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Mr. Edwards Letters for January 2008 |
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A Stout Heart
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Great Ones!
There are many times in our country’s history that war has caused suffering and despair. Most historians have agreed that the most devastating, drawn out damage to the heart and mind of our country was the Civil War. It was decades in the making and took over four awful years to bring to conclusion and resolution.
One of the great military leaders of the war was a Virginian named George Pickett. His first taste of battle was his worst. He saw his army virtually wiped out in the famous charge named after him at the Battle of Gettysburg in July of 1864. They marched across an open field for two miles and almost breached the Union line before retreating with death all around them. He continued to lead and fight over the next year for General Robert E. Lee. He witnessed many more losses of human life.
In the spring of 1865, the Confederate armies were under attack from a heavy Union offensive. They had to repeatedly retreat and they lost ground everyday until they reached an area near Appomattox. General Pickett had been trying to regroup and strike a blow to Phillip Sheridan’s Union Army when just the opposite happened. Most of his army was destroyed in one day and he retreated to General Lee’s Army. That evening, near midnight on April 8, 1965, he wrote a letter to his wife. It was a heartfelt reminder of what he had endured and experienced while fighting the war and it was a statement of reassurance to his wife that life would go on. He started the letter saying that the cause for which he had fought for four years was finished. He ended the letter as well saying again, “It was finished.” He really did share all the bad news and the sad news with is wife. The letter did not contain too much positive information, but he did encourage her, and probably himself, with a few words. Listen to one of General Pickett’s shorter sentences of encouragement to the woman he loved.
“Keep up a stout heart.”
He made this same statement repeatedly over the previous year to his men. What he was saying was to keep a determined heart. He wanted his wife to be brave in the difficult times ahead. He desired that his men develop the courage to see the conflict through to the end. General Pickett knew that a person with a stout heart would respond to the future with boldness and strength. He also knew that a stout heart would be sturdy and well set when faced with whatever circumstances the future provided and presented. I like his advice and I offer it to you in your life’s journey. Keep up a stout heart. Be resolute about your beliefs and what your purpose in life happens to be. Be undaunted when struggles come your way. Keep up a stout heart.
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 Highest Standard of Commitment
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Kiddos!
What is commitment at its highest standard? One of the stories that I remember my 7th grade social studies teacher sharing with me took place several thousand years ago. My teacher, Bill Temple, was a wonderful storyteller and he made history come alive each day in class. He told this story each year. Last year it was a movie remake and marketed with the title 300. In fact I watched it again last Saturday evening at my son’s home. Mr. Temple aways did it justice when he told it to his students.
This particular story took place to the north of ancient Greece. The Persian army of King Xerxes (Zercks-eeze) was busy conquering the world and was on the verge of moving onto the European continent. If something did not occur the whole of Europe would fall to the Persian Empire. The Greek Athenians did not have a standing army to fight a war. They had to plead with Greek Spartans to provide assistance. The King of Sparta responded by sending a small group of armed volunteers. The actual number was 300 warriors, and they were led by a great king and general named Leonides (Lee-oh-ny-dees). He had a great reputation of being a strategist that could win in the most difficult of situations and against fantastic odds. He immediately did a forced march of 140 miles in six days to a narrow seaside pass called Thermopolis (Thur-mah-po-lis). If they could defend Thermopolis Pass for a week, that would give the necessary time to the rest of the Greeks to organize an army strong enough to defend itself.
Leonides and the 300 Spartans did an amazing job stopping the Persians. The small army killed thousands from the enemy army. Xerxes even sent his elite army of 1,000 men, his private guard called “the Immortals” into battle. The Spartans held them off for days, and could have done so indefinitely, if a shepherd boy had not shown the Persians a back way around the pass. This allowed the Spartans to be surrounded. At one point after losing several men, Leonides was killed. Xerxes stopped the battle of Thermopolis Pass long enough to send a messenger to the remaining Spartans. He would let them live and go free if they would simply give up the body of Leonides. All of the soldiers refused to let that happen. Their loyalty to their leader was of the highest standard of commitment. They would remain loyal to death. Their faithfulness was steadfast and strong. Their loyalty angered Xerxes so much that he did not enter battle again, instead he ordered his archers to finish off the Spartan warriors. They continued to shoot thousands of arrows until there was no Spartan standing. To this day in Greece, Leonides is known as the “Lion in the Gateway.” The Spartans always left their city and homes with the same motto, the same promise, and the same commitment. Listen carefully to what they committed to each other.
“Return holding your shields in victory or come back dead upon them.”
That motto is what emboldened the Spartans’ intent to stay loyal to their leader and their cause. That motto exemplified the highest standard of commitment. Does that level of commitment to keep what we believe exist by us today in our world? Are we committed to be faithful to our friends? To our parents? To our teachers? At times, I’m sure I know the answers to those questions.
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.
Homework Banned!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Goal Setters!
How would students react if the headlines on the newspapers and in the television broadcasts and on the Internet said, “Homework Banned!”? Don’t you think that there would be massive celebrations in schools and neighborhoods? The whole perspective of schooling would be changed. What would kids do with themselves in the evenings? Homework being banned would make the life of each school kid very different from what it is today. Listen to this quote from a seventh grade student.
