Wildcat Weekly
April 29, 2019
You are awesome!
Not a lot of wisdom in this one but perhaps just a reminder.
This fall I was able to attend a conference listening to Jimmy Casas, author of the book Culturize. In his session, I was forced to get up and go find a stranger, look them in the eye and remind them that they chose the best profession in the world, that they were champions for kids and that they were awesome! You may not know this, but these kinds of activities make me cringe, talking to strangers, Ugggh! I empathize with you all every time I ask you to do a stoke or something that might take you out of your comfort zone, I do!
I love what we heard multiple times last week from Houston - when it comes to kindness and character, we (adults and kids included) need to be reminded more than we need to be taught. I think that this can be true for a lot of things. Being reminded that we matter is important for us as people, being reminded that our efforts make a difference is life-giving.
Now, imagine a room full of strangers recognizing that each person they encountered had value, were champions for kids and they were told that they were awesome! What I felt, and what began to happen was the energy went up, people began to smile and after a couple of rounds of silliness, people began to say thank-you! We are not used to these kinds of reminders, especially for all of us working in schools where we are living the daily grind. When it comes from a colleague, someone who knows what your life is like, this makes it more meaningful.
Now you might say that, well those were the instructions and you might ask, was that person really awesome...really? I say if they were in the room, they were driving toward awesome and that makes all the difference in the world. Having the "want to" is important, so yes attending a conference to grow when you could easily just not I would say makes everyone in the room awesome!
What I have seen these past weeks through the work that is done at our school is a lot of awesome. I am amazed by the level you all are committed. I wonder when, if ever, was the last time someone looked you in the eye and told you that you were awesome! Think, think think, think!
I see a group of people at our school not only surviving but working to get better. We try to get to perfect and sometimes we think that awesome can only be achieved through perfection. None of us are perfect, but because we choose to do this work with kids and choose not to settle for average, this makes us awesome.
I challenge each of us to seek out others this week and remind them that they have value, that they get to work at the best school in the world, with the best staff and the best kids and though we are not perfect, we are awesome! Try it!
Thanks for all that you do!
Glad you're here!
Quick Resource of the Week
Our session with Houston!
We were able to record this so all can see. It is long, just over an hour, but this gives us a big picture view of the work that lies ahead becoming Character Strong at LaCreole.
I look forward to our work and appreciate everyone's efforts in developing a common message and language around character and culture.
Coming Up On Our Calendar
This Week
4/29 - DHS Preview Night (8th grade @ DHS)
5/3 - Extended Advisory - Morning Assembly Schedule
Next Week:
Spirit Week!
5/8 - Budget Reduction Day
5/9 - 8th Grade Science Fieldtrip to the Beach
5/10 - Hidden Talent Challenge - 6 - 8 PM in the cafeteria
Coming Up In PLC
April PLC Schedule
4/29 - Content Area With a Twist #lacreolerocks
- Optional Google Suite Training with Drew & Jacob
- Other tools presented by our LaCreole Staff!