Time is Relative

 

November 21st already! This year sure seems to be flying by now that we are in the last full week before Thanksgiving. How did Thanksgiving get here so fast? I guess Einstein was right when he said that time is relative. Whew! Things are moving so fast, we can sometimes trip up. However, as the message our guest speaker Kevin Laue gave us, we need to be resilient. He told our students to never quit, focus on your dreams, execute, and count your blessings. A very simple message from a 6’11” one armed basketball player that dunked over me like I was standing still (hold on…maybe I was). His message is good for us all. Tis the season to count our blessings instead of sheep and continue to reach for our goals (cue Right Now – Van Halen). Have a superb weekend and Go Get’em Pups!

Pay It Forward

 November seems to be the month of thanking, so I’m going to write about random acts of kindness.  This morning I was in line at Starbucks behind a gentleman in the Armed services.  This is not an uncommon situation, since we have service folks around here and I frequent the coffee shop.  Today however, was different.  This past Tuesday was Veteran’s Day and many of us took the time to thank a Veteran for their service.  The day meant more to me since I am a very proud father of a son in the Air Force.  To add to the story, yesterday, I ran into a colleague at the gas station minimart.  I was in line behind him to buy a soda.  When my colleague stepped away from the counter, I placed my soda down and the attendant said that my colleague took care of my purchase.  That brings me back to the coffee line.  I introduced myself to the serviceman, asked if I could buy his coffee.  I’ve done this before, but today was different.  I was simply following the thread started by someone else.  Buying a cup of coffee for a serviceman seemed like a great way to pay it forward.  Random acts of kindness  are impactful for everyone.  Take a moment to make someone’s day. (cue Good Times Roll – The Cars) Have a splendid weekend and as always, Go Pups!

Unaware, Unwilling, or Unable

 

A few weeks ago I wrote about the “3 Un’s”. Lee Crockett’s concept that he presented at the Linked Learning Conference. His presentation was so powerful, I continue to draw on it. He illustrated, quite simply, that the change needed in education today was limited by people for three very real reasons: Unaware, Unwilling, or Unable. With that concept firmly planted in my head (or cabeza as I prefer), I thought about the late motivational speaker Zig Ziglar and his redesign of the phrase “I can”. His point was that if we really want to do something we have to move beyond “I can” and say “When can I”. So my question today is, are we asking the same of our students? Can we get our students to ask themselves, “When can I move beyond being unaware, unwilling, or unable?” It’s always question of motivation. Have a majestic weekend and Let’s Go Pups!