Have A Plan

We are nearing the end of our training path presenter series in English III.  Students have viewed presentations from a variety of representatives and are viewing a presentation from Jodie Eaker of Morrison Tech today, and a consistent message has surfaced - HAVE A PLAN.

Yet in a lot of secondary schools around the United States, do we really equip students with the resources they need to HAVE A PLAN after high school?  Our school at Rockridge is very good, but we have one guidance counselor, and her duties and responsibilities include everyday assistance of students, testing compliance and administration, and student grades/records.  Bless the heart and effort of Mrs. Bohnsack and her assistant Mrs. Hawk, but her time available to assist students with post-secondary planning is very limited.

In English III we will spend about a month on the training path presenter series, and I truly believe it is "English" instruction.  More importantly, though, it's a variety of people (not including their boring day-to-day English III teacher) telling the students to HAVE A PLAN.  And that plan includes...

• exploring career and secondary training path options beginning in 9th grade
• speaking with visiting career and secondary training path representatives beginning in 10th grade
• visiting 5-7 options starting at least during 2nd semester of 11th grade (preferably 1st semester)
• completing the SAT/ACT during the Spring of 11th grade
• research and appliation for scholarship opportunities beginning second semester of 11th grade
• applying to post-secondary training options first semester of  12th grade
• completing FAFSA the first week in October of 12th grade
• comparing costs of post-secondary training options in February/March of 12th grade
• accepting/deciding on a post-secondary training path by April of 12th grade (some paths have earlier acceptance deadlines)

And in and among and between all of that are homecomings, proms, concerts, sports competitions, clubs and activities, and all sorts of stuff, which is why it's important that high school educators and parents/guardians help their students HAVE A PLAN.

Enjoy the experience!

Custodians Deserve Our Appreciation

Each Monday morning, we students and staff arrive at our school.  The hallways, classrooms, restrooms, lockerrooms and other areas have been cleaned and prepped for us to use.

It's not an easy job, so the next time you brush past your building's custodians, greet them with a friendly smile and tell them "Good morning!" or "Good afternoon!".

Believe it or not I consider it a great learning experience to serve as a summer custodian at Geneseo High School about twelve years ago.  We were at the building by 6:30 a.m., and we did all the things that occur in a school's summer cleaning program - moving classroom furniture out of classroom, cleaning all furniture all classrooms, cleaning and waxing the floor, wiping down all the walls, boards, cabinets, cleaning all the classroom furniture and moving it back in.  IT'S A LOT OF WORK...and cleaning gum off the bottoms of chairs and desks with a putty knife is gross!

Then there are the restrooms and lockerrooms - cleaning toilets, urinals, and showers is yucky!

Custodians don't just clean, though,  They change light bulbs, perform light maintenance, clear snow from sidewalks in the winter, clean up after a student gets sick or is injured, deal with chemicals, and a variety of other jobs.

Thank you custodians for the work you do!

Be Gracious In Defeat

Defeat is like taxes, rainy Saturday mornings, accidents, death, and a variety of other things in our lives that exist but sting.  They happen.

I think the word grace is fascinating.  Defined by Merriam-Webster, grace means "the quality or state of being considerate or thoughtful."  Gracious is defined by Merriam-Webster as "marked by kindness and courtesy."  So how does grace or gracious connect with defeat.

ONE MORE DEFINITION - defeat is "to win victory over" - Merriam-Webster.

Last night I stayed up late to watch the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and in our area the Wisconsin Badgers are pretty popular because a Rockridge alumni, Ethan Happ, plays for the Badgers.  Last night, Ethan and the Badgers were defeated.  It was a heart-breaking, gut-wrenching defeat as the opponent shot and made a three point shot as the overtime horn sounded.  The Florida players and fans went crazy in joy for their team.  The Badgers remained briefly on the floor stunned, then proceeded to shake hands and congratulate the staff and players of the Gators.

Turn back a few hours and another defeat occurred.  President Trump's attempt to amend the Affordable Care Act faced defeat, and despite his assurance that the bill would receive a vote, he directed the bill to be pulled.  For him and many who oppose the Affordable Care Act, it was a heart-breaking, gut-wrenching defeat as the bill was pulled and those in favor of the Act went crazy in joy for their win.  The President did not react as graciously as the Badgers.

He gloated over his efforts; he blamed the democrats for the defeat; he painted a picture of future destruction for our country.  

It's not easy to be gracious in defeat.  In fact, it's very, very hard sometimes when we feel like we should have won, should have had the opportunity to go crazy in joy for a victory.  When defeat occurs, we should not gloat over our efforts, blame others, and paint a picture of destruction moving forward.

The next time you face defeat, allow yourself to be stunned, and then try to be as gracious as you possibly can.  Your grace towards others in defeat says so much about your character.

Be gracious today!