Today is the final Monday message for most of
the seniors. It’s been an interesting year – and it’s gone way too fast. The end of formal schooling for some,
and the beginning of a new adult world looms. What will that look like for you? Have you done all that you can to prepare to be the BEST
you?
For all of you, there have been many that
helped you along the way. Your
parents, friends, teachers, pastors, siblings, and countless others. Take a moment to thank them. You would not be where you are today - or who you are today - without someone that held your hand along the way.
I thought it’d be fun to look back through
the year and highlight something from each of the MMM Monday Messages. Here is what I found:
In September: I like to start any new school year by
setting goals for the year – both personal and professional. It is a new beginning and setting goals
helps me feel a sense of accomplishment.
Fourth year students. We will do all that we can to help you
reach that stage at the graduation ceremony on June 2. But you’ve got to meet us at least half
way.
Senior meetings this week! Have you set up your appointment?
Early October: Showing up on time, attending to your
classes, working outside of school, being here on Saturday morning….Your
attitude is starting to show. I
need some help understanding what is getting in the way. What is more important? Or is it that you want to continue to
live life on the edge? That’s
fine, but the consequences are real.
The message you send when you arrive late is that the rules don’t matter
or apply to you. How will that behavior transfer into the adult world?
There is nothing that I can imagine that is
more important than getting a good education. We have provided you with the
resources, a good curriculum, great teachers, and given incentives, motivation
and encouragement. Help me
understand what is more important than putting in some time on e2020 over the
weekend….!
Character is
like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it;
the tree is the real thing. ~Abraham Lincoln
Late October: We have had several “drama”
related postings this week. THINK
before you post. Is this what I
want the world to know about me?
Is this how I want a potential employer to view my character? Everything
that you post that is transmitted electronically can be retrieved, even after
it is deleted. THINK – this is
your life. What do you want others to know about you?
This week, your lessons in BASE class will center around
planning ahead. Setting goals and accomplishing them – and imagining what might
be possible. Graduation
won’t happen by just wishing for it.
You need to plan, set goals, and then discipline yourselves to achieve
those goals each week. Now is a
perfect time to set those goals. With just two weeks until the break, what do
you think you can accomplish in that time? Is 100 activities per week an attainable goal? What will you need to change in order
to make that happen? Coming in
early, staying late, committing to Saturday school, or working outside of
school for the next TWO WEEKS is something that each of you can do.
December: Schedules, seating charts, expectations. Stay in your assigned class! There is NO reason to go to another
lab. We have started to see
(again) where social media is getting in the way of what you need to be doing
at school. Cyber-bullying, posting unkind things about your classmates,
arranging rides, setting up social events after school….all of these things
take time away from what you seriously need to contemplate this year. Are you wasting time trying to make
yourself look better by hurting someone else? What gives you the right? How does that motivate you? In the end, the person pushing the text
button to send that negative tweet or post is really the one getting hurt. Life is full of choices. We encourage
you to make wiser ones.
November 29: Go the Extra Mile For Greater Success
http://www.jackcanfield.com/articles/career-and-business/item/1015-go-the-extra-mile-for-greater-success.htmlhttp://www.jackcanfield.com/articles/career-and-business/item/1015-go-the-extra-mile-for-greater-success.html
If you want to really excel in business,
school and life, go the extra mile. Give the people around you – your
customers, your team, your family – more than they expect, and you’ll be
handsomely rewarded with loyalty, referrals, opportunity and money.
Successful people go the extra mile –
and they stand out as a result. They get the promotions and the loyal
customers. They grow their businesses twice as fast and attract the best
employees. They receive financial rewards and job security. Best of all, they
go home at night feeling satisfied and bursting with self-confidence.
THURSDAY, Nov. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Lower school grades among
depressed adolescents are linked to behavior problems, not their depression, a
new study finds.
Researchers examined data from thousands of U.S. teens who were
tracked through their middle and high school years and as they moved into early
adulthood.
Unlike students with depression, those with behavior problems such
as attention issues, delinquency or substance use had lower GPAs than others.
The study also found that delinquency and substance use were associated with
receiving lesser educational degrees, while depression was not.
Students with two of these problems typically earned lower GPAs
and lesser degrees than those with one problem, and some combinations of
problems had more harmful effects than others, according to the study, which
was published in the December issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
For instance, substance use worsened the educational risks
associated with depression, attention issues and delinquency. Having depression
did not, however, increase the educational risks associated with attention
issues, delinquency or substance use.
"Behavior problems including attention issues, delinquency
and substance use are associated with diminished achievement, but depression is
not," study lead author Jane McLeod, a sociology professor and associate
dean at Indiana University, in Bloomington, said in a journal news release.
December 17: School Safety.
It takes a community.
As horrific as the events were last Friday at
Sandy Hook Elementary School, there are a number of things that went
right. The teachers were trained.
The children responded. Hundreds
of lives were saved as a result.
The teachers knew, without an announcement,
that there was danger – an active shooter – in the building. Instead of
panicking, they reacted to their training. They stayed calm and helped the
children to the “safe area” inside their classrooms. They stayed there until help arrived. Had there been panic, the shooter could
have ended many, many more lives that day.
I’m not making light of the tragedy. The fact is, we can never be absolute
certain that something like that couldn’t happen here. We can, however,
continue to practice what we know.
We can prepare. We can keep
you safe using our protocols.
Those protocols might require that you stay
in a secure area for several hours.
In complete silence. Let’s
think about how that might look after what came down here last week….
Drama. Petty drama. Is it really worth it? Kids were dying last week – and you’re hung up on who said what to whom and whether you want to lower yourself to assume an assigned seat. Really? How does that fly in the real world? Think for a minute about our school – how we present ourselves when visitors come through. It’s just not okay. For the most part, we had a great week last week. Students were working, learning, devoting time outside of class to their studies, and then everything changed. I cannot describe the disappointment I feel when you are unable to keep the drama at bay. I can’t think of anything so important that it allows you to scream obscenities in a classroom, call each other horrible names, and show blatant disrespect toward those in charge of your care.
It’s really not necessary. This week, let’s
take care of each other. Let’s be
kind. Let’s swallow those unkind words and stomp out those unkind
thoughts. For really, that’s what
will measure your success. Are you
able to hold it together, consider the other’s perspective, view something from
another’s point of view, or are you so self absorbed that nothing matters but
your immediate needs? I think
we’re better than what I saw on Friday.
This week, take care of yourself and be kind.
There are no easy answers. We will never know why, but we can
prepare and we can help you to be safe while you’re at school.
And with that, I stopped. While there was another half year of
Monday Morning messages, nothing seemed to matter more that this: Are you safe? Can we keep you reasonably safe with the safety protocols
that we’ve developed? Will you be
safe as you venture out into the world?
What have you learned that you will take with you about being safe,
making wise choices, and giving back to those that many never be able to repay
you?
So today, be grateful. You’ve done well, and you’ve completed what you set out to do. Let today – and every day ahead – be one that you look upon as a gift. Learn to give more and take less. Learn to appreciate all that you’ve been given. Pause, reflect, think, and be kind. Congratulations 2013. You’ve made us all proud.
