Take a break!

If you are like me, it's gotten to be time for a break.  I need a break from the routine, a chance to reinvigorate myself, a chance to look at things a little, or a lot, differently than I have since the beginning of the school year.  I am going to focus my attention on that one thing I could do differently to make every day just a little bit better than the one before it.  For me it might be an extra classroom visit, a one on one meeting with a student or staff member to talk about something cool they did, a phone call from a parent who often only hears the bad about their child instead of the good, or being all time pitcher for kickball or wiffleball at recess.  You can do something similar in your classroom by trying a new activity, moving a lesson outside, letting a student or students be the teacher for an hour, or visiting a colleague's class to watch the magic happen.  It's my hope that we can all reflect on these little changes to see how they've positively impacted what we do with our students and what we do for one another.

Calendar
Monday, April 4th             First staff kickball game at 4:30
Wednesday, April 6th        Ron's Community Forums  9:00 and 7:00
                                           A-team meeting 1:30
Thursday, April 7th           PTO meeting 2:30
Friday, April 8th                Google expedition

Tweets, blogs, and quotes
"The power to do good is also the power to do harm."- Milton Friedman, economist
Student-Led Conferences (from www.scholastic)- I'd love to discuss this!
"No man is wise enough, nor good enough, to be trusted with unlimited power."- Charles Colton, cleric and writer
Runners Like Us (from @brooksrunning about my principal friend Adam Welcome (@awelcome) from California)

(from Pinterest)

"Too many people are quick to dream big, but slow to act on it."- Edmond Mbiaka, writer
"If your dream is a big dream, and if you want your life to work on the high level that you say you do, there's no way around doing the work it takes to get you there."- Joyce Chapman, writer
"Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work."- Mark Twain, writer

(from PixTeller)

"Attempt the impossible in order to improve your work."- Bette Davis, actress
"Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits."- Thomas Edison, inventor
"He that complies against his will is of his own opinion still."- Samuel Butler, writer

(from @mandymtaylor during #educoach chat- Please think about this when we have our kids write.)

@mertonint on Twitter
#mertonint on Twitter
Merton Intermediate School Facebook page
BLT notes from 3.21.16
Family smore for 3.24.16

Ahead of us are ten days, but I urge you to take them one day at a time.  I'm looking forward to relaxing, but I know if the weather isn't the best, I'll find some time to get some school work done.  But I also know that the work will be at school when I get back.  The same is true for you.  I'll be studying Google spreadsheets for sure, and I'm reading two books, "Innovators Mindset" and "The Book Whisperer".
Enjoy your break!
Jay