Monday, November 25, 2013

Give Thanks, Year Round

Give Thanks, Year Round.

Scrolling through the social media feeds last night, I began to notice all the posts in preparation for the upcoming holiday. Here, in the United States, we take one day out of the year to give specific thanks for 364 days of what we hope, is good fortune.

As an educator, I have the blessing to have a few additional days built into my schedule in which I get to load up the family in the oversized SUV and head to see relatives some 400 miles away. Upon arrival we will exchange hugs; hellos and the kids will begin a four-day free-for-all and make up for the 361 days (give or take) that they do not get to see each other throughout the year.


Connecting this back to my work as being a building administrator, I begin to go down my list of staff members, and even my students, and wonder what their four-days of Thanksgiving “break” will look like. My gut tells me, as does my knowledge of those that I am surrounded by for 183 days, that there will be travel plans, endless hugs and hellos, and some will travel more, and some less, to offer the same thanks that my family will exchange a few states south.

 I do worry about those that will not have the same good fortune this upcoming week. For that, our school is always looking for ways to give back to our community. Our staff and students participate in donation drivess for the food pantry. We work with the local churches and outreach programs and adopt families for the season. And, if nothing else, I seek out those students, and even those staff members, that may need and extra word of encouragement to ensure that they know I am thankful for their contribution to our school community.

So as you count down the 24 hours to your Thanksgiving break and think ahead to the 20 days until Winter Break, remember that one student, or one colleague, that you are thankful for. And remember, there are 365 days in a year that we can share just that, our thanks.



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