Turn the Page

I hate winding down a school year; it all seems to go by with a blink.  I know, I know: people are elated to count down the days until school is over.  I readily admit that I keep track of such on my calendar.  But instead of a countdown, it may be more appropriate to count up towards a climactic resolution: the crescendo of all things good in education. However, the breakneck speed with which the end of the school year passes does not allow for appropriate sentiments and sendoffs.

Hence, this blog post.

First and foremost, I want to personally congratulate the two winners of my ELA awards: Megan Back and Sarah Beth Lawson.  It's always a rewarding feeling when I have a tough time selecting the award recipient.  Please believe me when I say the following: this year was the hardest selection I have ever had to make.  There were students that were LITERALLY separated by HUNDREDTHS of points in the overall grade column.  But Megan and Sarah Beth are more than worthy honorees of this year's ELA classes.

Secondly, this may look familiar to some but I wanted to post these tidbits of parting advice for everyone to see:

1.      Defy apathy – It probably seems right now (at age 14, entering high school) that the process to get from where you are to where you want to be is a daunting one.  A generalized response to such a lengthy and challenging endeavor is to simply quit.  The act of giving up on your dreams can be justified by a creeping sense of apathy, a general “I don’t care” attitude.  Fight it.  Fight it with everything you have in you.  If there are people in your life who are feeding this monster, get away from them.  Do not be influenced by people in your life who are miserable with their own.  There are tons of people counting on you, people you don’t even know: future friends, future mate, future children, and, most importantly, your future self. 

2.      Embrace learning – Not just in school, for grades, but for you; try to learn something new every day.  And if people refer to you as a nerd, dork, geek, goody two-shoes, etc., embrace that, too.  Those monikers are titles for those in the future who GET PAID. 

3.      Love people – all people.  A wise man once said, “it is better to give than receive.”  When we love others, we are taking the self-centered focus off of us and shifting that to someone else.  There is nothing better.  I challenge you to love people better than you do anything else.  I promise you – you will not be sorry. 

If you would, I want to invite all of you to follow this blog to receive updates of future blog posts.  I would love to hear your comments/advice/reflections throughout the summer and even into next school year.  To follow, simply scroll down to the bottom right-hand corner of this screen, click on FOLLOW THIS PAGE, and follow the directions from there.  

Thank you for being you.  

"What can say more than this rich praise: that you alone are you?" 

                                                                              ~ William Shakespeare

~Mr. D