|
Mr. Edwards Letters for April 2008 please comment XD |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Be an Observer of Life!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Observers!
Yogi Berra was a Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees. He played in a golden age for baseball. He also has a long history of being quoted because of the humor of his statements. He usually says the same thing in the first part of his statement as he does the second part. The most memorable example is, “It’s not over until it’s over.” Listen to this one about watching life and being an observer.
“You can see a lot by observing.”
Hopefully most of you know that I interview teacher candidates every year. Most of the interviews are in the late spring and summer. Once several years ago, I sat in my office asking a lady some questions about her background. An extremely small spider, barely visible, was in the lady’s hair. I watched it and wanted to say something to the woman while she was talking, but I wasn’t sure what to say to interrupt her. Finally, after she finished answering the question, I told her that I didn’t want to embarrass her, but I needed to get something out of her hair. She looked at me a little weird, but I reached over and pulled the spider out. I think that it did end up embarrassing her, but I watched her maintain her composure. Although I did not hire her, the spider had nothing to do with that.
I love observing people. I enjoy watching human behavior. I saw a lot of interesting responses to a police officer a couple of Fridays ago. Some people were angry and some were disbelieving that the police officer was directing them around an intersection rather than letting them go through it. I was amazed how people were behaving and the responses I was witnessing.
Saturday, I watched a lady and her husband get mad and leave a restaurant. It was over an argument about how much time their order was taking apparently. The waitresses were doing the best they could, but the restaurant was very busy and understaffed at the time. What I found interesting and it was very telling of the situation, was that the lady was freely using profanity.
I saw a father gripe at his daughter at a book store last Friday. She wanted a something to drink and he wanted to look for books without her interrupting. I wanted to tell him to buy her a pop or bottle of water and she would be busy with it for a while, but I didn’t. I will tell you the father was able to block her out and ignore the little girl way to easy for me. It wasn’t right.
I tell you of these incidents because I want you to remember that seeing by observing means that you take in a lot more than just what is in front of your eyes. Observation means to take in it all in. You try to understand what you witness. I think that is part of what Yogi Berra meant. His wisdom is humorous, but it still is wisdom. Remember that you can see a lot by observing.
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.
Not a Regular School
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Caring Ones!
I like to believe that we are not a regular school. I watch the majority of actions of our students every day, and I like what I see from that majority. Honestly, there are just a few students that make a few mistakes like what people see at regular schools. What a person doesn’t see at Sequoyah is as important as what is evident to the human eye. Our students daily make good, sound decisions.
We all have the opportunity when we walk through the doors of this building to make our school exceptional. We can make the choices that make this school a place of unique gifts. We have the opportunity everyday to make our school better than it was the day before, and the impact that we do make can be long lasting and enduring well beyond our personal experiences within these walls. The best way each of us can leave our mark on the school is to offer a superior effort to achieve. Even though we may have obstacles or setbacks, we can still have a stick-to-it attitude when it comes to our evaluated performance. We don’t have to ever give up or give in just because the daily routines of assignments and homework and reading and studying get old or overwhelming. Those routines are what get us to performance opportunities.
Until the rise of Tiger Woods in golf, probably the most dominating athlete of any sport was champion boxer, Muhammad Ali. I followed him throughout his career. Listen to what he says about all his work and preparation to be successful in his endeavors.
“I hated ever minute of training, but I said, 'Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'”
Most people who know anything about Muhammad Ali know that his motto was, “I am the Greatest!” The biography that I read about him 20 years ago was titled The Greatest. In 2000, he was voted the greatest athlete of the 20th century by most sports organizations and sports magazines. After watching him dominate opponents in a few of his championship bouts I believed him when he shouted that he was the greatest and was holding up the World Championship Belt. That’s why I admire his words of how much he disliked training and preparation. He hated it, and yet he did it consistently, and he really has lived his life as a champion. When friends and strangers see him, they call him “Champ.” He was honored in the 1996 Olympic Games at Atlanta by being permitted to carry the Olympic Torch and then ignite the Olympic flame. His “don’t quit” attitude over the routines made his life great. If you have never read about him, it will be well worth your while to do so.
