Thankful

Thankful is a word we often hear and spend time using during this holiday season. It is a word, that perhaps we should explore so that we have a better understanding of what it means and how being thankful can change your heart and perspective. Merriam-Webster's defines thankful as being glad that something has happened or not happened, that someone or something exists...

In doing a quick Google image search one can find dozens of images that contain quotes on being thankful or the meaning of thankfulness. Here is an example of one such image. 

In the book Unbroken, author Laura Hillenbrand describes the life of Louis Zamperini whose B-24 bomber crashed in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. Louis, along with three other members of the crew, were adrift on a raft for 47 days before being discovered by a Japanese ship. 

Louis shared a moment of gratitude he had while he was suffering from extreme starvation and dehydration. This short Audible clip gives a brief account of his gratitude. The first time I listened to his story I was amazed at how someone who was lost at sea and little hope for rescue could show gratitude. That someone in his situation could be thankful. 

His story and ability to be thankful for the peaceful ocean and serene skies reminded me of something I heard from Andy Andrews. He was giving advice to someone who was having some struggles and feeling overwhelmed in their situation. His response was for this person to be thankful and show gratitude. He shared that she should not focus her thoughts inward, rather outward. That she can change her perspective and thinking by writing thank you cards, perhaps one or two a day, to those people in her life that had a positive impact on her. This act of giving thanks would change her perspective and outlook about her circumstances.

Jon Gordon, like Andy Andrews, believes that the practice of being thankful can change your perspective. Here are two tips he shares on the practice being thankful:

1. Take a Daily Thank You Walk - I started this practice 15 years ago and it changed my life. Take a simple 10-30 minute walk each day and say out loud what you are thankful for. This will set you up for a positive day.

2. Say Thank You at Work - When Doug Conant was the CEO of Campbell Soup he wrote approximately 30,000 thank you notes to his employees and energized the company in the process. Energize and engage your co-workers and team by letting them know you are grateful for them and their work. Organizations spend billions of dollars collectively on recognition programs but the best and cheapest recognition program of all consists of a sincere THANK YOU. And of course don't forget to say thank you to your clients and customers too.

In Hacking Leadership, Joe Sanfelippo and Tony Sinanis, discuss the importance of writing positive notes to staff members and sending cards to family members. The idea of recognizing the work of teachers and staff members and thanking them for their commitment to their students is a great way to build a positive culture.

Jeff Zoul often mentions the idea of writing two personal notes every day to staff members. This has two impacts. The first is it shows that a leader recognizes the work that a teacher is doing and celebrates that work. The second is it brings joy to the leader who is celebrating the great things that are happening in the building. This act of thankfulness brings such a positive energy and impacts the culture in a huge way. 

This year I am challenging myself to practice habits of giving thanks. To spend time thinking of all the things that I am thankful for and to show appreciation. I am challenging myself to not only give thanks during the holidays, but to continue this practice throughout the school year. It is my desire that this practice of giving thanks will become a habit and eventually become a way of thinking that I will continually embrace. 

It is my sincere hope that you can be thankful for all of the blessings that you have in your life. 

Thank you

When I was a younger student I had a really hard time. I often felt lost and unsure of what was expected. I was that student who needed his shoes tied. Who needed directions stated multiple time. The student who always had that confused look on his face. Having a late August birthday and starting kindergarten as a four year old was not the greatest thing for me. I guess it became pretty clear as the school year progressed that I was not ready for first grade. My teacher and parents made the decision that I would spend half of my day in a developmental first grade class. I ended up with an IEP. Thanks to my mom who saves everything I still have the original IEP. 

I am amazed and thankful that in 1979 there was help and support for a student like me. A student who felt lost and confused. A student who needed more time and more practice. A student who needed someone in their corner. A student who needed a teacher that cared. I can't say thank you enough to Mrs. Peters. If it wasn't for her and early intervention I am not sure I would have been able to close the gap. Her time, patience, and care made such a huge difference. It changed my path. She believed in me. 

Thanks to Mrs. Peters I exited special education and joined my peers in second grade. I was able to move through the rest of my time in school with my peers without any further intervention. I went on to become a teacher, interventionist, student services coordinator.  And now I am a principal. I earned two master's degrees and an EdD. Mrs. Peters along with many other teachers pushed me to become the person I am today. Inspired me to move beyond what I thought I could do. These dedicated teachers made a huge difference. So thank you! Thank you for everything! 

I also want to say thanks to all of the teachers that spend time investing in their students. Thank you for building relationships with your students. Thank you for caring. Thank you for investing your time and effort to make a difference. Thank you for choosing to go the extra mile. Thank your for never giving up. Thank you for being a teacher. 

It is the Small Things

We often wait in life for those big dramatic moments to define who we are and how we want to be perceived. Moments like making the team, winning the big game, getting into the school of our dreams, graduating from that school, getting our first job, the first promotion, or receiving an honorary award. These moments that are substantial and meaningful are the moments that we want to remembered for and how we want to define ourselves. We work hard for these accomplishments and many times we wait patiently for their arrival. Yet, as we wait for the big moments life is happening and we often miss what is right in front of us.

We are moving so fast from one thing on our to do list to the next. We are so focused on getting things done that we don't always see what is right in front of us.  As a principal I start my day the same way. I am outside assisting with car drop off and then I come into the building to do the morning announcements. It is easy to not be fully present during these routines as I am thinking about how to respond to a recent parent email or needing to follow up with a student or teacher.

A few weeks ago I was reminded to stop and pay attention to the small things. The first thing that happened was a friendly comment made by a parent who was dropping of their child. She thanked me for being outside everyday and having a great attitude. I was caught of guard and quickly said thanks. Her comment reminded me of why I am out there everyday. To greet our students with a smile, fist bump, and encouragement.

The second moment that reminded me to slow down and to be present occurred during the morning announcements. One of  the speech paths in our Early Childhood program was promoting AAC (Augmented and Alternative Communication) awareness month. She asked if she could have one of our EC students lead the pledge using his device. I thought that would be awesome. When the day arrived for the student to lead the pledge I had a crazy morning and I almost forgot the student was going to be leading the pledge. His mom was there to take pictures and our district communications director was there to video the event. As I watched the student lead the pledge and saw the pride in his mom's face I couldn't help but get choked up. It was so awesome and it was such a great reminder that it is these everyday moments that mean everything to our students and families.

We won't be remembered for those big monumental events. We will be remembered for the small things. Those regular everyday moments. How we interact with those around us. How we encourage others to be their best. How we give opportunities for students to shine. How we challenge others to be their best. When we step out of the way and realize it is not about us. We will be remembered how we treated those around us in those everyday moments.