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Mr. Edwards Letters for December 2007 |
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The Gift of a Good Book
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Good day, Sequoyah Givers!
Why is a good book such a great gift? Well, first of all is doesn’t need batteries, nor will you have to plug it in. It also is not easily broken, but can easily be shared with others. It requires no assembly and can be enjoyed by all ages. You can be interrupted while using it and still continue a moment later. It can be used just about anywhere if there is enough light. It can be used and reused for centuries. If it is borrowed and not returned, you know it will be put to good use. A good book is a great gift to give.
Remember that your old principal is 52 years old, and yet, I have been fortunate to never have a Christmas without receiving a book as a gift. It has always been important to my parents that I be given a book from them. It has been one of the ways that they have nurtured the importance that reading should have in a person’s life. Their effort has paid off with me, for I will always love to read. Another way it has impacted my life, is that my children have also always received at least one book from my wife and I each holiday season. There is no doubt in my mind that when they have children of their own someday, they will carry on the tradition of giving a book.
The gift of a book can create memories. They are memories that will stay with people. I remember the first book that I read the Christmas I was 9. It was The Battle for Iwo Jima. The first book I read the Christmas I was 14 was Packer Dynasty about the championship teams from Green Bay in the 1960’s. The first book I read on my 20th Christmas was Roots by Alex Haley. I remember how quickly Roots captured my attention, and that I read late into Christmas night. I eventually went to sleep about three in the morning on the 26th. It was that fantastic of a story. And of course, the first book I read this last Christmas was The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama. When a person gives a book they provide an opportunity for a memory to be established. All of the books named in this paragraph were given to me by my parents and connect me with them in thought and reflection and story.
Why is giving a book such a great gift? Listen to these two anonymous quotes.
“Giving a friend a book is like introducing your friend to another friend.”
“The real purpose of books is to trap the mind into doing its own thinking.”
I encourage all of you to give a parent a book, or give a friend a book, or even give a teacher a book. A good book is a great gift!
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
The Gift of Good Friendship
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Good day, Sequoyah Friends!
I remember making friends with a kid in the fourth grade named Benny. He was different from any of my other long-time friends. It didn’t bother him to get into trouble with his parents or his teachers. He seemed to be the oldest fourth grade student in the school. Most of us were ten years old. He was eleven when the year started and turned twelve during the school year. We found out that he had failed first grade and that he was also in the fourth grade for the second time. He was an interesting kid, and I thought I wanted to have him as a friend until I saw him steal from another kid that didn’t have many possessions in his life. He stole the kid’s bike that he had received for Christmas. It wasn’t even a new bike, but Benny stole it. He also got caught. I tell you about Benny for a good reason. Fourth grade was the year I got myself in the most trouble, in school and at home. In fact I would say that the following three years of difficulties were directly related to my friendship with Benny. That was such a negative friendship that my parents ended up moving the whole family just to get me away from Benny.
Not long ago, a student shared a quote with me that I wish that I had known and understood as a kid. Listen to these words.
“Choose your friends wisely, because you become one of them.”
I find the quote appealing because you can’t read it without thinking about your own friends. Giving the gift of friendship is one of the most important gifts you will ever give. People have to be mindful that whoever your friends are, you are; eventually. Everyone needs to understand that you should choose your friends carefully because they are the people that you are going to spend a great deal of your important times with in your life. Recognize how valuable your friends are and that they have common beliefs with you about life and each other.
I want to remind you that real friends are always present for you. When times are good, they share the laughter and joy, and when they are bad, they share the grief and sadness. Hopefully, everyone realizes that the fact is that all friendships aren’t perfect and even good friends can get into an argument at times. And yet, as true friends, the friendship always ends up better and stronger.
I encourage you to invest in your friendships with you time and energy, and work to create a cherished outlook with your friends. This time of year is the perfect time to give the gift of being a good friend.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
The Gift of Time
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Good day, Sequoyah Time Keepers!
