Humility Grows Here

My dream of growing a watermelon was violently derailed yesterday when I stopped by the garden on the way home from school to see how it was doing without me now that I am back to work. There was nothing but a sour smell and a swarm of flies where my two little watermelons had been on Tuesday.

A little ways away I found a couple of broken and empty shells where whatever critter had beaten me to my melons had dragged them. With a sigh, I tossed them in the compost bin and filed the experience under major garden disappointments, right next to the pumpkin tragedy of 2013.

Under the Sun

At the beginning of every new school year there's at least one new initiative, or approach, or gimmick. I'm not sure why that is, other than idealists idealize things, like new years and new opportunities. To be honest, I learned early in my career what a big contrast there is from one year to next, a lesson that came mostly from being shocked by the changes-- in personnel, personalities, and group dynamics, to name the most obvious.

This time is no different, but if I've learned anything in my 25 years of teaching, it's definitely the Buddhist precept of non-attachment. Who knows if that information system, curriculum, teammate, etc. will stick?

Even so, I'm a little intrigued by the "Lead Simply" materials our principal introduced to the leadership team. Sam Parker's framework of Model. Connect. Involve. is actually quite simple (everything is contained in a slim 6'x4' 61 page volume) and aligns well with both my philosophies of leadership and teaching, which in many ways is really a specialized form of leadership.

As part of the initiative, we got Parker's book, and some swag, too: a pen, a notepad, and some sticky-notes. I had the pen, boldly emblazoned with LEAD simply, with me at our big staff meeting yesterday, and I noticed one of my very experienced teammates looking at it. Later on she stopped by my room ro ask a question and noticed the book on my desk.

"I have to ask," she smirked, "is that the instruction manual to your pen?"

Chops

I came home from school this afternoon and cooked. I took what they gave me in my veggie share and what I had on hand, and I put it all together to make corn on the cob, braised cherry tomato sauce, and kimchi pickled cucumbers: something for today, something for tomorrow, and something for the future.

I think that's the kind of year it's going to be. 

The Wai-yai-ting is the Hardest Part

Except that on Sunday night, I know what to expect on Monday morning. It's the uncertainty that gets me out of sorts.

Let's get this party started, SY18-19!

Pre Reqs

In the final days of summer we went to see Spike Lee's new movie Blackkklansman yesterday afternoon and finally scored tickets to the National Museum of African American History and Culture  for today. Both were sobering and thought-provoking reminders of institutional injustice and white privilege, which are essential considerations as we prepare ourselves to step into our classrooms and begin another year of educating the people who might finally rid this country of both, allowing it to fulfill those founding promises of freedom and equality for all.

Escape the Routine

This year our administrative team decided to do something different for the first leadership team meeting. We had a morning session covering some nuts and bolts, and then after lunch we adjourned to a local escape room.

Three randomly assigned teams of educators had 60 minutes to free ourselves from the silly scenarios they had set up there.

We did it!

I think it might be a good year.

August Blessing

We were playing Name that Tune on our most recent road trip when Jason Mraz's latest single, "Have it All," came on. It was upbeat and boppy, with a nice little positive (if somewhat derivative) gist:

May you have auspiciousness and causes of success
May you have the confidence to always do your best
May you take no effort in your being generous...

...And may the best of your todays be the worst of your tomorrows
And may the road less paved be the road that you follow

"That would be a good writing exercise," I said to Heidi, "to have the kids write their own blessings in that style. Maybe I'll do that for the poetry challenge."

Tonight, on the eve of my first school meeting for the new academic year, I remembered how effortlessly I slipped into sixth grade English teacher mode on August something, somewhere on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. After 25 years, I guess that's who I am, and I'm kinda looking forward to getting back to it.

As for the new year? Take it, Jason:

May you be as fascinating as a slap bracelet
May you keep the chaos and the clutter off your desk
May you have unquestionable health and less stress
Having no possessions though immeasurable wealth
May you get a gold star on your next test
May your educated guesses always be correct
And may you win prizes shining like diamonds
May you really own it each moment to the next