“Now I’m waiting for a law banning homework. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling I’ll be waiting a long time.”
I agree. Although there are plenty of students that would like to see that law exist and would vote for it without question, it is probably not going to happen anytime soon. There are a few school districts in our nation; very few, that actually do ban homework from being assigned. Most school districts that have tried to do so have reversed their decision at a later date. There is a legislator from another state that believes that too much homework is connected to childhood obesity and nutrition problems and so he wants to ban it for that reason. Most parents want their children to have homework four out of five nights. In fact, 423 of the 471 parents responding to a school survey last fall believe that all students should have between 1 and 2 hours of homework each night. About half the respondents believed homework ought to be every night. These are parents that remember what it was like to have homework. And so I don’t believe they want any students to have homework without good reason.
I know that your parents and the other patrons of Edmond have high expectations for the students of Edmond. They want our students to learn as much as possible during their public school experience. Our community wants high standards with the expectations, and they desire our students to be competitive with the best when they go to college or pursue further educational experiences after high school.
So although it would be an exciting headline for all of you to see, I wouldn’t plan on seeing it anywhere else except on the top of my letter to you. So how should students in Edmond respond to the responsibility of homework being assigned? I believe that students should recognize that if the task is expected by parents, then the completion of the task should be fulfilled with genuine effort and also students should have a plan to be a better person and a better student when it is finished. Homework will always make a person improved. Even I received homework this last week, and guess what? I begrudgingly did my best and completed it.
I encourage you to do your best on the homework assignments you receive. I challenge you to do a better job than what is expected of you. At least do it for a while just to see what happens in your life.
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.
Robbing Yourself
Monday, January 28, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Cougars!
Have you ever been robbed? Has some one deprived you of your property? How did you feel when you realized that you were a victim? What did you want to do in response to being robbed?
I had a teacher friend who went on trip to Disneyland in California. She took several students that did not have families with her on the short vacation. The local news covered it because there were some business sponsors. They filmed her getting on the plane at Will Rogers Airport. Because a thief happened to watch the news story, he knew that her home could be robbed. Sure enough when my friend returned to her house, it had been cleaned out. Anything valuable was gone. She went from being thrilled and happy about the trip to being devastated and violated with the robbery.
When my daughter was a freshman at Santa Fe High School she was robbed. The perpetrator got into her backpack and stole her CD player and 19 CD’s. The thief took about $360.00 of property that belonged to my daughter. She was first upset and then just plain bummed about it. Being the victim of a robbery brings on a horrible feeling of violation. But what if the robber of your property is you? Do you even recognize that you can be a thief to yourself?
The only real right that our Constitution gives people under 18 years of age is a property right to an education. When students do not take full advantage of the right to an education they are in a sense robbing themselves of their own property. The same is true with expectations, also. Listen to this wise sentence from Dr. Robert Schuller.
“Nothing is more important than what you expect. If you expect too little, then you rob yourself.”
Looking at that quote I have to ask all of you; are you expecting too little of yourself? Do you set your expectations high enough to benefit you? For example, are you sharp enough to get “A’s”, but expect just passing grades? Therefore, you’re okay with obtaining a couple of “C’s” and three “B’s.” If you did not set you eyes on greater expectations for your grade report a couple of weeks ago, then you robbed yourself. Your expectations are essential to your success. Your expectations create the prize that comes with successful learning experiences.
As I write this letter to you it is Sunday afternoon, in one week both the New York Giants and the New England Patriots expect to win the Super Bowl. If their expectations are less then they are robbing themselves and their fans. How important are expectations? They’re your dreams that become formalized. They’re your imagination put into actions. As Dr. Schuller says, “Nothing is more important than what you expect.”
I challenge you to set your expectations high early this new semester. Don’t be in the business of robbing yourself of a great education.
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.
No Real Do Overs
Friday, January 25, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Fantastic Ones!
About 20 years ago, I went to Cedar Valley up in Logan County to golf with some friends. We loved to get out there just about sunrise and get in nine before breakfast. In the early 80’s, Cedar Valley was not yet the popular place that it became. Two of my friends were teachers and the third was an assistant principal. We were just hack players really, but we never failed to have a blast being together outdoors. We always walked the course; never did we even consider riding in a cart back then. Like most golf courses, Cedar Valley had some easy holes and some that were a little more difficult, especially to hack golfers.
We took off from the first tee just after the clubhouse doors opened and we could pay for our green fees. The first four holes were uneventful. We just hit our strokes and carried our bags. On the fifth hole of the front nine though there happens to be a water hazard in front of the tee box, but it was only about 90 yards from the tee across the water to the fairway. So the water hazard really was not an obstacle; it was more a psychological barrier. My friend the assistant principal, Greg, teed his ball up and hit a ball that looked like it was diving into the pond. We laughed a little as he said, “That’s my mulligan.” He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out another golf ball, teed it up, and set himself. Once he was focused, he took another swing, and sure enough that ball raced for the water like a speeding bullet. My other two friends and I almost couldn’t stand up, we were laughing so hard. Greg stared where the ball went into the water, then went to his golf bag and grabbed another ball. He yelled at us, “You guys shut up! This is a do over and it will count as my first shot.” He teed up as one of my friends shouted, “Watch out for the water!” The ball left his club and went streaking into the sky. It went straight up and landed about 60 yards from Greg. And yes, it dive-bombed into the ball-consuming-water. Three lost balls made Greg ballistic, but it made us almost breathless we were laughing so hard. Tears came to eyes as we hit the ground holding our guts in hee-haw type laughter. The simple water hazard had become a major psychological problem for our friend.
