PVE Friday Focus January 16th, 2015
PVE-Where A Great Beginning Lasts a Lifetime!!
Embrace the shake!
As shared in staff meeting on Thursday, the above TED video link is very profound. It will take you to a place of reflection and thought. I must admit it has impacted my process of viewing any kind of challenge as a new opportunity for both creativity and solution forward thinking. Please take 10, give it a watch and allow reflection to occur.
This past week has given me a good dose of reacting in the minute on a personal level. On a farm, we have anxiously awaited our first litter of pigs. Our kids have counted down the days much in the fashion of, are we there yet discussion on family vacations. We endured a few difficult days with our first litter. As the kids and I started to support the mommy during delivery, we were slapped by reality with still born pigs at delivery. The moms was having an extreme difficult time and we implemented each possible solution to help her. Unfortunately, nothing worked and we lost the entire litter. As a dad, watching my kids with disappointing faces, I had the sudden mix of emotions of being sick to my stomach, angry, sad and confused all the same time. In a moment of grace, I was able to remove myself from the situation and realize this is exactly why I do this very thing. My perspective changed! I was able to rally my kids and tell them "good days will come; this just happens sometimes". We were able to continue our conversation about life and intimately discuss it is not how we handle our successes in our lifetime but rather how we handle our failures that then determine our success. My kids started to reciprocate the thought process by looking at our next litters expected and reviewing the situation that had just occurred and asking, "is there anything we can do differently". Powerful learning! In my role as principal, I feel it is so important to look at each situation with our kid and relish failure, struggle and disappointment as a realignment of tires, adjustments with good feedback and staying positive, on coarse and following our modus operandi through their young lives.
As educational leaders, we each can feel like we have the Sword of Damocles upon us. Or, we can feel like we will have peril along the way but in this very time is when some of the most beautiful learning can occur.
Embrace the shake! Be positive towards things that feel like challenges! Be creative in the moment when you feel without and work great wonders!
Monday-MLK Day-No School
Helping Others
Nairobi is the 14th largest city in Africa. The Firemen in this area are often viewed as "the government" by the villagers. When the Firemen go into an area to help, they can be stoned or hindered in various ways. Our own Scott Miller is creating a visual handout demonstrating how this group is to help and not hurt. His handout will be given to villagers with this hope in mind. Here is an example of one piece that Scott is working one. Scott, you inspire me!
Saturday's weather
Saturday is predicted to reach over 50 degrees! Enjoy this spring blast!