Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. – Melody Beattie

Being thankful . . . living life with gratitude . . . is contagious. When you take the time to thank those in your life, thank those who make a difference, you set an example for others to follow. A simple “thank you” lets others know your appreciation, and it also encourages a culture of gratitude.

As we reflect on the many blessings in our lives, as we give thanks for the loved ones, friends and colleagues in our lives that give us strength and support, we are grateful for the peace and joy we share together. The seed for tomorrow’s vision is sown in our success and gratitude of today. Continue to cultivate an attitude of gratitude . . . it is essential to a great yield for tomorrow.

If your vision for your life doesn’t including impacting the lives of others than you should create a bigger, bolder vision. – Jon Gordon 

Do your personal and professional goals overlap? Are your personal and professional goals in alignment? Does your vision of success include making the lives of others better?

We all spend time creating professional vision and mission statements. We work in teams to create professional goals – for ourselves, our buildings, and our organizations. Have you spent time developing your personal vision? Have you talked with your family, spouse, or partner about your shared vision?  

Take time over the coming weekend, during the upcoming holiday season, to reflect on your personal vision and your family goals. Take the opportunity to bring alignment, to bring clarity, with all stations of your life. When your personal and professional purposes are aligned you create success in the future.

Don’t Chase Success. Decide to make a difference and success will find you. – Jon Gordon 

When we chase success we are comparing future actions to yesterday’s goals. Chasing success is often predicated on following in other people’s footsteps. We see someone or something that was successful – and we want to do it again.

Here’s the challenge, future success has yet to be attained. Our success in the future is depended on a new path . . . it is a path we have yet to blaze. For us, success in the future is about making a difference for others. For us, as we chase elite performance, it is about stepping up and serving others. If we dedicate ourselves to making a difference success will find us.

The path to greatness is never behind you. Just keep moving forward. – Jon Gordon 

As a former history teacher, I am well versed in the philosophy that if we don’t study history we are doomed to repeat it. Our growth mindset is incumbent on reflection of past actions; it requires a purposeful commitment to improvement.

Here is the thing . . . our path to being elite . . . our unwillingness to settle for average . . . is predicated on us moving forward. What we did yesterday demands reflections; past successes should be cherished and celebrated. We must honor our history; we honor it by learning from it but not clinging to it. For us, the path to elite is in the future . . . keep your vision forward.

Each day remember your purpose. Remember why you do what you do. We don’t get burned out because of what we do. We get burned out because we forget why we do it. – Jon Gordon 

We live our lives with great purpose. As educators we have the phenomenal responsibility of shaping the future each and every day.  

We have enumerable challenges in our work. From moving targets for achievement created by lawmakers to evolving instructional methods driven by a rapidly changing world, from social media’s need for immediacy to increasing number of families dealing with the impact of poverty . . . the work we do is our purpose. When we remember why we do what we do it provides energy, inspiration, and power.

We must take care of ourselves as educators. We must be at our best to give our students the best. Today . . . remember your purpose and keep doing what you do.

Action is the foundational key to all success. – Pablo Picasso
In order to success, we must first do. Success requires action; it requires action with purpose and skill.
If you strive to be successful you must be willing to try. You must be willing learn from your successful and your failures. You must be willing to act.
Don’t expect others to “do it for you” . . . be part of the team and jump in together. Don’t try to go it alone . . . bring others on your journey. Build relationships, develop skills, and create connections . . . it all starts with action.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts. – Winston Churchill 

It is wonderful to find and to earn success. Success earned through hard work, through dedication, and through persistence is a sweet reward. We should cherish and reflect on our successes; living in the moment is a key to a happy life. We must also see success as one stop on our journey. The ultimate success is being able to enjoy the journey and skill keep moving forward.

Failures are part of our journey as well. We will fall, we will stumble, and we will get knocked down. Just as successes are not final, failure are simply events on our path. Both success and failure require reflection . . . both success and failure demand that we grow along the way.

It takes courage, a courage we intentionally desire to instill in our youth, to continue on the path to growth and improvement. It takes the same courage to move on from a success as it does to get up from a failure. We can no more bask in the glory of a victory than we can wallow in the sorrow of a defeat. We keep moving forward.

Commit to the journey . . . Commit to building skill and making a difference each and every day.

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. – Albert Einstein
Teachers don’t simply impart knowledge . . . they teach students how to seek and acquire knowledge on their own. The skills and information teachers provide from textbooks is static; much of the static information can be found by simply using Google on an iPhone. What separates high quality education today is awakening the joy in learning. What sets Hilliard apart is our commitment to developing persistence, determination, and relationships through a personalized approach to learning.
Teaching is both an art and a science. We use data and statistics to measure progress. We cultivate the art and joy of learning by educating the whole child.

I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying. – Michael Jordan
As adults, one of the greatest attributes we can model for young people is the ability to learn from mistakes. Failures are not a destination but rather a hurdle on our journey to success. We will fail, we will learn, and we will improve.
In our schools we must support students, challenge students, and push students. We must push students to their personal “edge.” Only when students reach their edge, only when students reach the edge of their ability, will they learn to adapt, adjust, and improve. School shouldn’t be easy . . . school should be a challenge. School prepares students for the real world – and the real world isn’t easy.
Education must be personal – each student has his or her own edge. From the gifted student to the student with challenges in the classroom . . . the edge is personal. Let’s commit to ensure that every student, every young person, has the willingness to accept failure in the face of challenges. As Michael Jordan reminds us, “the only failure is not trying.”

Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom. – George Washington Carver
In a diverse country is a mounting list of challenges, in a period of time with unparalleled change, the key to unlock a successful future is education. 
Watching the evening news, reading news alerts on our phones, and listening to our political leaders raises our awareness of the realities in today’s America. Even here in our hometown, we are faced with real world issues and increasingly complex challenges.  
The key to unlocking a better future, the silver bullet to what divides us, is education. We have both the awesome responsibility and the joyful opportunity to unlock the door for each and every student in our classrooms. We get to mold and shape the future we desire. We must work to align our visions, personalize our practices, and step-up to the challenges. It is our time . . . let’s use our key to unlock the future.