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November 2019 - Posts
For the past six years that I have served as principal, the last Friday just before school starts I share an inspirational quote to set the theme for the year. This year our theme centers around PERSPECTIVE and the following quote was given to each staff member.

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." - Henry David Thoreau

As I was doing some research on stories of gratitude, I came across the following article that I believe speaks to a perspective of gratitude.

A short lesson on gratitude.
Posted by [email protected]  On Nov 17, 2019 at 10:00 AM
  
I have been married to my wife Sally for over 28 years and our sons are now 26 and 23. It's a blessing to still be in their lives every day, but I have to admit one of the pleasures we enjoyed from birth through their high school years was the time we got to spend together especially at family dinners. That was our designated time to catch up. As they got more into high school sports and activities and travel sports, our family dinners were not as frequent, but we still made time each week. It was important to my wife and I to have that time because we knew that time was precious and would not last forever. We still squeeze in a family dinner or two here and there, but it's definitely not the same.

As the pace of life seems to have increased with more activities, parents/guardians working on different schedules, online access 24/7, family are challenged more now than ever. I encourage you to carve out time as much as you can each week to stay connected with your teenagers. These years are just as critical if not more than their younger years. They are discovering more of who they are and what they want to be. They are associating with more people. They are dealing with issues that you may not be aware of.

Keep in mind, what we model for them now is what they will model for their kids.

The following excerpt is from a book entitled, To A Child LOVE Is Spelled T-I-M-E.
No amount of love is too much for any child, and you cannot separate love from time spent together. The fact that you feel love for your child does not guarantee they feel loved. They need to constantly hear you tell them "I love you" and see your love demonstrated in the small details of life. Give your child the best gift of all - yourself. That's what they really want and need.

"
Posted by [email protected]  On Nov 11, 2019 at 1:20 PM
  

November is National Gratitude Month and also our character focus this month. Having gratitude means we express humility and thankfulness for the people, opportunities, gifts, and talents afforded us.


The following story I believe speaks volumes about having a mindset of gratitude.


The year was 1933. The Great Depression had reached its lowest point as nearly 15 million Americans, 20 percent of the population, were unemployed and over half of the nation’s banks had failed. Others who remained employed had their wages reduced which also decreased their buying power. Soup kitchens, breadlines, and a growing population of homeless people were common across many cities and towns in the US.


Despite all of these challenges, many Americans learned how to make do with what they had. They developed an attitude of gratitude and learned how to be grateful for what they did have and not what they were going without.


We have learned throughout our history that it’s not what you don’t have, but what you do with what you have that counts the most. That type of perspective only happens when you have gratitude. Folks during the Great Depression may have eaten the same type of meal for days on end, but they learned to be grateful that they had food. 


Marty Bryan, age 84, from Columbus, Ohio shared, “I lived through The Great Depression and can remember eating beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner when I was four years old but at least we had something to eat. Others didn’t.” 

Another resident from Columbus, Ohio, Maxine Bartelt, age 87, recalls. “Eating was different in those days, too. We didn’t come to a table and complain because the food wasn’t what we liked. There were not many choices. We ate or went without. Some days bread and gravy tasted very good.”


The point here is this. We all have challenges and struggles we have to deal with from time to time. And it can be easy to get down because of those challenges. But it’s during those challenging times where a focus on being truly grateful for what we have will get us through. Because no matter what issues we may have, there is always someone out there in the world who has even greater challenges. 


Take a moment right now and think about who or what you are grateful for in your life. Have you shown appreciation for what you’re grateful for? Have you told others that you are grateful for them? For me personally, I am truly grateful, thankful, and joyful that I have the opportunity to serve as principal of Lee-Davis High School every day. I am grateful and appreciative that I have a supportive and loving family at home and a loving, supportive staff I get to work with every day. 


So for the entire month of November, I encourage you to take the gratitude challenge and post on Twitter and Instagram about someone or something you are grateful for everyday this month. Use #gratefulLD.


Posted by [email protected]  On Nov 02, 2019 at 4:10 PM
  
 
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