Don’t Forget about Karen!

Believe it or not, I’ve been up since 4:00 a.m. and I am still on summer vacation! I’ve checked my work email, browsed on Amazon.com, done some leisurely reading, and now, I am writing a blog! No, I haven’t had coffee! As a matter of fact, I haven’t had a cup of coffee the entire summer. A Mocha Frappe here and there doesn’t count! I am occupying myself until the sun officially peeks through the clouds so that I can complete my brisk 4-mile walk. Yes, I am still in hot pursuit of my sunshine!

One task on my summer to do list, was to re-pot or transplant my plants. Note, the verb “was”; my plants have been re-potted and are ready for their return to school. I re-pot them every so often, transplanting allows their roots to spread, thus allowing the plants to grow tall and strong. My plants have names: Karen, Derrick, Susan, and the new guy, Frederick. Karen, Derrick, and Susan occupy a cozy window in my office where they soak up the sun and office vibes. Frederick is a succulent; he sits on an accent table opposite my desk. Frederick had a growth spurt during the summer, he now looks like a miniature tree! Now he is tall and slender; not quite as handsome as short stocky Frederick. I also have an orchid and a Chinese bamboo plant; one I received from a parent, the other from a student. The orchid’s name is Violet, her petals are a deep purple. The Chinese bamboo plant is named Mr. Wisdom, his planter is a wise owl. All my plants really thrive at school and that’s a wonderful thing. All living entities should thrive at school!

While transplanting plants are in the plants best interest, one of my darlings didn’t like her rehabbed home. After her re-potting, Karen was sad and droopy for a few days. As a matter of fact, I thought she was a goner! She was wimpy and limp for 2 days! On the third day, she started to perk up and I knew she was adjusting to her bed of special formulated soil. I didn’t need to investigate the justification for Karen’s limp leaves; I had read several articles that focused on her ailment while completing research for my dissertation. Karen was simply going through the transitional period of adapting to a new change. For Derrick and Susan, the change had been an easy adjustment. Karen, on the other hand, had struggled. Maybe she enjoyed the comfort of compact soil. Maybe she failed to realize that her leaves were curling and turning yellow. Obviously, she hadn’t realized that her demise was near if she wasn’t re-potted. She needed me to take the time to re-pot her. She needed me to stand vigilant while her roots adjusted to the new soil.

As an educational leader, I am constantly looking for the precise formula that will ensure that my kids are receiving the best instruction possible. Instructional practices are often redefined because the needs of kids are constantly changing. Change is easy for some and harder for others. As my team of committed teachers moves forward, I will have to remind myself that some of my teachers will be like Derrick and Susan, and some will be like Karen. It’s all part of the process!

Where’s the Net?

Ed and I recently returned from his family reunion, an event that was on the brinks of being cancelled. Our 4-day getaway to the Gulf was shorten to 3 days and a portion of our family mingling-time was spent monitoring the unpredictable path of Hurricane Barry. Our plane had safely landed in New Orleans on Thursday but our return flight on Monday was skeptical. Weather forecasts portrayed Barry as being horrific; his massive force likened to Hurricane Katrina! On every weather channel, viewers saw a weather reporter either pointing to a colorful map or standing in boot high water battling with the wind. After a day of experiencing Mother Nature’s rage, we opted to leave the Gulf a day earlier than originally planned.

Confident that our path home had been secured, we hopped in a rental car and headed to Kessler Air Force base in Biloxi, Mississippi for the family reunion festivities! We spent several hours laughing with relatives we hadn’t seen in years, partaking of scrumptious meals, listening to music, and playing games. On the last day of the festivities, Tony, President of the Wash/Jones Family Reunion Committee, called for a family meeting. The objective was to select a host and a hosting city for the next family reunion. As one might expect, securing a volunteer for the monumental task required some persuading. Generally, people are hesitant to journey into the dark unknown.

While enticing someone to grasp the family reunion torch, Tony spoke of family traditions and the importance of being connected to family and friends. He simplified the process of hosting a family reunion by detailing his organizational skills and giving accolades to those who had helped to plan this year’s celebration. As he continued to lure a future host, he spoke of psychological security. He mentioned that he ensures psychological security at work when collaborating with his leadership team. He emphasized that there is no right or wrong way to plan a family reunion. He stated that the greatest task would be getting started and added, “once you get started, others will pitch in.” He mentioned that several family members had hidden talents and those skills would be an asset to the future host. As he continued to talk, a brave soul assumed the torch for the 2020-21 Wash/Jones Family Reunion. While listening, I reflected on the impact of psychological security in the school environment. I wondered if some teachers were resistant to implementing new strategies and thinking outside of the box because psychological security had not been established. My second thought… How could I advance psychological security in my school?

Psychological security ensures that individuals feel emotionally safe when venturing into the unknown. Psychological security in the workplace is like a safety net to a trapeze artist. The net assures that if the acrobat falls, he or she will recover, grip the horizontal bar, and swing again! It is a welcomed layer of protection! With his mere words, Tony had ensured psychological security. A brave soul had seized the family reunion torch. As a school leader, I must inspire confidence in my teachers. I want them to be innovative and passionate about teaching. I want them to venture into the dark unknown!

Kids Are the REASON!

During the previous school year, our district introduced a web-based professional development program whose underlining objective was to encourage us, the educators and leaders of the district, to better understand our students by better understanding ourselves. The PD refreshed many ideas that seasoned educators knew and had possibly placed on a back burner. Numerous lessons focused on building relationships with kids and finding balance in our lives. Through interactive lessons, we were reminded to refresh our personal batteries in order to bring our “best selves” to school. The PD referred to this refreshing process as “finding your sunshine.” As the school year progressed, “I’m going to find my sunshine!” became the spoken mantra among my teachers. While I was not actively seeking my sunshine during the school year, I am certainly an explorer now! As part of my exploration, I have committed myself to a daily fast-paced walk through my subdivision. My route encompasses 4 miles and allows me to do some detective work. I find detective work to be an accurate description of my keen observation of details. I am not a snooper; everything is in clear view! One might refer to me as “Sharon Sherlock.”

