Finding Purpose, Giving Thanks

With the calendar turning and the holidays approaching we will spend moments of our days and weeks ahead showing and offering our gratitude to others. We will have an opportunity to define our purpose and to give thanks. This week is full of thanksgivings.

And just like that the names and faces of those that I am grateful for rushes to the forefront of my mind. This list continues to grow with each passing moment of each passing day of each passing year. As educators we are blessed by the people we are surrounded by.

It is one piece of my work that brings me back to center each and every day of every week of every month of every year. You, like me, realize that it is our relationships with others that provide us the moments that drive us to be grateful for others.

These powerful, everlasting relationships with students, teachers, parents and our school community becomes the driving force behind our successes and speaks to the culture of our organization. It is these very relationships that we never take for granted and we constantly remind ourselves of our purpose and our place.

As you plan for the remainder of your week and the bountiful feasts that await you, take a moment to reflect on the relationships you have nurtured, embraced and cultivated. Whether a student that says good morning to you as they enter the building, a teacher that takes an extra moment to email you their appreciation for something you have supported them with or a parent that drops by to leave a tray of treats for the office, each of these gestures affirm the thankfulness they posses for the efforts you have made to be present for them. It is the relationship that matters.

This Thanksgiving reflect on your purpose and take the time to give thanks to those around you. The relationships are at the heart of what we do year round.

And with that, I share this list of questions. It is not mine, it is from a post from Seth Godin in which he shares The Thanksgiving Reader. Take a moment to read, reflect, and respond. And above all else, have a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends near and far.

What’s the value of gratitude? 

Why does it even matter? 

Why aren't people, especially Americans, more grateful? 

What can we do to feel grateful the other 364 days of the year? 

Are older people more grateful than younger people? Or is it the reverse? 

We all know the value of connections, but where did the barriers come from and what can we do to topple them? 

Who’s the most grateful person you know? 

Who’s your gratitude role model? 

What is something—a conversation, advice you received, etc.—you became grateful for only well after it occurred? Why did it take you so long? 

Have you lived a life that deserves gratitude from others?

(From Seth Godin's Blog - The Thanksgiving Reader)

They Did it Again

It's late in the school year. Content to cover is nearing its end, lessons are winding down.

Celebrations of a successful school year are being planned. End-of-the-year parties are taking form. Students are eager for summer. Teachers are not far behind.

And then, without missing a beat, my teachers, well, they did it again.

Just when I thought that every amazing moment had been captured for this school year, I stepped into classrooms throughout this week and witnessed ongoing opportunities for kids to extend their learning through a teachers passion of instruction. There it was. The affirmation that is never out of arms reach and always welcomed at every turn. The learning is powerful.

The reality is, the learning never stops. Teaching never takes a break. The school year may be winding down but our teachers are not.

This week I have witnessed teachers giving of themselves as if it were the first weeks of school and not the last. The countdown has not begun. There is too much to accomplish.

Just this week, Teacher Appreciation Week, I observed math lessons that encourage students to collaborate and be creative in their method of learning probability. There were the in-depth conversations within Language Arts classes that dissected literature and allow for authentic feedback. Science classes are beginning their exploration of gravity, inertia and energy through hands-on building of contraptions. And, just last evening after a month of preparation, over 50 of our students put together a Variety Show full of singing, dancing, skits of comedy and interactive performances.

Teaching is a gift. Watching my teachers this school year deliver the types of lessons they are is invigorating and inspiring. The passion they bring is contagious. My teachers, hopefully like yours, are giving of themselves every moment of every day until the last day.

I am taking the extra time this week to give them additional thanks for all that they do for our students and our community. I never take your talents for granted and am grateful I am allowed to work with you each day.