Bird Droppings November 18, 2019

Perceptions vary greatly about life between people 

 

“Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it.” Irving Berlin

 

It was over twenty years ago I was waiting to go back to teaching after having spent nearly twenty-three years in the publishing business. I was anxious to say the least. I had gone by the high school and signed a few forms and talked with the principal for an hour or so. Then the next day came and within hours I was immersed in a day I will not forget. It was my first day back teaching. While I spent most of the day locked in a small resource room on a school lock down. It is not hard t remember the date, the 9-11 bombing happened while I was still introducing myself to my students. We did get to know each other.

 

About a year ago I did this again although I did not have quite in the same situation I was in last time. A new county, new school, new students’ new staff and a much larger class room. I had spent some time in the building and picked up keys and computer. I thought I was ready. Interestingly I was readier than I was twenty years ago. A couple of degrees, a good bit of research and writing, thousands of students worth of experiences I think I can handle most anything a Monday can throw at me. I still dread Mondays and perhaps for the first time in my teaching career not looking forward to going t work.

 

I have worked with over fifty different principals, superintendents, Assistant Superintendents and assistant principals. Numerous department chairs, curriculum coaches, instructional coaches and various other titles in public school teaching. I had many I disagreed with and they are long gone. Some literally went back to teaching, some were fired, two are in jail, some continue to be great leaders in education however as I go to work today for the first time in my teaching have I ever felt a person shouldn’t be in educational leadership as much as I do now. Leadership is now about power it is about being an example of what it is you want your employees to attain. Perception is a strange thing.

 

“To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Coming back to perception. My own is significantly different than my walking into the class room twenty years ago. Each moment, is for each of us different and as I use the word over and over our perceptions vary greatly about life. Emerson so eloquently states “the same world is a hell and a heaven” depending on how you take it. How we live life and our reactions can be construed much the same way. I have been on a journey my entire life and yet for many years simply went with the flow. Now I try and savor each moment and second.

 

“It’s how you deal with failure that determines how you achieve success.” David Feherty

 

We live in a world of contrast black, white and a swirling of gray then somewhere there is a dividing line to separate the differences. Our adaptation and manipulation of crossing the line between the variations is our dealing with life.

 

“Nothing in life is so hard that you can’t make it easier by the way you take it.” Ellen Glasgow

 

“What happens is not as important as how you react to what happens.” Thaddeus Golas

 

Many years ago, I recall a story from Hindu lore of a water bearer who each morning would go to the stream and fill two great jugs with water. One was new and held every drop all the way from the river to the house. The other jug had a crack in it and a steady stream of water leaked out all the way from the river to the house. Often when arriving at the house the cracked jug would be literally empty. One day the new jug most boastful said to the cracked jug how can you be so happy you never complete your task each day all your water leaks out and you come home empty. The cracked jug said smiling and never once upset, “have you noticed the flowers all along the way from the stream lining the path where I water them each day.

 

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” Lou Holtz

 

I find this so true in high school among students; some who are so capable simple choose to just pass. “I have a seventy I am passing that’s all I need”. Others who struggle to achieve try for an A and work each aspect of their endeavor. Every difficult sentence a chore but they persist and succeed. I got to know a young lady who took the science portion of the Graduation test five times each time she would be closer gaining points as she went, finally she passed by two points. I have read how the school board has again passed or stated they will uphold the graduation walking policy. Sadly, within that are the girls and guys who do try and may take five tries to succeed not because of attitude but because of ability. Yet they are in jeopardy of not walking at graduation.

 

I have read numerous times how we need to uphold that standard but it is a faulty one there are exceptions and another young lady is one and her mother and she were ones that fought with county office to walk. She received her fourth test score weeks before graduation and was one point off. She took testing classes studied hard and had been a good student all twelve years, she was an honor student. She wasn’t a person, who did not deserve to walk she tried more than many that did walk, but our view is of a failure and we punished her at graduation time. She quit school the last week of school and went on to get a GED.

 

“Two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud and the other stars.” Fredrick Langbridge 

 

Sometimes it is only a matter of looking up versus looking down and perception is radically different.

 

“We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.” Chrétien Malesherbes

 

So often we limit ourselves we set up the road blocks and stop dead in our tracks all possibility of success. I have seen students do this and simply quit at education. Sometimes it may be a teachers fault for not answering a question or responding in a way that is perceived meaningful to the student. But ultimately as teachers and learners ourselves we need to try and break through and build students up.

 

“Attitudes are more important than facts.” Karl A. Menninger

 

“Our attitude toward life determines life’s attitude towards us.” Earl Nightingale  

 

“We have unprecedented conditions to deal with and novel adjustments to make; there can be no doubt of that. We also have a great stock of scientific knowledge unknown to our grandfathers with which to operate. So, novel are the conditions, so copious the knowledge, that we must undertake the arduous task of reconsidering a great part of the opinions about man and his relations to his fellow men which have been handed down to us by previous generations who lived in far other conditions and possessed far less information about the world and themselves. We have, however, first to create an unprecedented attitude of mind to cope with unprecedented conditions, and to utilize unprecedented knowledge.” James H. Robinson  

 

It was only a few years ago in the history of man that TV became a reality. Last week as I was helping someone do a paper a question was asked “when did racism start was it during the civil war”. Racism and slavery are not new to man, some anthropologists look back even to Neanderthal man at signs of racism with Cro-Magnon man. But each generation has more to work with more information more knowledge more data to compile and their response is what had been looked at one way has become different.

 

“There are times when you just get down, you feel like nobody likes you. We’re in high school forever. It’s just what we do with it.” Rene Russo

 

Rene Russo is one of my favorite actresses and someone who was famous as a model and actually then made it bigger as an actress. She at one point as her modeling career started to dwindle thought all was over but interestingly enough now she models perhaps more now that she is famous as an actress.

 

“Don’t be against things so much as for things.” Col. Harland Sanders

 

Most of us have had Kentucky fried chicken at some point in life Col. Sanders literally changed fast food along with Ray Kroc of McDonald’s fame and it was their attitude that did it. Both men took already used and tested ideas and with attitude made them work.

 

“Nothing will work unless you do.” John Wooden 

 

“Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get.” Ray Kroc

 

Every day I hear a student blame a teacher for being a sorry teacher I have never yet heard a student say they were a sorry student. But I have heard many students except simply a seventy percent and be happy “its passing” and so where does the blame lie if in effect blame is appropriate. We choose and we choose to fail or succeed. We are the culprits not a teacher, not the book and not the class we choose. Please keep all in harm’s way in your thoughts and on your hearts and always give thanks namaste.

 

 

My family and friends I do not say this lightly,

Mitakuye Oyasin

(We are all related)

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