Believe it or not, Greg lost two more golf balls into the water hazard before his sixth one hit the fairway on the far side of the pond. He grabbed his clubs and strode across the bridge and up fairway #5. He screamed at us, “That was my first stroke! The other five didn’t count.” And when we finished the hole he had made a double bogey six, without the five other strokes. We had a pretty good argument over lunch later that day about it. Greg could take the position that the first five strokes never happened and shouldn’t count all he wanted, but the three witnesses knew different. Over the years, we played the course many times together, but even his best play couldn’t take away the fact that we saw him hit five consecutive balls into the water. Even each one of the five was different. There really wasn’t such a thing as a do over. Even our emotions were different with each of his swings. Once he dunked that first hit, time went on and that fact couldn’t be changed.
Change is that way, too. A person can’t get the exact moment and circumstances back once they are gone. Time changes us each minute, each second. Change happens to each of us and to our world with every breath we take. Listen to this ancient bit of wisdom from Herculeitus.
“You can’t step into the same river twice.”
What he shares with us is this; even if we want to believe it is the same river, we’re only kidding ourselves. The river, like time, moves on and is not the same. Even if Greg wanted us to believe that the sixth ball hit was really his first, he is only kidding himself, it wasn’t. There are no real do overs!
Because the statement from Herculeitus is true, we have to be aware of the decisions that we make in daily routines of life. We have to make the thought-out, well-considered choices that are best for us. We won’t get those decisions back if we don’t like them. There are no real do overs. We will have to live with the bad decisions just like we do with the decisions that are good and that benefit us. I challenge you to keep this wisdom in mind, especially during you teenage years. You can’t step into the same river twice.
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.
Increase Your Experiences
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Great Ones!
Life experiences can be so amazing. I have walked down in to and out of the Grand Canyon twice. I have surfed at El Captain beach in California. I have been in the White House Rose Garden for a ceremony. I have seen the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane up close. It flies over 700 miles an hour when cruising. I have witnessed two children being born. I have watched solar and lunar eclipses. I have been on the biggest airplane in the world and the grandest ocean liner in the world. Those are all personal and real experiences.
Life has given me a million more experiences from the books that I have read. I understand what it must be like to swing on an old rope from a silo to a barn from Harris and Me. I have an idea of the chaos and what it must be like to try and help people when a passenger jet crashes into a hillside and there is panic and fear and hope from the Caroline Cooney’s book, Flight #116 Is Down. I know quite a bit about the French Revolution and the use of the guillotine for beheading people from reading The Tale of Two Cities. I have experienced through words the white water raft trips on the Colorado River, and the Yukon River, and the Mackenzie River, and the Arkansas River from books like Downriver, River Thunder, Rough Waters, and Down the Yukon.
I have experienced the life of George Washington, Walt Disney, Martin Luther King, Jr., Ronald Reagan, Michael Jordan, Abraham Lincoln, Adolf Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, Robert E. Lee, Malcolm X, Billy Graham, Derek Jeter, Winston Churchill, and hundreds of others because of biographies written about them.
Life will give you as many experiences as you seek. As humans, we have been given the gift to share experiences through the written word, painted picture, developed photographs, and creative movies. A great Russian author, who also was imprisoned in a Gulag, (a Russian prison hundreds of miles from anywhere) has a quote for us today. Listen to what he says about experience and the substitute for it.
“The one and only substitute for experience, which we have not ourselves had, is art and literature. “ – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Increase your experiences in life by increasing what you read and what you watch. The more you read, the more you have experienced in life.
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.
Be Tough In Hardships
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Strivers!
I call you all strivers today because a person that strives for something usually is making an attempt to do their best on a regular basis even in tough times. If you ask most adults they will probably say that there is not a tougher time to experience in life than the middle school years. People face amazing changes from 11 –15 years old. A lot of the changes are truly difficult and may be considered hardships at times. Listen to this story about a friend of mine in high school.
Reggie Pagaline (Paa-guh-leen) was a tough competitive athlete. He was raised by his mother, and just barely stayed eligible with his grades. He played football, wrestled, and ran track. He was unfortunately small for varsity high school football. He was 5’ 6” tall and weighed about 140 pounds. He was solid and as strong as any one person on the football team. His size did not keep him from great success as a wrestler or runner, but it did prevent him from being a star on the gridiron. Although he never started on offense or defense, he never failed to be in on a special teams’ play. It was because of his energy, exuberance, enthusiasm and three other characteristics. He was rough and tough and use to hardships.
