opposite, he knew that the first hours of the day are key setting the correct tone of victory and success and allow them to echo throughout the day.  Let’s remember that we can set the tone realizing today will never happen again.  Let’s not waste it with a weak, feeble, and false start.  

One of the things I taught my own kids was that when I ask them how they feel, they always respond with a resounding, “great.”  If you force yourself to think it, you can then let it take root until it becomes natural.  I ‘m not saying we lie and don’t talk about our true feelings, but I am saying that something happens on the inside when we start to talk about how great we feel.