CN Jr/Sr HS WeAreOne
November 2, 2018
Fake It Until You Make It! Act As If You Had All of the Confidence You Require Until It Becomes Your Reality!
My family spent our Fall Break camping at Chain O’ Lakes State Park. This has been an annual tradition and my husband and kids look forward to it every fall. You have to reserve your campsite 6 months in advance to secure a spot. I mark the date that reservations can be made, stay up late the night before, and then book as soon as the clock strikes 12:01 a.m. A couple of years ago I was at a conference and forgot to book our site. The next day, by the time I logged on, the “good sites” were all taken. I was on a waitlist for 3 months, checking multiple times daily to see if there were any cancellations until 1 finally opened up.
This is a huge weekend for Chain O’ Lakes. The campground is full and the park plans activities throughout the week for families to take part in including costume contests, hayrides, a haunted forest, a community chili cook, and more. There are hundreds of families walking and riding bikes around the campground, sharing meals around their campfires, playing football and foursquare on the playground, decorating campsites for Halloween, and handing out more candy than you can imagine during the community trick or treating hours.
It is a wonderful time in the great outdoors and while I enjoy the time with my family and I love that they LOVE it . . . I have to admit, I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY do not like camping. It is soooooo much work planning everything we will need for the week, getting everything packed up, getting everything unloaded, and putting away what I just packed up at home. Then there is setting up camp, pumping up air mattresses, trying to cook meals over a fire and not burn everything, eating off paper and plastic, filling up coolers with ice, and making sure everything is secure for the night so we don’t wake up to a critter invasion. I don’t like the smell of campfire smoke, it makes my eyes water, and it takes at least 2 wash cycles afterward to get the smell out, and don’t even get me started on public restrooms and showers!
So, why do I do it? Could I refuse to go or fuss and complain enough that they would give up on the idea? Could I suggest something else that I enjoy more and get them to go along with it? Probably, but I do it because they love it and I love them. I am certain I am not the only parent out there who sometimes has to fake it to make it. We all do things that we don’t necessarily enjoy doing or wouldn’t be our choice because we are a family - WE ARE ONE.
Even though our school family differs from our children, our spouses, our parents, there are events at school, activities planned, initiatives proposed that may or may not be “our thing”. Maybe you are not a “sports person” so attending athletic events is not something you do. Maybe you are not into dress up days, so you don’t take part. Maybe your weekends are busy so attending theater events, chaperoning dances, working concessions, taking tickets, volunteering to help at events, falls low on your priority list. Maybe you don’t live close so staying after school to supervise an activity, help with hall decorations, attend a concert or banquet is a challenge. Maybe you don’t see character education as vital at CN so you don’t help plan or carry out the activities that incorporate it. Maybe you have trouble enforcing SSR time during CU so your students get a study time instead. Maybe the loudness of convos and pep sessions make your head spin so you would rather not take part. The list could continue, but you get the idea right?
While each one of us is different, with different interests, talents, and passions, and we are all pulled in different directions and have different priorities, we are a school family and sometimes we have to fake it to make it at school just like we do at home. Why? Because it’s not about each of us individually, we are a team. We are one. Everyone isn’t going to like everything we do, but sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zone, make time for things that we struggle to find time for, support our co-workers, our teams, our clubs, our students, and fake it to make it because it means something to someone else.
Thank You for Exposing Our Students to New Opportunities!
Rotary World Affairs Conference
Cadaver & Physiology Labs at the University of Saint Francis
Bosch Manufacturing Day
Best Wishes & Welcome
Please also welcome Haley Fulkerson, who will be in the Alternative School helping out while Darci Streby is on leave; Josh Hettinger, who will be filling in for Mrs. Gaff; Katie Kauffman, who is student teaching with Mrs. Scott; and Marla Berkes who will be a new IA in the ED program.
Annual Turkey Challenge
For every $25 we raise as a staff, you will earn 1 jeans day in the month of November, counting back from 11/29. We will begin this challenge on Monday. The Food Pantry sends their heartfelt gratitude in advance!
For Your Calendars:
11/7 - SOM CU Presentation
11/9 - Veterans Day Program
11/20 - School Board Meeting
12/20 - Staff Holiday Party (Save the Date)