When we were seniors we took a week off of school in January and sailed on a huge clipper ship to Mexico and back. Neither one of us knew too much about what was expected of us, but we were ready for just about anything. Reggie was picked specifically because he was rough and tough and use to hardships. We worked on the ship painting parts of it and refinishing the deck and other areas. One day one of the mast lines tangled with a quarter sail and the small sail would not open to the wind. We tried to untangle the lines from the deck, but it was hopeless. Reggie told the director of volunteer deckhands that he could climb the mast and untangle the lines. The guy told him no, until I concurred with Reggie and told the guy that Reggie was rough and tough and use to hardships. I told him that I thought Reggie could do it.
So Reggie started to climb the mast and easily made it to the first cross sail. He even was kidding me about coming up with him because of the view. I told him to cut it out and to just keep climbing to get the line untangled. He laughed and continued the climb to the next cross sail. At this point he was probably 40 feet above the deck. He was amazing. He had only about another 15 feet. He climbed it quickly and started pulling on the line. In order to get a bigger pull he leaned on the mast and tried to pull the line with both hands. We were yelling for him to be careful, and at that very moment Reggie slipped and fell 55 feet to the deck. He hit it like a major belly flop into a pool, but instead of water, it was the solid wood of the deck.
The Director of Deckhands was shocked and knew that he had just witnessed a terrible accident. I thought Reggie was hurt as well, until after just a second or two, he moved slowly and pushed himself to his hands and knees and then gradually stood himself up. He looked at us and said, “Don’t worry, I ‘m okay, because I am Reggie Pagaline and I’m rough and tough and fortunately, use to hard-------ships.”
Okay Reggie didn’t fall 55 feet. Now this part is true. Reggie was real. He was the hardest working high school athlete I have ever seen. He really was a friend of mine in high school. Although he never really fell off the top of a mast, he really was rough. He really was tough. And I have seen very few people that have dealt with the hardships of life like him. I encourage you to follow the attitude that he really did follow when he was in high school and does to this day with his life.
“Be rough and tough when facing hardships of life.”
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.
Life Is Our Choice
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Dreamers!
Not too long ago I read a great book called You Don’t Know Me by David Klass. He has written several young adult books. His other titles are California Blue, Home of the Braves, A Different Season, Danger Zone, and Wrestling with Honor. He won the Sequoyah Young Adult Book Award a few years ago.
In this book, his main character is a high school guy that believes that people don’t really know him. He is also living in a home with his mother and a man that he constantly reminds the readers is not his father. The story relies on humor to get by some very difficult spots. There are times that it is laugh out loud funny. For example, he slips a note to the most beautiful girl in the school during math class. He asks her in the note if she would be interested in going to the basketball game with him Friday night. Her response after reading it was to chew and swallow the small piece of paper. John had no idea what that was suppose to mean. He later finds out that she is interested in going to the game with him.
He learns a lot about her during the evening at the game, but he also learns about himself. There is a minimal riot between the two teams and fans when the game gets started. John and the girl escape without harm, but a problem comes up at her home when she is trying to kiss him and her father comes into the room. John thinks that he is dead meat. The girl’s father tells him he is going to bulldoze him into and through a wall. Again John escapes, this time into trouble with the man living in his home who is not his father. The man informs him that he is marrying his mother and John thinks that his life is over. He hates the man so much and can’t get that message sent to his mother clear enough. He imagines running away. He imagines hurting the man that he thinks of as an intruder into his life. His imagination takes over quickly. The story has an amazing ending that helps everyone see that John had more control over what happened to him than he really knew. His point of no one knowing him was seriously challenged.
The book reminded me of a quote that I have used in the past from Grandma Moses. Listen to it closely.
“Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.”
For those people like John that feel their life is running amuck and pretty much out of their own control, the quote helps a person refocus. We can always choose to have life be what we make it to be. That has been true for centuries, and it won’t change anytime in the future.
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.
From the Birmingham Jail
Friday, January 18, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Cougars!
I hope everyone is looking forward to a long weekend. I hope that everyone understands why the weekend is three days. Our country will recognize the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday. He was a man that impacted our country in a few short years in the fifties and sixties, but the reverberations of the impact continue today, and will for many, many years.
There are four or five great documents in our country’s history that everyone should read and know. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States are two from the 18th century that endure. The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln is probably the greatest set of words written by man. It was from the 19th century. The twentieth century’s greatest documents, in my opinion, are the Declaration of War Address by Woodrow Wilson that triggered our involvement in the First World War, and the Letter from the Birmingham Jail written by Martin Luther King, Jr. It was written from his jail cell on April 16, 1963. It was addressed to 8 clergymen throughout the Birmingham area specifically, but soon was seen as an open letter to all people of the world. He wrote it because he was being accused of being an outside agitator coming into their city to create problems for the community. The reality was that Martin Luther King, Jr. was there to help solve problems and eliminate unfair difficulties in a peaceful, non-violent manner.
The letter is powerful and forceful in its comments about the truth of human kind. Listen to a few of the words:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“Whatever affects one person directly, affects all indirectly.”
“It is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends.”
“There is no greater treason than to do the right deed for the wrong reason.”
