Great things I saw this week...
It's a short week, and you and the students were focused on learning right away on Monday.
There were some pretty cool crazy hats.
I love the honest, open conversations during our BLT meetings.
The flag football tournament had some great action and a fired up audience.
Calendar
Intermediate School Special Events
Saturday, October 27th
EdCamp Walker's Point
(Please consider attending, even if for only half of the day.)
Friday, November 2nd
End of 1st quarter
Tuesday, November 6th
7th/8th Aspire testing
Wednesday, November 7th
7th/8th Aspire testing
Friday, November 9th
Veterans Day Celebration
Tweets, quotes, and blogs
The Value of "Not Having a Choice" (from George Couros)
(from George Couros' The Innovator's Mindset)
How radical love transformed a school (Hamish Brewer's TEDxChristchurch. Hamish is a relentless principal I'm proud to call my friend. This is worth 16 minutes of your time, I promise.)
#mertonint on Twitter
#MertonProud on Twitter
Merton Intermediate School Facebook page
mertonint on Instagram
BLT notes from 10.22.18 (visible only to Merton employees)
Family smore from 10.24.18
(from historicimages.com)
Yes, that's me, coaching basketball in 1992! Just wanted you to have a giggle before a great day of collaborating and learning together. Strangely, I got the picture after getting a phone call from my mom. Our pastor's son found it on ebay, called our pastor who called my mom who called me. It's a weird story, and one that I'll be sharing with the students during our November WIN Wednesday assembly for two reasons. The first is the story of how far things can go around the internet. The second is a story for you and me to remember. Look at that little boy sitting on the floor, intently looking at me. He is watching my every move and listening to everything I'm saying. Our students and our own children are like that with us every day. What they are seeing and hearing from us is a model to them. Have you ever had a student or your own child say something you say everyday? Sometimes it can be funny and other times it's down right scary. There are times I think back to my coaching days in the 1980s and 1990s and wonder what I was thinking. I was an animated coach, to say the least, but was my way the best way. We had successful teams, winning conference championships and quite a few games, but maybe we could have been better if I coached differently. I have the opportunity to coach here once in a while, and I really enjoy it. My coaching tactics have changed, thankfully, and I'm not as tough with the officials (I'm sure my reaction above was to a call I felt should have gone another way.) as I used to be. But I still coach with the same fire I had before, I just go about it a bit differently. The same is true about how I "principal". I've had to make changes over my almost 17 years as an administrator. I have learned things, tried them out, and either kept doing them, adjusted them, or done away with them altogether. I have seen the same from all of you as teachers, and today is an opportunity to learn new things. Seize the day and make it a powerful and positive learning experience so that when the kids come back on Monday, you'll be ready to greet them and challenge them with something new. They'll be looking at you just like the little boy on the gym floor looked at me.
Be the spark!
Jay
Take care of the kids. Take care of yourself. Take care of each other.- John Gunnell
No comments:
Post a Comment