There are many things in this world that make us equal. One is that everyone’s day is 24 hours. It doesn’t make any difference whether a person is a preschool child or a teacher or a soldier or a homeless man or the President of the United States, we all get just 24 hours every day that are just 60 minutes long each. A rich person won’t get more hours than a poor person. An educated person won’t get more than an unschooled person. A strong person won’t get more than a weak person. We all get only 24 hours in our day.
What does make us different is how we use the 24 hours. Are we selfish with our time and do we keep it all to ourselves? Do we simply waste it? Are we productive with our time? Do we decide to do only things that benefit us? Do we use our time in a way that hurts others? Are we in the habit of doing things with our time that heals and helps those people that need us?
We can witness these differences if we give ourselves a little time to think about and reflect on what we see of our actions and what we observe others doing. I have a friend that does not have as much “stuff” in her life as others. She never has. But she always has had as much time as everyone else, and she has practiced for years of giving away some of her time. How has she done this, you might ask? On birthdays, holidays, or special occasions, and sometimes for no reason she has given people a card she has made. She designs the card so that they know that she is giving the gift of her time and they can redeem it. It has the appearance of a gift certificate of time. Sometimes it is for a few hours of free babysitting or a few hours to mow someone’s lawn or shovel snow from someone’s walkway or driveway. She has even given a card that says that if called she would go get fast food and deliver it at the person’s home. One time she gave a card that could be redeemed to have all the glass the person owned cleaned. She went over to the person’s home and cleaned all the windows of the house and cars. She also cleaned all the mirrors and the person’s eyeglasses.
So the questions I have are how do you use your 24 hours each day? Do you share them with others? Do you impact others in a positive way? Can you possibly give the gift of time like the lady that I know?
Listen to what Benjamin Franklin said about time in June of 1746.
“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that’s the stuff life is made of.”
I encourage you to not waste any of your 24 hours. Treat them as a great treasure, because although we get the same number of hours in a day, we do not get the same of days in a life. I encourage you to give the gift of time. Be generous with sharing your life and your time.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
The Gift of Courtesy
Monday, December 17, 2007
Good day, Sequoyah Great Ones!
The gift I have learned to appreciate the most is common courtesy. I remember when I was a kid and my grandmother came to dinner, my brother and I competed on who got to pull the chair out for her at the table. We each wanted to hear her say how courteous we were. As we got older we did it because of the respect we had for our grandmother and it was our desire to be courteous to her. I shared with you in a letter a few days ago how important I think it is for a courteous person to hold a door open for someone else. It is an act or gift I appreciate seeing someone do for another. I have seen a number of times over the last couple weeks someone give that gift to another person. I love hearing a grateful person say thank you and a thanked person saying your welcome. I will always enjoy hearing people make a polite request of another by using the word “please”, and saying “excuse me” if they have to interrupt someone or requesting “pardon me” when they walk between two people conversing.
There was a movie out a few years ago that I don’t know the name of, but it had Meg Ryan in it and in one preview she got up to leave the table and this guy from two centuries ago stood immediately when she did. She looked at him and asked what was wrong, and his reply was that a gentleman stands when a lady leaves the table. Courtesy can be an art. And just like people appreciate great art, they appreciate great courtesy. Not everyone can be a great artist, but everyone can demonstrate great courtesy if they choose to do so. Listen to this anonymous quote.
“Life is not so short, but that there is always time enough for courtesy.”
How many times can you give the gift of courtesy over the holidays? Is there someone in your life that you could be overwhelmingly polite to during the break? Will you act on this choice? I hope so. My hope is that courtesy will always be a part of your life and that you will become known as the most courteous person in all your relationships.
Let’s have a great week of courtesy before our holiday break!
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Emboldened Kindness
Friday, December 14, 2007
Good day, Sequoyah Potentials!
I hope since yesterday that you offered someone a simple act of kindness. Most of you found ways to exhibit that you care for others. I saw one student last week hold a door open for a teacher. After the teacher walked through and said thank you, another student came up to the kid holding the door and accused his friend of being a (and I hate this term) “suck-up.” It amazed me that one student was giving another student a hard time just for doing what was right and offering someone kindness. I promise you that you will never see me go through a door before any one else. I always let the ladies and female students pass first and I will always hold the door open if it is not posted open. I was proud of the student who held the door. He exhibited what I would call emboldened kindness. He was going to be kind no matter what an immature friend might say. That friend's comment won't keep that same kid from practicing that simple act of kindness again. It is probably entrenched in his life. It is a choice of kindness that he will continue to give.
