The Cardinal Way
Sharing the Stories of Southport High School
Leading and Learning: IN THIS TOGETHER
“Each one of us can make a difference. Together we make change.”
--Barbara Mikulski
The image below hangs in my office where I can see it each day. This image is one I particularly like because of the humor it uses while making a very strong point. We are often blind to our own position and fail to realize the problems we are watching from the outside, ignoring, or blaming someone else- ultimately impact the whole (of which we are apart).
Serving in education and in leadership, you must build, and be a part of a strong team. What impacts one of us, impacts all of us. We must be willing to admit, that as a team- we are all in the same boat. In the image I shared above, the people on the right do not view the problem as their own. When you look at their half of the boat, they are high and dry. They are not getting wet right now; it’s that “not my problem” attitude which can eventually sink them all. We have to find a way to start acknowledging problems for what they are rather than shifting responsibility to others. We are stronger and better together. We must be willing to aid in finding a solution, working to help improve the outcome rather than turning a blind eye to situations that arise and don’t affect us directly at that time. This helps us deal with, rather than dwell on, any situation. That ownership may be as minute as lending a sympathetic ear followed by a small piece of advice or as big as accepting that you are part of the problem and making a change. Either way, we are part of the solution in the realization that we are on the same boat. I will admit, I have been on the wrong end of the boat many times. I avoid a conversation, shirk responsibility, or ignore what is happening in hopes it will fix itself. What I have learned through all of these mistakes in dealing with situations is: 1) problems rarely, if ever, fix themselves, and 2) things are only as good as the worst behavior I am willing to accept. This applies to not only my own personal problems but also larger systemic problems in my work. Has there ever been someone close to you that has brought an issue to you and you have thought: “I am not getting involved in that one?” Where have you shifted responsibility to others instead of owning your piece of the problem? Or, in what way have you denied that you might be part of the problem and had a “sure glad the hole isn’t on my end of the boat” attitude? Whatever your answers may be to those questions, I encourage you to realize that no matter how small a role you think you are playing in a given situation... we are all on the same boat. I believe there are very few absolutes in this world, but one thing I am positive about is: doing nothing, helps nothing. If you are truly leading as a servant you are obligated to do something. Service is never about standing still. If you know about the problem, it’s time to start owning your piece of moving forward to find a solution. We are all in this together. The quicker we realize that, the stronger we can become.
Keep learning; keep growing; keep sharing!
What it takes to #BeACardinal:
- Sam Hanley, Stacey Matlock, Tara Foor, and the Booster club for all the hard work this week to make Homecoming a fun week for all!
- our Music Department for hosting their first concert of the school year. The groups sounded great on Wednesday night!
- Kim Roberts and Jaclyn Richardson who are already hard at work preparing for the Fall Musical.
Teacher and Support Staff of the Month
August winners are Dan Jones and Matthew Norris. Congrats!
Grateful Friday Challenge
Week 8 Grateful Friday Challenge
We are quickly approaching the Fall Equinox. That means that the last official days of summer are coming… cue music…. Soak Up the Sun. It won’t be long now until we are dealing with the frigid temps of winter, but currently all we can think of is the blazing heat of mid-September.
We have a lot to celebrate here as we wrap up another exciting week of Homecoming and we notice that Fall Break is only 15 school days away from the end of this one. We often get so caught up in what's next that we forget to live in the what’s now. Today we have to make this day -- one of the last days of summer -- the last day of the week -- the last day of Homecoming 2019 -- the best day we have had yet! We need to look for the positive and celebrate the little things. We need to live today like it is the most important day of the school year.
So while Homecoming always puts a little wack into the schedule, the kids, and the amount of patience we have stored up, we should celebrate the fact that the kids have been spectacular, the spirit of the activities this week were amazing -- today we welcome back Cardinals from the past, tonight we will go out and celebrate with our amazing community, and tomorrow we will fight for a Cardinal Victory. Oh the places Cardinal have gone and will continue to go!
Today let’s live it up, celebrate the ending days of summer with your classes, take a moment to reflect on where you need to go and how all the things that you are doing now are leading to that place. Pat a colleague on the back for a job well done, or give praise yourself for the work you have done this year serving our diverse community! You deserve it.
And remember…if you have nothing else to do…join us for the Homecoming Dance tomorrow night…cue Earth, Wind & Fire!
With banners flying as we go...
Be a Cardinal; Change lives; Put a mission into motion!
180 Days of Learning -- #CardsLearn
Sara Berghoff
Christina Ferguson
Christine Powell
Jack Williams
Natalie Hendrix-Evans
Educational Humor
Southport High School
Email: bknight@perryschools.org
Website: http://perryschools.org/sh/
Location: 971 E Banta Rd, Indianapolis, IN, United States
Phone: 317-789-4800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SHSCardinals/
Twitter: @SHS_Cardinals