The first quote is the one I would like you to list in your notes for those of you keeping the quote list. I challenge you to read the letter that Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote almost 40 years ago. I have continued to try to read it each year on his birthday. It is a constant reminder of where our country has been and where we should aspire to be.
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.
Gossip Is Garbage
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Fantastics!
What do you understand about gossip? How does it impact your life? At what point do you get fed up with it? The dictionary defines gossip as a trifling, often groundless rumor, usually of a personal, sensational, or intimate in nature; idle talk. I like the last two words. Listen to them again, “idle talk.” That is the kind of talk that makes no progress. It takes people nowhere. When I am setting in my driveway in the cold winter mornings warming my car up, the engine is idling. As long as the car is in park it will remain idling, and as long as it is idling, I’m not going anywhere. I could sit in my car for hours with it idling hoping that it would go somewhere, but it just won’t happen. I would be wasting my time. Idling in a car for a long while has little value other than burning gas. Idle talk has no value at all. Idle talk can only consume people’s time and character. There is no real or genuine value to it. It is a sad way to consume minutes of one’s life.
The definition also said that gossip was groundless rumor. That means that there is no truth to the words in the rumor. People that lie purposely to attack someone personally or to make statements that are sensational lies are called rumormongers. Rumormongers create word garbage because gossip is garbage. Listen to this quote from American writer, Ambrose Bierce.
“Rumor is a favorite weapon of the assassins of character.”
He states that the tool of choice for character assassins is the ugly rumor or a piece of gossip. Rumormongers are attempting to destroy the fair character and good reputation of someone else through gossip. They use their lies to accomplish it.
My charge and challenge to you is stay out of it. Police yourself. Don’t be part of the gossip. I have shared with you before that I believe those who talk about others with you will talk about you with others. Protect yourself and your friendships. Help each other to not be part of something as wrong as rumormongering. Listen to this Old Spanish proverb that speaks of rumormongering.
“Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you.”
To make sure that your own character remains intact and strong, avoid gossip and the people who do it. It goes hand in hand with protecting your good name. Remember that we each have that responsibility.
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 Cost of Experience
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Magnificent Ones!
I want you to listen carefully to this story. I recently told this one to my three nieces who all drive now. It is a true story that happened a few years ago and I think it is one of the most difficult lessons learned by anyone. A young man in Florida had been given two tickets for excessive speeding in a short period of time. He was warned of the danger, and yet he found himself racing another vehicle a few weeks later after dark. He was racing his pickup against a guy in his car down a highway. He was in the right lane and the other speeding car was in the lane for the oncoming traffic. They were going in excess of 125 miles per hour, when they came upon a car moving slowly in the right lane. The young man couldn’t stop his pickup and ended up slamming into the back of the slower vehicle at a hundred plus miles per hour. The two ladies in the car were killed instantly. One was about 50 years old and she was taking the passenger, a 78-year-old lady out driving to look at the Christmas lights in a nearby town.
The guy in the other car left the scene of the accident, while the young man in the pickup was cut up and in shock, but other than that he was okay. The state troopers and emergency medical technicians arrived, but could do nothing for the two ladies, but helped the young man. The state trooper called the young man’s father and he arrived shortly. When he got there he was devastated to see the pickup and the car. He recognized both. The pickup was his son’s, but the car was his wife’s.
The young man was taken to the hospital, and once there he was told that he had run into his mother’s car and that she was dead. The passenger was a dear family friend that was getting to go out from her assisted care home for the evening to see the Christmas lights. He was stunned that to find out that he had killed his mother and her friend. The district attorney decided to file negligent manslaughter charges against him. The other young man was found and he had charges filed against him for fleeing the scene of a fatal accident. I never heard what the results of the trials were.
I tell this story because this experience has taught a really hard lesson to many people in the Florida community. The story can be used to remind us a simple lesson also. Experience doesn’t always teach lessons that are positive. The cost of experience sometimes seems unfair and outrageous.
Nineteenth century American author, Minna Antrim gives us this wise quote:
“Experience is a good teacher, but she sends in terrific bills.”
The bill for the young man that liked to speed was terrifically costly, harsh and permanent. It is probably a bill that he will believe can never be paid in full, and yet he will have to live with that debt. Please be cautious and try to let experience teach you lessons that are not too costly.
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.
IHOP Reality World
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Cougars!
One of my favorite things to do once or twice a month is to go to the International House of Pancakes on a Saturday evening and have a breakfast meal for dinner. I like their pancakes and I like the atmosphere. It reminds me of small cafes that my parents took me to when I was a little kid. Nowadays, I also love to go to observe human behavior. While I was there a few weeks ago, I watched a mom and her two teenage children come in and be seated. They quickly ordered from the menu without any conversation with any one except the waitress. From what I could see, the only thing they shared was the table. After the waitress left, the Mom pulled out her cell phone and started making calls, the daughter who probably was a middle school student did the same thing except she was text messaging. The high school age boy pulled out his ear buds and started to listen to what I assumed was his iPod. My wife and I continued our conversation, but I noticed that even when their food arrived, their behavior didn’t change. They ate their meal without interacting together at all. Interestingly enough, they did finish and leave at the same time. I guess I was just stunned about how they did not communicate with one another during the meal. It was all solo stuff.