I encourage you to adopt the same commitment to your routines. Don’t quit and you will live the rest of your life as a champion! A school full of champions would definitely set our school apart from all of the rest. A school full of champions would make us not a regular school; it would make us exceptional. Let’s see what we can do the last four weeks of school.
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 Endless Race
Monday, April 28, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Long Haulers!
David T. Kearns was one of the most successful CEO’s in our nation’s history. He had a long successful history with IBM. He gives us these words. Listen attentively.
“In the race for quality, there is no finish line.”
What does Mr. Kearns mean with these ten words? Is there really a quality race? Is it true that there is no finish line? Who is running the race?
As far as who is running the race; look around, it is all of us. We all want quality in our life. It doesn’t matter whether we are speaking of a quality education, or quality air to breath, or a quality vehicle, or a quality meal, or a quality relationship with a friend. We want what is the best. Our definition of quality changes with our perception and our abilities to change it ourselves. For example, quality of medical care is important to all of us. It has changed a great deal over my lifetime. Getting a tooth fixed can be painful, but let me tell you that 40 years ago it was torture. Getting a gall bladder removed can be done as an outpatient procedure now. You can have it done one morning in a surgical care facility and be at home by noon. But 30 years ago, a person had to have intrusive surgery to remove a gall bladder and could be in a hospital for 7-10 days. Some ladies can have a baby one day and go home the next day. In the past, moms would spend a week in the hospital. Quality is important to all of us.
Here’s another example. A quality education for a woman one hundred years ago meant the equivalency of a fifth grade education. Fifty years ago, it was just a high school education necessary for a woman to be considered as having received a quality education. Now the sky is the limit for every one to have a quality education. Anyone can pursue the best education possible.
The definition of quality lies in the hands of the beholder. A quality meal for me is an old fashion cheeseburger at the Kickingbird Golf Course Grill. For someone else it probably would be some kind of health food or even some raw fish with a fancy name like sushi. A well-done filet mignon is quality steak to me, where as another person may think that it is ruined because it is overcooked.
The race for quality is never finished and the search for it is never over. The moment a person becomes satisfied with the average or the mediocre, is a dangerous moment in that person’s life. I encourage you to have a quality driven last few weeks of this school year. Strive for the best results possible. Obtain the best results possible. Be involved in the race for quality
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.
Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself
Friday, April 25, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Excellent Ones!
Most of you know that the majority of my own public school education occurred in California from about 1964 to 1976. I had a number of great experiences while living there and remember most of them with fondness and enjoyment. My life was blessed with many friends, some close and some distant. My brother and I shared a friendship with a kid named Wayne Wilson. We spent the better part of the summer of 1969 together hanging out. It was the last summer that I had where I didn’t have to get a job. After that summer, my father made sure that I was employed when not in school. But that summer, my brother Mike, our friend Wayne and I had different plans.
Wayne’s birthday was in July and he knew that he was going to get a motor-cross cycle. We all three could visualize each of us going across open fields at 40 to 50 miles per hour. We planned to spend the second half of the summer riding Wayne’s motorcycle. Right after Memorial Day, we were sitting in front of my house and decided that we would pool our money and buy a helmet for the bike. We rode our bicycles down to the dealership and examined the many helmets that they had. We picked one out that cost $55.00. That was a great deal of money for three teenage boys that only made fifty cents an hour mowing lawns, but we put our money together and purchased the white helmet with red and blue stripes. Then we spent time taking turns wearing the helmet, imagining what it was going to be like riding the motorcycle. We would be Evil Knievel.
Early July arrived, as did Wayne’s birthday, and you never saw three more shocked kids than Wayne, Mike and I when his parents gave him his gifts. He received a couple of board games, a new Los Angeles Dodgers shirt, and some camping gear for Boy Scouts. We were stunned when we realized that there was not going to be a motorcycle given. It changed our plans for the remainder of the summer. We even ended up getting into a fight over it. Wayne had a motorcycle helmet and Mike and I wanted our money back. Needless to say, we didn’t get our money returned, and the friendship with Wayne became distant. To this day I don’t know what happened to the helmet, and though Wayne lived down the street for a few more years, we never spent a lot of time together. It was a hard lesson to accept.
Listen to this quote from Mortimer Zuckerman.
“Never buy a saddle until you have met the horse.”
