Monday Minutes
January 19, 2016
We, the Bethany Community, are dedicated to provide an excellent education and to instill a life-long love of learning that will maximize each student’s success in a competitive 21st Century World
Happy Martin Luther King Week
Good morning Bethany Bunch,
I hope all of you had an enjoyable day away from school and had an opportunity to appreciate the great diversity in our community. It's hard to believe the progress that has been made over the past 52 years since Dr. King shared his "I Have A Dream" speech. At the same time, we still have a long way to go as a society. Every single human has biases (a preference for or against something) and prejudices (a strong bias -- usually negative). I prefer sporting events over musical concerts. It is easier for me to associate with people who have similar backgrounds and experiences as my own. Again, biases and prejudices are innate and the result of the human experience. On the other hand, there is discrimination. Discrimination occurs when we allow our thoughts/feelings (biases and prejudices) about a person --based on stereotypes or experiences we have had with similar looking/behaving individuals -- to drive our actions towards that person. For example, if my interactions with a particular individual who had similar traits a stereotypical group (these could be religious, wearing the same clothing, behaving in a similar fashion, having similar skin color, similar life style choices or any other set of criteria) that caused me to doubt his integrity simply based on previous experiences with people in the same stereotype group, my biases have clouded my judgement and caused me to discriminate against that individual. I encourage you during this week to identify and reflect your personal biases and prejudices. Once they are identified, we can each more readily avoid discriminatory actions or behaviors and more positively interact with those around us.
Thanks for being such an incredible group of individuals and teams! I hope this week is your best week yet!
Bryan
Upcoming Events
- January 12th -- Science Fair at Bethany
- January 13th -- Schimelpfenig Music Visit -- 5th grade
- January 13th -- Team Leader Meeting
- January 14th -- Fifth Grade to Visit Schimelpfenig
- January 15th -- Bethany Spelling Bee -- 1:00 p.m.
- January 16th -- Bethany Night at the Texas Legends (Choir Singing)
- January 18th -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
- January 20th -- Staff Meeting
- January 21st -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration -- 6:30 p.m. -- Williams High School
- January 27th -- First Grade to Outdoor Learning Center
- January 27th -- PLC Meetings
- January 28th -- Kindergarten PACE Placement Meeting -- 3:00 p.m.
- February 1st -- Monday Morning Assembly
- February 3rd -- Dining for Dollars -- Buffalo Bluez
- February 10th -- Team Leader Meeting
Thought For The Week
“It requires courage to make good choices, even when others around us choose differently.”
~W. Craig Zwick