There really is something special about the blue september skies. The haze and humidity that accompany the dog days of summer fade into a crisp and fresh atmosphere that let you know fall is coming. For me September is and will always be a reminder of the need to focus on my purpose in life and to never forget what happened when America was attacked on September 11.
Fourteen years ago, my father was scheduled to be in the 2nd tower of the World Trade Center. His meeting was scheduled for 9 A.M. That same date I found myself in my first classroom staring at a group of 9th graders, trying to teach world history and questioning if teaching was really what I should be doing with my life. As I was trying to explain Egyptian kingdoms and the geography of Africa, a teacher came screaming down the hallway. I rushed out of the class room catching her as she fell over crying "They've hit the World Trade Center."
This past week I was asked to come into different DMS classrooms and share my family's 9/11 story. I am sure we all have some kind of 9/11 story and for me sharing the story is always special, not only because of the first hand account of survival, but more importantly it was a time in my life when my eternal lense came into focus. It was then that I recognized my purpose and my responsibility as an educator. While I was tempted to enlist in the armed services, I knew that what I did in the classroom as a teacher and on the athletic field as a coach mattered.
9/11 was one of the greatest tragedies in America's History but one of the silver linings that came out of this was unity and patriotism. All were unified as we shared a common purpose to protect and serve one another. Do you remember what that felt like? To see flags on every street corner, to salute and shake the hands of random firemen and police officers and to know that we are all in this together.
It is my hope that we at Dade Middle School "remember and never forget" and that we model this sentiment. It is my goal that we as teachers, students, and parents unify in a common purpose. What will our school look like if decide to protect and serve each other, how will our students grow and succeed if we come together in a common purpose? This year we have appointed a student council to give students a voice in real decisions. We have created a teacher leadership council that has designed a practical school improvement plan and committed to influence and grow their fellow teachers. We have initiated a PTO that has written a mission statement and set a vision for helping to fund the resources our school needs. And we are in the early stages of a school council that will help administrators make wise decisions. While this all sound great, it matters not without you! When I say you, I mean all parents, all teachers, and all students. We ALL have to be unified and realize we are in this together. What is expected of you? It is not complicated, it is actually pretty simple. You need to show up. Parents - show up when we have parent teacher conferences & special events at the school. If you made a commitment to PTO or School Council, honor that commitment. Teachers - show up when we have fundraisers and PTO sponsored events in the community. Students- show up when we have school (parents obviously you can help them with this). The reality is we can't educate students if they are not here or if they are checkout routinely from school. It's that simple. Do you want to see our students grow and achieve? Show up and unify together. In the coming weeks and months we will be sharing with parents, teachers, and students, specific times and places where all of you can show up and unify.
May September 2015 be a time we look back on and remember this is when our eternal lenses came into focus and we unified together.
Fourteen years ago, my father was scheduled to be in the 2nd tower of the World Trade Center. His meeting was scheduled for 9 A.M. That same date I found myself in my first classroom staring at a group of 9th graders, trying to teach world history and questioning if teaching was really what I should be doing with my life. As I was trying to explain Egyptian kingdoms and the geography of Africa, a teacher came screaming down the hallway. I rushed out of the class room catching her as she fell over crying "They've hit the World Trade Center."
This past week I was asked to come into different DMS classrooms and share my family's 9/11 story. I am sure we all have some kind of 9/11 story and for me sharing the story is always special, not only because of the first hand account of survival, but more importantly it was a time in my life when my eternal lense came into focus. It was then that I recognized my purpose and my responsibility as an educator. While I was tempted to enlist in the armed services, I knew that what I did in the classroom as a teacher and on the athletic field as a coach mattered.
9/11 was one of the greatest tragedies in America's History but one of the silver linings that came out of this was unity and patriotism. All were unified as we shared a common purpose to protect and serve one another. Do you remember what that felt like? To see flags on every street corner, to salute and shake the hands of random firemen and police officers and to know that we are all in this together.
It is my hope that we at Dade Middle School "remember and never forget" and that we model this sentiment. It is my goal that we as teachers, students, and parents unify in a common purpose. What will our school look like if decide to protect and serve each other, how will our students grow and succeed if we come together in a common purpose? This year we have appointed a student council to give students a voice in real decisions. We have created a teacher leadership council that has designed a practical school improvement plan and committed to influence and grow their fellow teachers. We have initiated a PTO that has written a mission statement and set a vision for helping to fund the resources our school needs. And we are in the early stages of a school council that will help administrators make wise decisions. While this all sound great, it matters not without you! When I say you, I mean all parents, all teachers, and all students. We ALL have to be unified and realize we are in this together. What is expected of you? It is not complicated, it is actually pretty simple. You need to show up. Parents - show up when we have parent teacher conferences & special events at the school. If you made a commitment to PTO or School Council, honor that commitment. Teachers - show up when we have fundraisers and PTO sponsored events in the community. Students- show up when we have school (parents obviously you can help them with this). The reality is we can't educate students if they are not here or if they are checkout routinely from school. It's that simple. Do you want to see our students grow and achieve? Show up and unify together. In the coming weeks and months we will be sharing with parents, teachers, and students, specific times and places where all of you can show up and unify.
May September 2015 be a time we look back on and remember this is when our eternal lenses came into focus and we unified together.