Perfect timing

If you're not an avid reader of Danny Steele's tweets and blogs (@SteeleThoughts and Steele Thoughts), maybe this will encourage you to consider making Danny's thoughts a daily part of your learning and connecting.  Danny's most recent blog, "Will You Check On Me?", was written at a perfect time for me.  It's the last week before Winter Break and, more importantly, my brother in law's funeral is today.  Before you read any more of my blog, please read what Danny wrote.  It's linked above.

So here's my story that happened because I read Danny's blog Sunday morning.  After reading his blog, I sent this email to our staff.

Good morning, Merton family.  If you could do me a favor and read this blog from my friend, Danny Steel, I would appreciate it.  But that's not what I need your help with.  I need your help with the names of a student from your classes who can check in on me this week.
Just put their name on a piece of paper and put it in my mailbox.  Maybe you could pick a student or two to check in on you, too.
See you all tomorrow!

Some of the staff reached out right away, sending me names of students via email or placing the names in my mailbox or on my desk on Monday morning.  Throughout the day on Monday and Tuesday, those students stopped me in the hallway or in the cafeteria or on the playground and asked me how I was doing.  Each interaction was special, but the most special connection was from an 8th grader who sent me this email.

Hey, Mr. Posick,

I hope you had a good rest of your day today.  Mrs. Frei told me about what happened and I am sorry for your loss.  Just wanted to drop in and see how you are doing.

What a great surprise!  And as luck would have it, this young man was the first student I ran into on Tuesday morning.  We shared a quick conversation and a fist bump, something I won't soon forget.  But that's not all.  Tuesday night I received this email from the same student.

Hello Mr. Posick,

How are you?  I hope you had an amazing rest of your day.  By the way, I really liked the Christmas sweater you had on today.  Just wanted to drop in and see how you are doing.

Just so you understand how nice this young man is, here is a picture of me wearing the Christmas sweater.

(I'm the one on the left, and yes, that's a Lego bowtie!)

On Tuesday morning, I decided to send the young man's parents this email.

Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. "E____".  I just wanted to reach out to tell you something awesome that "J_____" did for me yesterday.  But there is a back story I must share first.

I sent out an email to staff asking for a favor.  The idea came from this blog post, "Will You Check On Me?" from my friend Danny Steele, a principal in Alabama.  Ms. Frei shared a story with the class about the recent passing of my brother in law from brain cancer.  Jacob said he would check on me, and it shouldn't surprise you that Jacob had been checking up on Ms. Frei during her battle with cancer these last few months.  So that's the back story.  Here is the email that Jacob sent me yesterday, and it came at just the right time.

(I included the email to the parents so that they could read it.)

I responded and I am looking forward to connecting with him in person later today.

I hope that this brings a little light to your day.

Happy Tuesday!

The power of a blog post, social media, and the kindness of an 8th grade student are amazing.

It was perfect timing.

Thanks, Danny!