Kindergarten Graduation Speech

I recently saw a quote that said “from tiny seeds, grow mighty trees.”  When I read it, it struck me as one of the most profound things I have ever reflected on.  Within these children we plant tiny seeds each day.  We plants seeds that we trust will help our children grow into strong adults. 

In order for them to grow into strong adults they will need deep roots… roots that are sunk in the soil of self confidence and strong values and beliefs.  Each day we must water them with hope, kindness, and love.  We must feed the plants with the nutrients of knowledge, character, and dedication.  We must care for them so they can bloom with creativity, curiosity, intelligence, citizenship, and leadership.

It is my hope that we have been diligent caretakers of these little ones this year.  It is my promise that we will continue to nurture these little ones as they grow here at Mt. Carmel.  Thank you for sharing your most precious children with us this year.

Now let us begin their graduation from kindergarten into first grade and encourage them into the future as they will continue to grow into the Buckhorn High School graduating class of 2025.

Cute Video!

Teacher Song

This is so funny and appropriate for how we all feel at this time of year.  It reminds us of all the fun we should have every day!

Inspire your Staff to Keep Going

I gave my teachers this story at Christmas along with a little mercury glass egg ornament.  I hope it helped get them through the year.

Metaphor Story About Change:

The Egg

by Silvia Hartmann

This is a metaphor for change: evolution is always happening, and there really is development and forward movement, even when there appears to be none.

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I often have this feeling of stress and desperation because I am quite convinced nothing has changed.

I look around myself and all I see is what I always see.

Same house, same furniture, same pile of bills, same everything.

I work so hard and NOTHING is changing.

Thought that again about something the other day, and this large egg came to my mind.

It just sits there in its nest of straw.

It doesn't DO anything.

It doesn't change shape, it doesn't change colour.

It doesn't pulsate. It doesn't roll around.

You could look at it for DAYS AND DAYS and you'd come away thinking that it was just that and there was NOTHING GOING ON.

And yet, and if one was to extend one's feelers in a different way, one might become aware of the RIOT OF CHANGE that is taking place INSIDE the egg, a storm of re-organisation, feeding and growth, of total unfoldment as a bunch of random cells become a fish thing, which in turn becomes ever more defined and more complex, more organised in every way, more mature, more fantastic with every heartbeat, every breath that passes.

One day, and we know not when, the egg that lay so motionless for so very long and seemed to be nothing but an inert shape will begin to rock, and then it will crack, and the newly born dragonet will emerge, spread its wings for the first time and take its first small steps.

Yes, there was change.

Even if we thought there wasn't. 

Make a Difference Every Day!

The Starfish Story

adapted from The Star Throwerby Loren Eiseley
(1907 - 1977)

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, so he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out, "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

As if he hadn't heard, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he turned, smiled and said, "It made a difference to that one!"

Teamwork

I opened my very first faculty meeting with this video.  This is the true definition of teamwork!Teamwork

End of the Year

It's amazing how quickly time flies when you are an adult.  When you are a child you continually think time goes so slow...summer vacation may never come.  Now that I am a principal, I could only wish to slow time down.  If I could only lower the toe of my shoe and slide this fast ride to a halt.  I would just like to savor the moments a little longer, to reflect a little longer, to hold onto those little snaggle-tooth kindergartners a little longer.  I guess the best part of being a principal it that there is a new group that will arrive next year.

First Day of ARMT

Today is Day 1 of our ARMT assessment.  If our STAR data is correct, we are projected to have 95-100% of our students meeting the proficiency criteria established by the state of Alabama.  Wouldn't that be something?  I would love to end this school year feeling that we have gotten that percentage of our student prepared for their educaitonal journey.  That is what it is really all about isn't it?  Giving them what they need now so they can conquer the future.

Data

In school today we have data.  Tons of it. We have demographics, attendance, assessment, survey, and daily data.  How do we use that data to drive our instruction or make change happen?  When I began my principalship in July, our school CIP was due almost immediately.  There was so much data there to sift through I was overwhelmed.  Although I knew the numbers on the sheet, I was uncertain what could really maximize impact.  After working here for a year, I see data very differently.  Having lived the day to day with these teachers and students I see that some of our data is more relevant than others. 

The thing that has stung the most this year for me is our attendance.  Students just are not at school as much as they should be, and some teachers miss way too many days to be effective.  As I look forward to our CIP for the new school year, I will be hyper focused on this attendance rate.  I will include incentives for those who attend.  We cannot teach students who are not at school, and students cannot learn from most substitutes what they can learn from a highly qualified teacher.  I believe this every day data could make a great impact that many other topics of focus.