I found this quote in a book that the teacher reading group read a couple of years or so ago. It is from an expressive, loving letter that a man has written to his grandmother. Listen to it closely.
“I know that there is nothing so powerful as the emboldened kindness of one human being reaching to another.”
I agree with these wise words. How could there be anything more powerful between humans than emboldened kindness? It is kindness that risks ridicule, but is done anyway. Could you go beyond simple kindness and offer an emboldened kindness to someone? I know that many of the students at Sequoyah Middle School could do just that. I encourage you to do so. Give yourself time to think about how you can provide kindness to others. Be emboldened with your kindness. I dare you to do so. I triple dog-dare you to do so!
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Only Kindness Matters
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Good day, Sequoyah Kiddos!
I love to listen to music. It impacts me in many, many ways. The emotion it stirs is real. In fact a group of Sequoyah girls singing to the staff last week brought tears to my eyes. Yet the only musical talent I have is pushing the play button on my iPod or a CD player or cassette player, but I do love to listen to the many different kinds of music. This time of year I listen to holiday music and enjoy it because it triggers a lot of my childhood memories, but also because there is almost always more of a message in the songs. No matter what the tune or rhythm of the song, I want there to be a message in it. I want it to tell me something true. I want it to cause me to think a little about what it says and how that impacts me. The last several days I have played Jewel’s Joy CD repeatedly while I was out and about in my car. One of the songs begins with the following phrase. I ask that you be perceptive to its message. These are six powerful words.
“In the end, only kindness matters.”
This phrase can be received in at least two ways. One that I think is most obvious is that in the end of life people tend to be most kind to the person who has left the living. I have gone to approximately 85 funerals over my 52 years of life and have always heard the kindest words spoken of the deceased. People speak from the heart about the loved person and remind everyone there, what a wonderful person the deceased had been. There are plenty of hugs for those grieving and many more words of kindness shared. Always kindness falls like rain on the deceased.
The second manner in which Jewel’s words can be received is also obvious. Kindness may be the most important thing about life. Of all the acts that a person can do through out life, the act of kindness is really the only one that matters. Kindness like feeding someone that is hungry, or warming someone that is cold, or being with someone that is lonely, or most difficult to give, loving someone that is ignored. The opposite of love is not hate. It is indifference. We are all in a position to offer kindness one to another. I encourage you to find ways to demonstrate exceptional kindness over the next two weeks. Who knows? Maybe December can be the best month ever if we focus on more kindness. It just needs to be an act that we choose to practice. I watched a movie last Sunday evening called Noel. In it a woman took a moment outside a lonely patient’s room, a man that she did not know lying in a hospital room, and from the hallway she simply looked at him asleep and said these words, “I love you.” What a simple quiet act of kindness. She risked nothing saying it and yet gave a kind gift to the man. I challenge you, find ways to be kind.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Picture Yourself
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Good day, Sequoyah Picture Perfect Ones!
I hope that you were able to stay warm and healthy the last couple of days. And if you have been without electricity my hope is that it is back today.
Let’s start this letter with some questions. When you think about what other people do around you, are you putting yourself in the image? Do you picture yourself when there is a problem? Or do you just picture the problem? If you have a disagreement with someone, do you picture just the other person when you think about it, or do you have a clear image of what your role is in the situation? If you really want healthy, rewarding relationships in life, you must be able to picture yourself in all of them. Once a person sees their own actions and how they impact or influence others, then they can take responsibility for their actions. Without that ability a person is trying to solve things with only part of the picture. When you are dealing with only part of the information, then you will find difficulties. That is one of the toughest problems to fix.