Last week was a completely different story. It was a little later than normal for us. We were seated in the area that is semi-private. Again, right after we set down another family came in. This time there was a father and a mother and three small children. The oldest girl was probably six or seven years old, the other girl was probably 5 year old and I believe the little boy was 3 years old. The father didn’t say a word other than periodically he would say, “Stop that!” to one of his kids. It was obvious that the parents were very tired and the kids were full of energy. The kids were moving constantly. The mom was doing her best to maintain them in their seats. Several times she had to tell the little boy to get off the floor and back into his seat. The girls had brought some little toys into the restaurant and were somewhat occupied. When the food arrived, a whole new level of intensity did as well. The little boy wanted syrup on his pancake and grabbed the container and poured it on. His mother took the container from his little hands and set it down by her plate. She was distracted by her daughters and the 3 year-old grabbed it back. Before anyone recognized what was happening, he had poured the entire bottle of syrup on his pancakes. He slammed the container on the table and in his mouse-like voice said, “We’re gonna need some more syrup here!” I just busted up laughing and told my wife, “Wow, parenting is fun from this perspective.”
I tell these two stories because it is important that we remember that we don’t need to watch television to see a reality show, we just need to open our eyes and watch what is happening around us. In these cases it was IHOP Reality World. What would your show be titled? Mine would be Sequoyah World. Listen to this anonymous quote.
“Life is dull without seeing our imperfections.”
I encourage you to observe the life you live and all that is around you. You may love it and your life will become more real.
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.
Clemente – A Good Name!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Good day, Good Name Keepers!
Last week I wrote to you about the value of a good name. I shared with you that we all have a responsibility to protect our names and make sure that their value increases by the strength of a positive reputation and good character. We have names challenged all the time in the news. For example, the candidates running for president are challenging the value of their opponents’ names every day and that will continue for the next 12 months, until we have a new President inaugurated. In the case of politics, people will actually attack the good name of individuals repeatedly, and sometimes the truth of what is said will be questioned.
Another example is that of being identified by the name “American” around the world. It will have different responses depending upon where you are. In some countries the name is positive and well received, and yet in some other countries the name is negative and offensive, and is hated. Why does that happen? It is entirely based upon what others perceive in the name, and how we as Americans, have protected or damaged our good name.
One of the books that I read over the holidays was titled Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero by David Maraniss. It was about one of the most impressive professional athletes in history. Fans of baseball history or the Pittsburgh Pirates know the name Roberto Clemente. They know what a wonderful player he was. He was respected by his peers, admired by his coaches and loved by his fans and family. He was a man of great character. His last hit of his career was his 3,000th hit. This is why. On New Year’s Eve of 1972, he was on a plane that he had leased, taking supplies that he had purchased to Nicaragua that had had an earthquake a few days earlier. He was a generous man that felt an urgency to help people in the natural disaster. When asked earlier that fateful day why he was personally involved he said, “Babies are dying there. They need these supplies.” His plane took off and because it was overloaded with supplies it went down in the Caribbean Ocean. There were no survivors. Roberto Clemente perished. His good name remains. In fact, people who know of his life will defend his good name and always will.
There is another baseball player in the news lately, and he is trying his best to protect his good name. Roger Clemens has had an historic career. He may very well be the best pitcher the game has ever seen. Now though, he has been accused of using steroids and human growth hormones to enhance his performance. He has basically been denounced as a cheater. He says that he is innocent and therefore, is going to fight to protect his good name. My hope is that he is telling the truth when he said he never used any substances or drugs to improve his performance. If it is the truth, then he has every reason to defend his name and the attack on his character. He has said that is the only reason he is speaking out; to defend and protect his name.
They are two great baseball players with similar names, Roberto Clemente and Roger Clemens. One has his name permanently ingrained in value and one having his name attacked and maybe betrayed.
Listen to these words from an ancient teacher named Socrates.
“Regard your name as the richest jewel you could possibly possess.”
I can’t stress enough how important it is to protect your name and continue to do the right things that increases the value of the character that is associated with your name. I challenge you to be the best person you can be and regard your name as the richest jewel that you could ever possibly possess.
By the way, our media center has a couple of biographies written on Roberto Clemente if you are interested in finding about a real hero.
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.
Keep A Good Name
Friday, January 11, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Name Keepers!
What’s the value of your name? Are you protecting the worth of it? Have you kept the quality of it high and is it a name that other people think of with respect and esteem. I’m not asking about the cost or price of your name. I guess that could be tied to the expense of your being born. My questions deal with the specific unique value of your name based on your own reputation. Your name was a good name when it was given to you by your parents in the hospital. Most parents spend a substantial amount of time, thought, and even prayer in picking just the right name. Sometimes it is a very difficult task and sometimes it just simply happens. For example, my wife and I spent some time thinking about our daughter’s name and decided to make it unique by giving her an additional middle name. Her birth certificate says Christine Rene Michelle Edwards. Our son’s just simply happened. Joshua has always been a favorite name of mine and so while sitting in a college classroom in March of 1977 I wrote at the top of my notebook his name Joshua Lay Edwards. My wife and I had had our first date the previous Saturday. Her maiden name was Susan Lay. Hence, Joshua was first thought of three and a half years before he was born. Both of my kids were given good names. What they did with them was their responsibility. In my opinion, and I realize that I am biased; I believe that my two kids have done well to protect and improve the value of their names. I am most proud of them for that. They have shown great responsibility for their names’ care.
