Holiday Blues

I want to build on the message I posted last week. This past Sunday I took the message at church to heart and I want to share some of it with you. During this holiday season be sure you remember what the meaning of the season should be and what your memories are from your childhood. Often in our culture we hear people say things like "I can't wait for January" or they are complaining about all the dinner parties they have to attend. They may even be complaining about having to travel to see family or because their family is coming to stay with them.

If you fall into any of these categories think about what the holidays should be about. I can assure you there are people all across the world that would love to have a warm dinner so we should not complain about being invited to dinner. You set your schedule. If you don't want to attend the staff party, or another invitation that is fine, but don't complain about being invited.

As for complaining about having to travel to see your family or them coming to stay with you, be thankful you have the opportunity. There are families all over the country that would love to spend the holidays with their son, daughter, mother or father, but they are overseas fighting to ensure we can enjoy the holidays and our freedom. I know some of you may have a Griswald family like me, but any time with those that love us should be valued time. Once we lose those we love we will never get that time back. Be thankful and enjoy the time.

When I look back at the holiday memories I hold closest it is not about presents I received but about traditions my family formed. I loved playing football in the snow with my brothers on Christmas day. I remember all the decorations and foods my mom always had for us and the music she played. What I am saying to you is simple. It is not about presents you can buy your kids, or maybe you can't buy your kids this year. It is not about what you will receive or not receive, but about the spirit of Christmas. Enjoy the holiday season and the traditions your family has. If you don't have any strong traditions take some time this year and form a new tradition that your family can enjoy this year and the years to come.

Enjoy the well deserved break. I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to lead such a great team. Happy Holidays!!!

Holiday Season

I hope that you all take some time over the next few weeks to reflect over your blessings. It is easy to feel sorry for ourselves or to get stuck in a negative mindset when times get crazy. We all know the holidays are going to make times crazy. Take a minute to look at your life and think about how blessed you are. If you are feeling overwhelmed step back and take a breath.

For me this is easy. I have been blessed with a wonderful wife and kids, good friends and great career opportunities. I love my job, the people I work with and the effect I am hopefully having on the students I am blessed to work with. Even with all of these blessings from god, I find myself complaining from time to time. When I step back and think about the wonderful life I have I feel foolish. Having a job that allows me to work with young people is truly a blessing and I hope you all feel the same way. There are people all over the country, across our county, in our neighborhood and in our families that have lost jobs or they are stuck in jobs that they do not love. Think about how lucky we are to be trusted with shaping the minds of the future.

Take time to relax, enjoy time with your loved ones and reflect on the difference you are making in the lives of our students. Remember life is not about material things, but about the difference you make while you are here.

What Message Are You Sending?

A very wise woman shared the following message with me and I want to share it with you.

Yesterday afternoon I was driving home from the post office when the song on the radio was interrupted by a jarring tone. After a long beep, I heard those familiar words: This has been a test of the Emergency Broadcasting System. This is only a test. If this had been an actual emergency. . .

If you live in the United States, you can probably repeat that message verbatim because you've heard it so many times through the years. Yet as I was driving along, I wondered why the message was so disconcerting. I knew it wasn't an "actual emergency" (as opposed to what, a "virtual emergency"?). And then it hit me why those words are more jarring than they need to be. I was hearing the exact same recording I'd first heard when I was a child. The voice was now a little scratchy from so many playings, with lots of white noise in the background. I bet it was recorded in the 1960s or even earlier, and that poor announcer is either in a nursing home or long gone from this world.

That ancient recording gives a strong subliminal message. "If this was an actual emergency, you'd be plunged into the dark ages, or at least back to the time when this was recorded! We'd all be huddled in basements with ham radios, dusting off expired cans of food, wearing bellbottoms with large orange and lime green flowers on them!" (Okay, the kids may be wearing those now, but you get my drift.)

There is something powerfully but subtly disturbing about public messages we see or hear often that are never updated or refreshed. Here's a challenge for you this week - find one small, tired piece of the public face of your school or classroom that you can easily update (or even remove if it has outlived its purpose). That comic sans font on the school website that looked so young and fun when you put it up in 1998? Looks a little sad and cartoony now. The health guidelines for handling blood on the bulletin board in the teacher workroom that are fly-specked and water-stained? Kind of scary for volunteers who see them every time they wash their hands, and know we are in the midst of the worst flu pandemic in decades. Put up a clean copy and send the subliminal message that you're absolutely on top of health issues in your school. The laminated commercial poster of the 7 Comprehension Strategies in your class room that is curling around the edges and torn in one corner? Hey, what has it done for you or your students lately?

We may not see or hear some of the outdated messages we're sending out about our classrooms or schools. As insiders, they aren't in focus for us anymore - we understandably are concentrating on the immediate needs of our colleagues and students, exciting new projects, or even actual emergencies. If the messages aren't obsolete we may keep them up, not noticing the "message beneath the message" the format or age of them is sending to the public about how current we are in our approaches to teaching, learning, and life in a school community. I have no doubt insiders in the government are hard at work using the latest technology to prepare our country for a real emergency. I just wish they'd take ten minutes to record and send out a new message to radio stations using a bit of that whiz-bang technology. It might be more reassuring than they realize.

Pay attention to the little things as they often send big signals.