Seeing a mental picture frame with yourself and the other person gives you insight in to your own behavior. It is a major step towards genuine maturity. With the developed skill, you are able to see your own actions clearly and the effect they have on the feelings of others. When you’re left out of the picture it opens the door for you to be insensitive. When you see yourself in the picture, you can adjust you behavior. You can marshal your thoughts, words, and actions.
Without a doubt, those people that have healthy, growing, valued relationships are people that picture themselves in those relationships. When I have treated someone poorly, I usually say I can’t believe I did that. It occurs when I reflect on what I did or what I said, because I am seeing myself in the picture and I don’t like what I see. It’s an image that can be described as ugly. I more times than not can ask myself, “Who would want to be a friend to me?” And the answer is always, “NO one.” Listen to this quote from Gary Smalley.
“The relationship truth is this: Put your self in the picture.”
The key to this working is picturing your behavior before acting a certain way. It is using an imaginary camera lens in your mind that picks up your movement, your behavior, and sometimes even your thoughts. It is there to prevent the ugliness that all of us dislike. Putting yourself in the picture runs that risk. You will see images of yourself that aren’t pretty. They may bother you, but they also will create motivation to change the image. One thing that you can be sure of is that your friends’ perception of what you look like will match yours. That’s why it is important to picture yourself.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Responsibility With Actions
Friday, December 7, 2007
Good day, Sequoyah Great Ones!
Recently, I have written to you about personal responsibility for words and actions. Listen to this lesson I received on being responsible for my actions. It occurred 20 years ago when I was an assistant principal at Cimarron Middle School. I won’t use any real names because it dealt with a student that was in a fight.
One afternoon after lunch, I had two seventh grade students brought to me by a lunch duty teacher because they were fighting. They both had thrown punches, although neither student was injured seriously. After they got rid of their anger, we talked things through and I decided that each student needed to be suspended for three days. I called the first boy’s dad and he was on his way up to pick him up. The second student that we will call John Smith asked me to call his mother first. I looked at the information card and asked if her first name was Elizabeth. He said that it was. I tried calling her and there was no answer. Finally, about ten minutes before school was out, I reached his mother. Needless to say she was shocked and she even cried. I told her that instead of coming to get John that I would just put him on the bus.
The next morning, a man met me at 7:00 a.m. at my office door. He said that he was John Smith’s father. I asked him to come in. He was angry and it was obvious that he had built the anger over night. He said that when his son got home that he denied getting into a fight. He denied having to sit in my office all afternoon. He continued to deny it until he was sent to bed late. He asked if I called his wife. I told him that I had. He asked, “Was it Elizabeth Smith?” I told him yes. He asked me the telephone number, and after I said it. He said, “Mr. Edwards, that is my telephone number, but you called the parents of the wrong John Smith. You caused havoc and turmoil in my home last night because you called the wrong parents!" He was furious. He was steaming with anger. After a quick check, I was shocked and realized that he was right. Our school had two John Smiths in the 7th grade and unbelievably, they both had mothers with the name Elizabeth Smith. I immediately apologized profusely and asked him to forgive me for the mistake. He continued to yell at me and didn’t want my apology. I asked once again to forgive me and I put my hand out for him and he simply looked down at it and said that I would be hearing from his lawyer. He then walked out of my office slamming the door hard enough that the walls shook. It was the worst mistake I have made as a professional educator and I regretted my actions that created the turmoil and trauma in that family.
In that situation, I did my very best to be responsible for my actions; even with them being a huge error. I told the wrong 7th grade John Smith that I was sorry. I wrote a letter of apology to his mother and father and mailed it to them. It took one year for the man to finally forgive me, but that is another story. If you want to know about it, just ask me and I’ll try to tell you.
Listen to this quote from founding father, Benjamin Franklin:
“We must have courage enough to own our faults, and resolution enough to mend them.”
Even though it is hard when you make a mistake, I encourage you to be responsible and do what is expected of you when the error is brought to your attention. It may be hard to mend things and it may be over a long period of time. In fact, you may never know if you resolved it. But still know and do what is expected of you. Be strong and of good courage when trying to repair situations with friends and others.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Responsibility For Words
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Good day, Sequoyah Fantastic Ones!
