It's that time of year again, preparations for a successful start of school. I've already been up at my campus getting ready, have helped my husband get his class ready, and will go back full time tomorrow for 2 weeks of staff development. And I've unfortunately, already seen plenty of memes and bingo cards for educators to use in faculty meetings that are negative. So sad. I've also been thinking about what I want to say in my very first #WindhamWeekly address to my families and students to set us on a path of encouragement and inspiration. So many words and thoughts are swimming in my head and my goal is to not go over 5 minutes any week, so I've got to narrow it down to what is the most important things I want to convey...what is so critical that it has to be recorded so it can be referenced later. And it got me thinking about my own non-negotiables for my family, my church, and my class. Three things stuck out to me: Time, Kindness, and Honesty.
TIME
I value time. To me, it is the GREAT EQUALIZER. Each one of us has the same number of minutes in each day...though none of us knows how many days we are given. Kind of a chilling and sobering thought. But what it means to me, is that every minute of each day is something I can't get back, so I want to use it wisely, put value into it, by strengthening others, encouraging others, doing all I can with my family, loved ones, etc. It's people that make this world a special place, not projects. I've talked about this in a previous post.
KINDNESS
The next item is kindness. Some folks say respect. So similar, but really not. See respect means keeping those ugly thoughts in my head and not saying them, but treating you kind (outward actions only). Kindness means that even my very thoughts are full of positive things towards you (inward and outward actions). I want my own children and my students to use kindness in all they do, but this is something that has to be modeled. How to handle tricky situations, people that annoy you, what to do when a crisis or tragedy finds us, etc. If I can get my students to that place of kindness, then time is saved in having to deal with hurt feelings and behavior situations that require interventions.
HONESTY
The last non-negotiable for me is honesty. We all make mistakes. Even as an adult, I still make mistakes. I just had to apologize to my oldest daughter this morning for yelling at her on the way to church. I yelled because she didn't stop at a red light and nearly hit another car. When we are dishonest, time is taken away to investigate, soothe feelings, fix broken things, etc. I always tell my own girls and my students, just tell the truth. If you messed up, admit it, let's fix it, learn from it, and move on. Let's not dwell on the mistake, and let's not try to hide it. You will get in twice as much trouble if you lie about something because you made the mistake and then covered it up. Just be honest.
So, really kindness and honesty both go back to time as well, the GREAT EQUALIZER. And that's the most critical thing I can convey to my families and students {and all those educators sitting through meetings} as we set out on a wild ride through the last year of elementary together. I pray that this year is full of great memories both for my family and my students, and I pray that they value time, and they know I'm fully behind them and want only the best for them. I pray that it's a blessed year for you as well.