On this morning, my eyes focused on our community park. The park is well maintained and provides an engaging play area for children. The activity center features swings, covered sliding boards, and a climbing wall. The manicured grass and an assortment of bountiful flowers accentuate the area. There’s even a newly installed picnic table. As my roaming eyes continued to scan the area, I realized what was missing! The bench that had provided a beeline view of the activity center was gone! I stood there a little puzzled, wondering why the bench had been removed. I knew that I hadn’t visited the park in maybe 3 years, but I loved that bench! I had sat on the bench while my son, nieces, and nephews had swung, climbed, and taunted each other! From my family alone, there were 2 generations of little ones who had enjoyed our community park. Now the park had changed, the bench was gone! I wondered if I had missed an important Association Meeting to discuss removal of the park bench! After all, I have a voice and the residents of my subdivision have spent numerous hours discussing seasonal decorations! At that moment, I couldn’t comprehend why anyone would remove the park bench and replaced it with a cold steel picnic table!

While walking, I continued to think about the removal of the park bench. When I passed the park on the return route, I stopped and paused. With a clearer mind I considered some possible reasons for removing the park bench. Had the park bench served its time and simply needed replacing? Was purchasing a steel picnic table more feasible than purchasing a park bench? The population of my subdivision had substantially grown, with the population increase, were there more preteens and teens who visited the park? Had the park bench become a gathering place? Were the surrounding residents being disturbed? Lastly, did I even have a voice regarding the removal of the park bench? The park is maintained by our local park district. As I looked at the new steel picnic table, I realized that it provided a beeline view of the activity center. I saw that the picnic table was sturdy and securely installed. I also noticed that it had been installed in area that was very visible to the public. In summary, replacing the park bench with a picnic table may be the better alternative!

In the field of education, mandates, policies, curriculum, and instructional practices are always changing. Some changes are initiated at the state level, some at the district level, and some at the building level. In some cases, we have a voice and a choice; in others we have neither. We are faced with directives and requests that cause us to pause, regroup, and move forward. As educators, we must adapt to meet the needs of the children we have been entrusted to educate. The expectations are great, but we are Winners because we are Educators!

Oh No…Not My 10Se!

Here’s the disclaimer: ” I am not a loon, but I do find teachable moments in the oddest of circumstances!” Today’s blog is inspired by a personal mishap that could have turned into a major pitfall if I hadn’t weighted my options before reacting. The incident isn’t fatal. As is with most unplanned occurrences, first impacts may appear devastating.

As the title indicates, I have a new cellphone. Mind you, I am not a cellphone stalker waiting for the latest trending cellphone to hit the market. In fact, this is the first time that I have purchased a cellphone that is currently featured in a major marketing campaign. I typically keep my cellphones until they retire themselves! Such is the case that caused my recent purchase. While visiting the store of my cellphone service provider, I was amazed with the upgrades to these handheld minicomputers. I was equally flabbergasted by their prices! As timing would have it, my provider was marketing a BOGO deal. I left with 2 cellphones, 1 wireless charging dock, 1 black phone case, 1 glittery phone case, and 2 screen protectors. I was pleased with my purchase and received several compliments stemming from the upgrade.

Now, let’s fast forward, 3 weeks after the purchase. I was driving with my cellphone lying in my lap. Unexpectedly, my S10e, in its glittery case, slid off my lap and landed between the driver’s seat and console. The minicomputer was retrieved; all functions worked as expected. My rapid heart palpitations started the next evening at exactly 5:50 p.m. I noticed 2 major fault lines on the screen of my prized acquisition! Of course, I did the usual. I held the phone to the light and imagined that I was seeing a glare. Next, I wiped the screen with the softest cloth and slowly ran my finger over the fault lines. Reality quickly settled, the unmentionable had happened, my S10e had suffered a severe injury! My reaction was to quickly solve the problem. I searched the internet to find someone qualified to perform surgery on my S10e! I was dismayed when my first called ended with, “Sorry, we are not fixing that phone yet!” I continued to hound the internet until I found a cellphone repair guru who promised to replace the screen for $199.00. At 10:00 a.m. the following morning, I was at the guru’s shop. I had digested that I would have to forgo a couple pairs of new sandals in lieu of repairing my cellphone. I was so thrilled to find someone who could repair my S10e that seeing a sign that read, ” Cash Only! Sorry, our internet is down.”, didn’t faze me. I handed my cellphone over to the only person who could perform the delicate surgery. I quickly described the incident that caused the fatal injury and asked if the screen could be replaced. After a few sighs and grunts, the cellphone surgeon said, “You don’t need a screen. You need a new screen protector.” I asked him to remove the screen protector. He was correct! My cellphone screen was in perfect condition! I was thrilled! My first response was, “Thank you!” My second response was, “This is a good day!” He smiled and recommended that I purchase a new screen protector.

So, here’s the epiphany! Sometimes as educators, we think and feel that things are downhill. We lean more towards the negative than the positive, and we spend too much time contemplating things beyond our control. Then suddenly a strong gust of wind propels us to the top of the mountain. While standing on the mountain’s peak, we proclaim, “Today is a Great Day!” As educators, we must build relationships with our kids, celebrate our successes, and always give 100 % of ourselves.

With the opportunity to impact the lives of children; Every Day is a Great Day!

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Month: July 2019