Christmas Lessons

I watched as she just stared at the present. This young lady, invited to an after school Christmas party for her and some of her classmates, was mesmerized by the bows and glitter. She took in every moment of all things beautiful. She methodically moved the packages on all sides and smiled at every turn. She said something about not wanting to unwrap it. It was all so pretty and she was looking to keep it in tact. She eventually relented and peeled away the papers. She smiled the biggest of smiles at every present found within. Her head lifted and she watched as the invited classmates had already enthusiastically opened their gifts. She smiled with them. She smiled for them.

She must have thanked the adults in the room at least ten times with her own quiet words and thankful glances.

It was in these moments that the adults gathered in that room were reminded of the true meaning of Christmas. She prompted us to take in the memory before us without regard for all that might be occurring outside the occasion working against us or despite our grandest efforts.

Heading into the Christmas holiday, it's a lesson we all needed.

I'll count being a part of that event as one of the finest gifts of the season this year.

"Peace on Earth can it be?

Years from now, perhaps we'll see?

See the day of glory

See the day, when men of good will

Live in peace, live in peace again

Peace on Earth

Can it be

---

Every child must be made aware

Every child must be made to care

Care enough for his fellow man

To give all the love that he can.

---

I pray my wish will come true
For my child and your child too..."

Comments

Google Classroom for the Principal

During August 2015, I attended a Google Camp for Administrators. One of the sessions was led by an edtech expert in my region, David Ashdown . I've followed David's work for nearly 15 years. He's always been in the front of technology use and I've stolen many a neat idea from him. He offered a session about Google Classroom and I attended thinking I needed to gather more ideas about this app for my teachers. However, in the session, David pushed our thinking in asking us to consider how we could use Google Classroom as administrators . He shared an example of setting up classrooms for different work groups and committees. I loved his idea! Almost immediately, I set up classrooms for committees in my building. This kept all of the information collected for each group (SDM, PBIS, etc.) all in one folder on the back end of Drive. I also created a classroom for my building. This is where I would post my weekly messages. Under the about tab, I also collected resources

Mind the Gaf

Since my mid-forties, I’ve done a pretty good job of keeping up with medical appointments people “my age” are supposed to have. At my annual physical this past Fall, I was handed the usual clipboard of papers. It included the checklist of statements where I had to rate how I was feeling. This screening is known as the GAF. According to Wikipedia, "The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) is a numeric scale used by mental health clinicians and physicians to rate subjectively the social, occupational, and psychological functioning of an individual, e.g., how well one is meeting various problems in living. Scores range from 100 (extremely high functioning) to 1 (severely impaired).” The doctor knocked on the door, entered and began reviewing the paperwork I had completed. She looked up at me and back down at the paper at least two times. She remarked what a stark difference in responses I had given compared to a year ago. She was impressed and genuinely interested in what had happe

Class of 2022 - Congratulations

Graduation is about celebrating the end of something incredible and the beginning of the even more incredible next chapter of your lives. Graduation is about the Seniors and the work it took them to get here. Different paths were taken to get here today and each path was illuminated in a different way. Some of these seniors lit their torches at MJT and continued at GES. Others came from towns near and far to have the last of their journey culminate here. Some paths led to CTE certifications in heavy equipment, culinary arts, and criminal justice. Other paths will lead to institutions of higher learning. Whatever the path and destination, there were no doubt a number of twists and turns along the way. The light that has guided the way came from many of you here today and it is our hope that as soon-to-be graduates of Granville Central School you will shine bright and share your light with each other and those you encounter on your path that may need a little light of their own. I

Reflections

Search This Blog