It is that way for each of you. We are all responsible for the good, safe-keeping of our names. So what are you doing with your name? Are you protecting it? Do you care what people think about you when they hear your name? You should. Listen to this proverb from the Judeo-Christian teachings.
“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches.”
Having a good reputation is more important than money. Wow! That can be an amazing truth. All of us have to be cautious about how our decisions reflect on our good name. Here’s an obvious example. Would you rather your name be recognized as one of the greatest baseball players of all time or as a baseball player that used steroids and in a sense cheated to get your success? Would you rather see your name on the Channel Nine news because you coordinated a coat drive for the homeless or because you were caught and charged with a break in to a local business? Our decisions impact the value of our name. Would you rather be recognized as the kid everyone liked or the kid that everyone disliked and thought of as a bully?
I go back and ask again the first question in this letter. What is the value of your name? I challenge you to make it priceless, even if one person had all the riches of the world to offer you for it. You create the value of your name.
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 Value of Example
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Observant Ones!
When I was an elementary school student we played ball of some kind every day. We would choose up sides and then we would choose who we were going to be. We were never satisfied with being ourselves, so we became those athletes we knew best. I almost always chose to be Mickey Mantle, Willie Mayes or Lou Gehrig in baseball. I wanted to be Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West or Bill Russell in basketball. And everyone wanted to be Bart Starr or Jim Brown in football. I loved their life stories and long after their careers were over or even their deaths occurred, they were considered heroes of sport still. When I was even younger, I would want to be a superhero in my imagination like Superman or Batman. When I was five and six years old I use to watch Saturday morning heroes like Roy Rogers, Tarzan, Mighty Mouse, or Sky King, and I wanted to be like them. It was especially true, if I could fly and save the day for others.
I know that some of you guys did those kinds of things when you were younger. Did you play and imagine that you were someone else? Maybe you were a Power Ranger or Spiderman when you were 4 or 5 years old, or Michael Jordan, or Tiger Woods a little later. If you did use your imagination like that, then you were part of the same classroom I was in four decades ago. You went to the example school. You were learning by example from those that you imagined to be. In fact, you will always find yourself in the example school. You’ll never graduate from it, you’ll just become a teacher. You learned to walk by example. You didn’t have to view a how-to-video or study a book of instructions or follow some kind of diagram. You watched others and copied their moves. You copied their example. You mimicked what you saw.
I learned to ride a bicycle by trying to mimic what my older brother was doing on his own bike. A lot of you could drive a car based on what you have observed your parents doing when they drive. What is the value of example? Well, Edmund Burke said it this way.
“Example is the school of mankind.”
He meant that it was the one school that all of us go to in our life. Hopefully the examples are mostly positive. Unfortunately, some examples are detrimental to our lives if we copy them. A few years ago there was a commercial shown on television where a little brother was hanging out with his teenage big brother. He is trying to copy everything the older kid is doing. He fixes his hair the same way. He puts ketchup on his French fries and dribbles the basketball the same way. He is observing it all because he wants to be like him. The older brother is fine with that until the little guy sees him getting ready to use a drug, then he is ashamed of his example. Times like that are when you have to use the greatest gift given. You have to use the gift of choice. I hope that when learning or teaching by example, you use choice with all of your personal wisdom influencing you.
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.
Watch What They Do
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Kiddos!
Towards the end of his life, Andrew Carnegie became a great American philanthropist. He was one of the richest men in the United States in his time. In fact, he may have been the wealthiest man in the world when he started giving his money away. He didn’t just throw it out the window to people. He actually started funding worthwhile projects and organizations. One of the more remarkable actions he took was to establish over a 1,000 public libraries across our country. Communities could write proposals desiring a public library and he would choose to fund it. Oklahoma has a couple of dozen Carnegie funded libraries. He also established a foundation with his money so that funds would be available well after his death. The Foundation still gives money to worthy projects. For example, every once in a while, you can often see that the Carnegie Foundation funded a PBS television program.
Andrew Carnegie provided money for the arts. He gave millions of dollars to museums. His money built performance theaters including Carnegie Hall where some of the world’s most talented people have performed. Why do I write about Andrew Carnegie? Because he made a decision late in his life that he wanted to leave his mark in the world in a positive way. He knew he couldn’t take his fortune with him when he died, so he wanted to share his wealth with as many people as possible. He saw the building of libraries and museums and theaters as a way to do just that. An event happened late in his life and so he made a decision to practice altruism. That means that he thought of others first before himself. He was choosing to be selfless rather than selfish. He stopped talking about what needed to be done to make life better for others and chose to do the things that improved life for people. Listen to what he said late in his life.
“As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.”
