8 Laps

While I viewed Greene Central as my school's rival when I was in high school, I did run my last track race at Greene Central. The Rams hosted a regional championship and I qualified for the 3200m that year despite a nagging knee injury. I knew at the start of the race that it would likely be my last. Since then I have been in and out of running depending on if I had a personal goal or race in mind. Over the past couple of years I haven't been very motivated to lace my shoes up and go for a run, but lately, it has called me back. After most of the students and staff are gone for the day, I have headed back out to our track to run the 8 laps of the 3200m. It takes me about 5 minutes longer than it did when I was 18, but it has brought me a lot of inner peace and time to reflect. It's frustrating not being as fast as I once was, but I don't think it's about racing anymore.

Over the next couple of weeks, I hope that the time you have to sleep in, visit with family, share gifts and eat great food gives you the time to recharge. During your time off, take a moment to find some inner peace and reflection, especially if that's something you've put in the background like I did. What may take 8 laps for me, can be something different for you, but either way, it's an investment in yourself. When you invest in yourself, you're more valuable to everyone else. Enjoy your time off, you've all earned it.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Someone To Go To

On the way to school each day, I pass by a neighbor's house with horses. I grew up with horses and I can't help but look at them each morning. This morning I noticed that two horses, an older mare and a young filly had gotten out of their pasture and were standing beside the road. I couldn't help but pull over and try to get them to safety. The horses let me walk up to them and they both followed me back into the yard and away from the highway. They stayed beside me until the owner came to put them back into the pasture.

Aside from my horse wrangling time, I'm reading a book about children with Adverse Childhood Experiences titled, Childhood Disrupted. I led a discussion at my principal's meeting this week on a chapter about resiliency. The chapter looks into why some people, despite the negative events that happen to them, turn out to be ok. It appears that genetics can determine how sensitive we are or are not toward negative or stressful events. But despite those genes, having an adult in your life that you can trust and talk to during stressful childhood events, can almost completely negate the effects of the events or the genetics.

Often, as school employees, we become that caring adult that students talk to. You don't have to teach very long before a student will open up to you and tell you things that make you worry about them. As an administrator, I often get tough stories from students, their parents, and teachers that need to get something off their chests. I'll quickly admit that I do not always feel like I know the right thing to say. But I think that the few minutes I spent with two horses this morning, taught me that you don't have to hear the right thing as long as you have someone to go to when you feel like you are in trouble. Those horses also showed me that it works for everyone, young and old. While students look to us for a caring adult, remember that you need that person as well. I had to tell myself that just this week, and I'm glad that I did. Teaching students about mental health, grit, and resilience also means modeling those behaviors and being vulnerable enough to talk about it.