Whatever will be, will be...

Does anyone know what ever happened to the times of ‘Qué será, será’?  I ask that for a very specific reason however, I need to give some background. When I was young and impressionable, my parents would regularly tune one of our four television channels to the famed Doris Day Show. The program was a favorite in my house for two reasons, my parents were big fans of Doris Day and San Francisco, the setting of the show. I have a vivid memory of seeing Doris Day in the opening credits jumping from a cable car as the song played. Thoughts of the show itself invoke good feelings for me however my memories of specific items are limited at best. The laissez-faire attitude that everything will be alright brings me to my point. As we grow into adulthood, we sometimes forget that our outlook can depend on our attitude.  As the song promotes, “Whatever will be, will be’. The future’s not ours to see, Qué será, será” The point hits home with me. So many times, like so many others, I fuss about what I cannot control. In my personal life and in my professional life, I do my best in any situation to meticulously plan for success while at the same time prepare for the alternative. I certainly never just say “Whatever will be, will be.”  Those days are gone and I’m not really sure when they vanished. Have the most excellent weekend. Go BEARS!…RiseUP! (cue Doris Day - “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)”.

Until next time...

Keeping the Faith

We have reached the middle of October and the weather is about to turn. We all know the seasons in the Valley are limited.  We go from hot to mildly hot, then shift to cold and wet fog cold. We really don’t get the benefit of the four seasons as the rest of the Country.  Though this is the case, we will reminisce about the weather just as much as we reminisce about everything else.  Yes, when we were younger, the weather was perfect.  The Hall of Fame singer has an autobiographical song about reminiscing, “Keeping the Faith”.  In the song, he reminds us that the “good ole days weren't always good, And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems.”  So true.  When we reminisce, it is human nature to remember the things that were good and discard all the bad. Sometimes, bad memories stick and unfortunately, only time will heal that pain. Because of this, it is so important for us to engineer great memories for our students. The negative ones will be thrown out because even the most challenging student desires good memories. Even in the difficult times for our students, we have to remind them that “tomorrow isn’t as bad as it seems.” This is simply a measure of hope.  Keeping the faith that their dreams are still achievable. So just remember, the good ole days weren’t always good and tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems. Have the most excellent weekend. Go BEARS!…RiseUP! (cue Billy Joel - “Keeping the Faith” ). 

Until next time...

Autumn Serenade

As the first week of October passes by, we get to welcome the sights and smells of Fall.  In my household, it seems like as soon as we pass Labor Day, my wife begins bringing out the fall decor.  She sweeps all the summer beach decor and replaces it with the colors of Fall. I tried this year to appeal, considering it was over 100 degrees outside.  It just didn’t seem right. When it is that hot outside, I can’t even think about fall, only indoor air conditioning and the colors that surround our backyard pool. Then, Starbucks brought out their pumpkin spice and my attempts to appeal were over. My family loves pumpkin spice. Pumpkin this and pumpkin that is regularly on order.  I am not a big fan of pumpkin spice myself.  I guess my existence certainly follows the nursery rhyme with a small revision. I’m truly made of snips and snails, and puppy dogs' tails and the rest of my family is no doubt made of pumpkin spice, and everything nice. They compliment me and I know I am lucky because they let me hang around. All kidding aside, fall is a wonderful time of year, even with the heat. When I’m not at a school function, I get to spend my time at kids soccer games , band reviews, taking walks to the park, and just being Dad. So if I need to endure the continual smell of pumpkin spice in the house, I’ll take it for the team. Have an exceptional weekend. Go BEARS!…RiseUP! (cue John Coltrane - “Autumn Serenade” ).

Until next time...