My mind is constantly going.  For me to completely relax, I gotta get rid of my cell phone.  – Kenny Chesney

Regardless of how you make a living . . . you can be an international country star or a local superintendent . . . cell phones have changed our lives.  As recently as a decade ago, we could escape the immediacy of work.  Sure, we had phones, but we didn’t have the news alerts, 24/7 email access, and continuous access.  My iPhone has changed my life – and sometime not for the better.

We must manage our technology and not let our technology manage us.  We have control of these devices – we control the alerts, notifications, and noises.  We can easily turn off the notifications and create specific times when “do not disturb” is active.  We can specifically create times when the phones isn’t at the table, on our hip, or in a social situation.

While each of us wants to be indispensable, we are also not performing at our best when we don’t relax and recharge.  We embrace our Power of the Team; we count on others and have the opportunity to share responsibilities.  Be intentional in your life . . . create downtime and opportunities to relax.

When we do fantasy we must not lose sight of reality.  – Walt Disney

In education today we dream, we educate, and we innovate.  We empower our students with voice and choice.  We inspire our children to follow their passion.  Our dreams . . . the fantasies we create for our students . . . opens doors for a brighter future.  Our dreams can come true, when we believe AND when we work.  Dreams don’t become reality by simply thinking about them.  Creating the reality takes work, purpose, and skill.

The education world in which we live requires us to dream, but to also keep sight of reality.  Students must learn to read and write.  Students must memorize math facts and understand processes.  The passion isn’t enough without the foundation.  The innovation can’t happen without base knowledge.  Success isn’t possible without an ethic based in work and dedication.

Continue to dream . . . do the required fantasy to build the future . . . and never lose sight of reality.  It is our guidepost.

First, think. Second, dream. Third, believe. And finally, dare.  – Walt Disney

Our public education system faces many challenges.  Keeping our children safe has become a topic for legislators and our national news media.  Mental health issues continue to mount for the children in our classrooms.  We lack alignment between our educational purpose and what’s required to prepare students for future success.  We balance the costs of a high quality education with the reality of the tax burden on our residents.

It’s time to stop accepting the status quo; it’s our time to create the education we desire for our students.  It’s our time in Hilliard; it’s our time to think, dream, believe, and finally dare to be the change we want to see.  Yesterday’s education isn’t preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s success.  It’s time to dare.  Together we think and dream; we hypothesize and fail as a team.  We are the dream builders; we are the believers.  We dare and we succeed.

The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.  – Sydney J. Harris

We often feel like we can’t relaxed until there is a scheduled break.  We wait for spring break, that long weekend, or a summer vacation.  Planned vacations are wonderful – they provide both a specific time to relax and something to look forward to in the future.  Planning a vacation, daydreaming about the activities, and looking forward to time with family and friends is an important part of a vacation.  We must also create time to relax when it isn’t in the calendar; we must find ways to recharge when we need it most.

It is important to know when you are feeling stress; it is important to intentionally understand your own mindset.  When you are getting worn-down, when stress has a negative impact on your decision-making, how do you relax?  Do you create time to recharge and rest?

Being a martyr, working yourself to the bone, helps no one.  Pushing yourself past healthy limits, living a life that’s out of balance, doesn’t make you a better employee . . . it makes you ineffective.  Make time for yourself . . . only the best version of you is the best version of you.

The best way to stop childhood bullying is for adults to model kindness and act with empathy in our hearts.

 

Our children are watching. They are watching adults call each other names, they are reading vitriolic social media posts, and they are hearing hate in our voices. Our children are watching.

 

Turn on the news, open a blog, or read the paper. Listen to adults at the supermarket. Sit at a soccer game and listen to the parents. Many adults have no tolerance of differing opinions – they attack the individual who holds a different position. Our children are watching.

 

We are a society that was built on basic freedoms; our founding fathers debated, compromised, and built consensus. Healthy debate and civil discourse is in our DNA. We must respect the right that others may hold other opinions and beliefs without attacking the individual. We are required to model kindness, compassion, and understanding. It is our obligation to seek to understand the opinions of others, to challenge with kindness and skill, and to model for the next generation the empathetic, compassionate behavior.

 

Our children are watching.

“There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.” – Mister Rogers

 

I had the honor of meeting Mister Rogers as a sixth grade student working at a Connecticut Public Television fundraising auction. During the “Kid’s Auction” day, children served as the auctioneers and Mister Rogers was the host. He would walk around the studio, in his cardigan sweater, and have genuine conversations with us. He was as kind in person as he was on his beloved “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

 

Mister Rogers, who passed in 2003, would be deeply concerned about where we are in society today. First and foremost, Mister Roger’s Neighborhood was about kindness, about helping one another, and about building caring relationships with each other.

 

Let’s commit to model kindness as adults. We are all role models for the children in our lives. Children are always watching; they emulate our actions. We must live the ultimate success . . . kindness, kindness, and more kindness.