He became an observer of people. What they did told him so much more about who they were and what they stood for in life. If no one ever listened to you again, and instead only watched your life, what would they conclude about you? Would they decide that you are kind or mean, selfless or selfish, calm or angry, wise or foolish, loving or hateful? What would you see if you watched your life every evening on videotape? I challenge you to become altruistic each day in your life. Be concerned about the welfare of others before yourself. Practice keeping yourself in the picture and ask yourself how you appear to others.
Enjoy life more by making a positive difference to 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.
Never Give Up!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Enduring Ones!
Never give up is an idea that has been used many, many times in history. I have always loved to read biographies. I have learned a great deal by reading about great people. I reread a biography recently by Stephen Mansfield called Never Give In. It was a book about the life of the great former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. Churchill used the three words, “Never give in” or “Never give up” repeatedly during World War II to encourage and inspire his fellow citizens to not fall to the Nazi onslaught for the Battle for Britain. Though London was bombed relentlessly, the British people hung on until the war turned in their favor and they ended up winning with the direct help and intervention of their American Allies.
Never give up was said when John Paul Jones’ ship was being overwhelmed by a British Man-o-War vessel in the Revolutionary War. He responded by telling his men that they would never give up, and when asked to surrender by the British admiral, he shouted, “Surrender? Why we have not yet begun to fight!” He and his men won the battle.
I have had several friends fight cancer during their lives. One in particular had a never give up attitude. He fought the disease like I have never seen any other do. For over 25 months he was in and out of the hospital. Even though he was exhausted by the hardship and pain and general discomfort he never gave up. We were all amazed at his steadfastness. That was 1981. He celebrated another Christmas this last month and is doing fine. He is an inspiration to all of his family and friends because he refused to give up. Keep in mind though, that even when cancer gets the better of people and they die, most have never given up. They fight the good fight to the end. They never give up.
A great American author named Harriet Beecher Stowe had some definite thought about the subject and she has been quoted in part or paraphrased many times. Listen to her words of wisdom.
“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”
Her words are wise and enduring, and we should pay careful attention to them. The perspective that the words present can be viewed in every area of our lives. Those students that are not pleased with the performance or achievement they made this first semester should definitely not give in. The new semester is the best time to reinvigorate your effort. The tide may be turning, be ready to ride it to success.
I encourage you to adopt that attitude and whatever positive goals or grand plans you have, never give them up. Whatever trials and tribulations may come before you, fight them, fight them with everything you’ve got, give the good struggle and never give up.
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.
Hey, It’s Your Education!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Cougars!
Welcome back, welcome back! My hope is that everyone had a fantastic break with family and friends, and if you had any problems or difficulties, I hope they were small. I also hope that everyone is back with resolutions for a renewed effort for your school year. We have one week remaining in this semester and then we will have our full spring semester to do great things as individuals and as a school. Renewal is important to all life. It is defined as to make new or as if new again, to take up again as in effort, and to restore or resume as in success. Renewal is big in nature and is a definite act.
So though everyone enjoyed time away from their academic endeavors, it is time now to resume and renew your school goals. Everyone will need to regain their focus on being in school, working on assignments, and preparing for tests. You will have more homework, additional projects and continued expectations of success. You will be given your regular tests, your benchmarks, and even your state mandated tests this spring. Very simply, all of you have work ahead of you. Your schooling is your job. Your compensation for a job well done is a positive, beneficial, bright future. Listen attentively to this anonymous quote.
“Education is not received; it is achieved.”
Too many people believe that education is simply something given to you and you accept it like you would any kind of gift. Unfortunately that is not the way it happens. It’s not like the gift giving some people had a couple of weeks ago. It’s not that easy. I remember a funny television skit in the seventies about this cereal that you could eat and by consuming it, you knew whatever book was on the front of the box as if you read it and learned it. It would be like you eat a bowl of cereal with an Algebra book on the box and all of a sudden you understand Algebra. It would be great if learning was that easy, but it is not. The harder a person works at his or her education the better the education is and the greater its value. It may be the most serious responsibility that each student has. Listen guys! An education is not a bunch of letter grades. An education is the result of your application of yourself to the information presented to you. How do you respond to what you have learned? Do you question it, or reflect on it? How does it impact your life? Does it provide direction or expertise? Does it tease your curiosity? Can you use it to contribute in some way to make a better world for yourself and others? An education should answer those questions affirmatively.
When you were a few months old and got started on baby food, your mother or father spooned it out of a jar and fed you one spoon full at a time. Once you were old enough to start feeding yourselves, you took over and you hopefully have been doing it ever since then. It’s the same with your education. Once you started your education; it became your responsibility to achieve. Please keep aware of that fact. You must choose to achieve in order to place the right value in your own education. Most kids are much more technologically sound than most adults. Why? It is because the kids make that choice easier than most adults. It is not a matter of skills or interest. It is a matter of making the clear choice to learn. The daily lessons in our school that are provided for each student each day requires the same choice to be made. Those students who make the positive choice increase the value of their education. Those students who make the poor choice actually devalue an education. Remember to renew your goals. It’s your education.
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 @ 04:45am · 0 Comments |
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