Willink Principal's Newsletter
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Principal's Message
February 14, 2020
The internet wins again…
As we get ready for February break, I wanted to share a couple personal stories. Several years ago, I came across what I thought was an inspirational post about Albert Einstein on social media, and I reposted it to my account. Not long after, a “real” friend (who was also a social media friend) commented. I eagerly looked at his comment as many of us do only to find that he was calling out some assumptions I had made. His comment went something like this, “A Swiss University writing a rejection letter in English to a German student? Really? Don’t you think you should have sourced this… and you’re a social studies teacher right?”
Immediately, I knew he was right so I ate my humble pie and took the post down, thinking what a great lesson I had learned and one that I might share with students to emphasize the importance of sourcing information on the internet. Lesson learned for me, right? Well…I had a “review” lesson this week.
Many of you may have come across the internet hoax this week that became known as the #BroomstickChallenge. One twitter user posted a video of a broom standing up on its own. She claimed that NASA said it was the one day this could happen given Earth’s gravitational pull. Many of us (myself included) tested this out and, for a few minutes at least, thought it was pretty cool. Luckily, logic and critical thinking intervened and we all had a good laugh at how easily we can all be duped by the internet. Yes, even us adults.
I share these stories (and pictures) as I think it’s a great chance for all of us to reflect on how we react and respond to information - especially in this new decade in which information flies at us at speeds faster than we can consume. Not only digitally, but in the daily social interactions of students and staff here at Willink and for all of us in our personal and professional lives. It never hurts to pause and think, to reflect, and to consider multiple points of view before taking action or forming opinions. This is something we are hoping to ground in our academic focus on curiosity-driven learning at Willink this year. I think it goes beyond that though, and I hope that sharing a few of my own mistakes might help all of us remember how important it is to think before we act.
Have a great week off from school - We’ll share pictures from today’s PBIS Assembly when we return on 2/24.
Brian Powers
Willink Principal
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February 17 - 22, 2020 ~ February Break ~ No School
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