Do you ever wish you weren’t responsible for your words? Have you ever not been responsible for them? I think that a person could argue that maybe the first year or two of your life someone else is responsible. Parents or siblings taught your initial vocabulary to you, and they obviously should teach you appropriate words, and probably they did so. Once you hit three years old, you more than likely knew what the right words were, as well as, what the words were that would get you in to trouble. Listen to this old proverb.
"Choose your words carefully. You cannot retrieve them once they leave your mouth."
All of us, at the point we are in our lives, have to accept that we are responsible for everything that comes out of our mouths. Everything we say. Every single word we use. We can’t blame our words on who we hang with, or that we were angry with someone. Even if it is what is termed as a slip of the tongue, we are still responsible. Remember that being responsible is knowing and doing what is expected of us. The expectations can be set by our parents, our friends, rules from the school, or the laws of the land. Being a responsible person means that we are aware of the expectations placed upon what we say and we choose to follow and meet them.
Here’s an example. When I was in the 8th grade, I had a physical education class that was an interesting mix of kids. One day we were playing basketball outside (you can play outside just about every day of the year where I grew up) and the coach had gathered us together and told us what the teams were. One of the guys in the class thought the teams were unfair and when the coach finished, the guy felt he needed to express himself verbally. He said, “This is a bunch of (beep)! The coach was looking at his clipboard when the guy made his comment. The coach looked up and wanted to know who said it. None of us spoke up. We all knew who had said the words, but no one told on him. He asked one more time and still no one took responsibility. The coach said, “Okay, no basketball today! You guys start running laps around the athletic field.” All of us ended up running for over a half hour. To this day, I think the coach knew that a lot of us would have a problem with the guy who made the comment for several days because he was responsible for having us run instead of playing basketball. We chose to be mad at the guy until the following week. I encourage you to be careful with what you say because only you are responsible for what words exit your mouth. The consequences of what you say will usually impact others in some way.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Recognize Responsibility
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Good day, Sequoyah Cougars!
What is responsibility? I have heard my whole life that I need to be responsible. I was told I need responsibility and should learn responsibility. And then I became an educator and was told I needed to teach responsibility and model responsibility. It’s not just for me either. I know as middle school students that adults tell you that you must learn responsibility, too. Your parents expect it. Teachers expect it. Sometimes even your friends want to convince you that you have responsibilities, and they are going to tell you what they are.
The word responsibility comes from an Old Latin word that means, “requiring an answer.” The dictionary defines responsibility as the quality of being responsible, answerable, or liable. It is also said to be “dependableness, generally due to good judgment.” The definition that I would like to use is this.
"Responsibility is knowing and doing what is expected of me."
The most important idea behind responsibility is that we all have choices and we must answer to what we choose. It doesn’t make any difference if it is a choice with words or actions. The idea of being responsible means that we are going to be accountable for our words and actions to others.
So how do we know what is expected of us? Sometimes it is a “rule or norm” that our society dictates. Remember that norms are unwritten rules that we all agree are good. For example, we’re taught as toddlers that we should be kind to others, and that we should share with others, and that we should say thank you when someone gives us something, and that we should listen to what our parents say. All of us learned those four responsibilities by the time we were three years old.
Another example, are written responsibilities when we become employed. We know what is expected of us by a job description that will actually list the responsibilities. Your teachers have one, and your principal has one. If we don’t follow our job descriptions then we run the risk of complicating and maybe losing our jobs. For each of us, responsibility is knowing and doing what is expected of us. What should a job description for a student at Sequoyah Middle School list as responsibilities? I challenge you to take some time and write out what should be listed and then hand that list to me in the hallway some time in the next few days. Here’s another question to ponder—what should happen to the student that does not fulfill the responsibilities?
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Kick the Bad Habit
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Good day, Sequoyah Students!
One day last week, I wrote a little bit about a person choosing to be critical of others and how that impacts their life. Criticism is a learned behavior and therefore can be removed from a person’s life if they want it to be gone. It can be reversed and unlearned. Criticism is not bad if it is constructive and done in a kind, thoughtful manner. Unfortunately, the negative criticism that individuals spout from a vicious mouth is too frequent and has become easier for some people to use over and over. That kind of criticism is not helpful and instead damages relationships temporarily, and in some cases permanently. Listen to this anonymous quote.
