Senior Nights

What a week!  I always like to watch the Senior nights.  It always gives me an opportunity to reflect on what we do. Some students only participate in one extracurricular activity during their time in high school and Senior Night may be the last time they participate in their home venue.  Many try to trick themselves into believing they will never have to say goodbye to the activity, the camaraderie, or even the difficult practices, but they do. Very few continue at a collegiate level and they know it.  The feelings and emotions the kids feel are real and something they have never experienced before. For them, it is difficult to explain and only truly understood by others who have been in the same position. I am humbled by the hours and hours our students, coaches, and parents log during a season.  The relationships and bonds that are built during a season of performance have the power to change lives.  It is truly amazing! Have an extraordinary weekend. Go Pups! (cue Bon Jovi:  It’s My Life) 

This Is Me

The middle of October is here and with it some cooler weather.  This is the time to build a movie watching list and I have a recommendation:  The Greatest Showman.  After having seen it several times, it is still captivating.  The song ‘This Is Me’ from the movie makes me think about high school students. Sometimes teenagers are mean and they attack other teens that are a bit awkward.  As adults, we see all teens as a bit awkward at times.  The song makes reference to people who attack others and offers an appropriate response:  When the sharpest words wanna cut me down; I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out; I am brave, I am bruised; I am who I'm meant to be, this is me. What a message!  Of course words hurt, but be brave and larger than those that say them.  We should encourage our students to be who they are.  Have an exceptional weekend. Go Pups! (cue Keala Settle, Greatest Showman Ensemble: This Is Me) 

Homecoming

Homecoming has now past and October has arrived.  The cooler weather is upon us and it could not have come at a better time.  Hot weather seems to make for shorter fuses in our students.  As educators we all learn patience during the months of October and March…long stretches with no 3-day weekends.  When challenges arise, I always ask myself a question about perception or reality. Are these concepts the same?  Probably not.  We need to understand that a student perception is their reality.  We should seek to understand their perception and the lens with which they view us. Have a most wonderful weekend. Go Pups! (cue Foreigner: Juke Box Hero)