SMS Principal Blog

"Starting strong is good. Finishing strong is epic." -Robin Sharma We are coming off of Thanksgiving break, and I can practically hear the collective groans of students and teachers contemplating returning to school tomorrow. While having a few days off for Thanksgiving is great, I know that teachers and students are really looking forward to a much longer break at the end of the semester, so here I am waving the white flag.  No, I am not waving the white flag of surrender-- They'll never take me alive! I am waving the white flag that signifies the final lap of a race. We have three and half weeks left in the semester. This is a time when there are some in our classrooms who will be tempted to let off of the accelerator and just coast through to Christmas break, but we also know that these are often the students who cannot afford to coast. These are the students we have been pushing and pulling all semester.  Three and a half weeks means we have probably 15

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." -Melody Beattie As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday this week, like many people, I find myself taking stock of the blessings in my life. I have a healthy, happy family who sometimes listens to what I have to say. My wife and I are both employed in the fields we chose as our professions. While the road to recovery is still stretched out before us, we are confident my father is winning his battle with cancer. The list of personal gratitude could go on and on.  These are important things to think about this time of year, but I also think that simply being aware and acknowledging what we are thankful for falls short of what we can accomplish with a gracious attitude in everything we do. Where better than education to look for ways

"Human spirit is the ability to face the uncertainty of the future with curiosity and optimism. It is the belief that problems can be solved, differences resolved. It is a type of confidence. And it is fragile." -Bernard Beckett Last week, I wrote about the grind of excellence. Leading a building of dedicated educators who are willing to grind it out every day for the good of our students is awesome, but I also realize it comes with a tremendous responsibility to protect them from their own willingness to persevere. We have a lot of changes on the horizon, and they come with a fresh set of obstacles. I know that no matter what comes next, my staff is up for the challenge, but I have to make sure that I preserve their spirit through the chaos.  The great thing about team players who are willing to do whatever is needed is that you can accomplish so much. The bad thing is that people like that won't likely let you know that you've broken them until it is too

"Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way." -Booker T. Washington Over the last week, I spent a lot of time in a hospital. During this time, I had the opportunity to watch people in a profession other than my own go about their business. Fortunately for my father, these people were excellent at what they do. In fact, they are to excellent that the procedure done on my father can only be accomplished in two hospitals in the state-- talk about doing something in an uncommon way. More than once during the eight days we spent at the hospital, this team of surgeons were in the operating room well past midnight, and every time, they were right back at work the next day seeing patients. That is what excellence looks like. Excellence doesn't hit cruise control or take the morning off after a tough day. Excellence is a grind. It is exhausting. That is why so few people are excellent. I believe our staff at Sullivan Middle School is excellent. I think that o