"Criticism, like swearing, is actually nothing more than a bad habit."
Criticism is a bad habit. Like all bad habits it can be broken with a little focused effort. When I was a kid I had a teacher tell me that habits can be made if practiced for 60 days. She also told my friends and me that the reverse was true as well. She explained that if we practiced breaking a habit for 60 days, that it would be broken. I have always remembered that because I have tried it before and I know that it is true.
Criticism is to a friendship like acid is to battery cables. It eats away at the friendship until it is permanently damaged. The criticism erodes the connection with your friend. And unfortunately the damage and erosion is such that even apologies can’t make it right again. How important are your current friendships? How important are your future friendships? Are they important enough to care for them now? I hope so. The best care you can give friendship is a sense of loyalty. That sense of true loyalty cannot exist with destructive criticism. So you have to remove it. You have to throw it away from your life. Actually it is best if it is never a part of your relationships, but if it is then kick the bad habit and keep your friendships safe from poorly chosen words.
I am convinced that marriages and long term friendships start to go bad when criticism becomes a part of the relationship. I also see kids start to lose respect for their parents when their parents spend too much time criticizing them. How can you express loyalty to someone you love when there is habitual criticism? It’s not easy and may not be possible in the long run.
So today I encourage you to examine your life and see if you are spending too much time in a criticism pattern. If you are, then I encourage you to kick the bad habit.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
We Make Mistakes
Monday, December 3, 2007
Good day, Sequoyah Mistake Makers!
Last week Mrs. Treece and I visited with the 7th grade students through their science classes. We discussed several ideas that would make Sequoyah an improved place to be and then focused on Eight Principles for living a successful life. One of the principles is a characteristic that reminds us that we are human and that our nature is set. Listen to this principle that is founded on an absolute truth.
"No person is perfect. We all make mistakes."
Knowing that we all make mistakes is comforting, but it doesn’t keep us from making mistakes. Listen to these simple mistakes.
During a softball tournament one September, Mrs. Treece and I were working the concession stand. It was going to be another one of those hot September days that Oklahoma is famous for having. Although the tournament was being held at Mitch Park, we had to stop at the school and load up the candy and soft drinks and get some ice for the day. Looking at the task we decided to fill up one of the big gray trash barrels with ice, (it was brand new and had never been used) and then roll it to the front of the school to fill the four large ice chests. It took about ten minutes to dump scoop after scoop in the trash can. We rolled it out of the kitchen and through the cafeteria and went up the straight ramp towards the front doors. When we got to the top of the ramp, I left Mrs. Treece with it and walked over to lock the doors to the office. I heard a small scream and turned to see that Mrs. Treece had pushed over the big gray barrel of ice. The ice had melted just enough to be extraordinarily slippery. What I saw was ten thousand little ice cubes shooting out and racing across the lobby of the school like a million little marbles. They spread out everywhere. Seeing that Mrs. Treece was okay, I did what was natural at that moment. I laughed, and I laughed hard. After getting myself under control, I helped Mrs. Treece spend the next hour cleaning up all of the ice and water. We were quite late getting to the Mitch Softball Fields. We concluded that pushing ice at the top of the barrel was a mistake, but we recovered.
Another mistake dealt with individuals breaking into the school. It occurred over the two week holiday break a few years ago. We had a couple of college guys trying to come through the roof of the school by way of the air conditioning air ducts. They thought they had made it and were dropping into the office area. It was the end of the evening and quite dark in the building. Their calculations were off and they actually dropped into the darkened cafeteria. It was a 14 foot fall to the cafeteria floor. The motion detectors caught the fall and set off the alarms. When the police arrived they found one young man with a broken ankle and another guy with a broken leg. It was a huge mistake that caused them both a great deal of pain.
Remember we all make mistakes. Keep them small and learn from them.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
-Melodic Time- · Mon Jun 16, 2008 @ 04:42am · 0 Comments |
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