I had never heard this bit of wisdom until a few weeks ago, but it really fit the summer of 1969’s plans. I encourage you to make sure that your plans are ordered correctly. Always prioritize your plans in the best order. Be cautious and never jump ahead of the plans.
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 Idea of Libraries
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Great Readers!
One of the great ideas of man is centuries old. The idea of libraries was established as soon as multiple copies of manuscript existed. One of the great libraries of history was established by the Assyrians in their capital of Nineveh. All of the manuscripts were on clay tablets. There were tens of thousands of them. They no longer exist because of the destruction of war. Probably King Ptolemy I in Alexandria, Egypt, founded the greatest library in ancient history in 307 BC. Within the walls of that library were housed the world’s largest collection of scrolls, which were partially destroyed by the invasion of Julius Caesar’s army in 47 BC and completely destroyed by the invasion of the Arab army in 642 AD. Most world scholars believe that the loss of those writings was the greatest loss in academic and scholarly history. Even though wars have destroyed some of the most valuable writings in history, libraries still flourish.
What are some of the examples? The oldest national library is 650 years old and a person can visit it in the European capital of Prague. The oldest public library in the United States is in Peterboro, New Hampshire, and its doors open every morning for visitors. It opened for the first time in 1833. The Library of Congress for the United States is a little older, but it is not considered a true public library. It is the largest library in the world. There are 29 million books on its shelves and growing. The largest public library is in Boston, and the largest university library is just down the street at Harvard University. Just between the two of them there are 28,000,000 books in the collections.
Our nation has billions of books available for people to borrow. With all the public libraries, university libraries, and public school libraries, there really should never be any legitimate excuse of not having a book to read. There are twice as many public libraries and school libraries in our nation than there are McDonald’s restaurants in our country. Just in our Sequoyah Middle School library and the classroom libraries we have over 15,000 books available. Even your principal has a private library of over 10,000 books that he is willing to loan.
The information in the previous three paragraphs should show everyone that reading is maybe one of the most important skills passed on from one generation to the next. Abraham Lincoln’s cousin recalled this about his relative’s education.
“Even more important was the ability to read. Once he got the hang of it, he could never get enough. Abe was getting hungry for books, reading everything he could lay his hands on.”
With the number of books available to every citizen, we ought to be a nation of readers. Every teacher and every student should be hungry for books. There are books in our world that can appease every person’s appetite for reading. Respond to the idea of libraries.
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.
Are You Wealthy?
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Mighty Ones!
When I was a kid I was confused about what was really important in life if a man wanted to be perceived as wealthy. I was a doofus and thought it had to do with money or objects that had immense value. I was wrong and came to that conclusion when I was 16 years old and watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” seriously for the first time. At the end of the movie, Harry Bailey gives a toast to his brother, George. He looks at the crowd of friends and family and says, “To my brother, George Bailey, the richest man in town.”
If you have ever seen the movie, you know that George Bailey barely made ends meet financially. From the possession angle, he had very little. So what did Harry’s toast teach me? It taught me that all the good things that George had done during his life were what really counted as wealth. He was rich with friends and people that he cared for and they in turn loved him.
Listen carefully to this quote from Mohammed.
“A man’s true wealth is the good he does in the world.”
Are you wealthy? Wealthy in a way that really matters? You all have the potential to create genuine wealth as middle school students. You don’t need a job to generate it, you just need to do good and right. The good can be given to a friend, or to one of your teachers, or to complete strangers. Doing good will make you wealthy and it will demonstrate to others where your priorities are. I encourage you to become the wealthiest, richest person in the school. Strive towards it with fervor and purpose.
Another perspective is that the wealth you generate by the good you do in the world can not be taken from you. If a person accumulates money and possessions and decides that he is wealthy, he better be careful. That kind of wealth can be taken. A thief can steal it. A family member can abscond with it. Or even the government can claim it through the IRS. I encourage you to generate the wealth that will always be safe with you. Your true wealth lies in the good that you do in this world, and it starts with the good that you do at Sequoyah.
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.
Waiting Until the Last Minute
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Timely Cougars!
I’m willing to bet that 99% of the students and teachers in this building have waited until the last minute to do something. Just about everyone has experienced it in some fashion. There is a definite panic and pressure of having something due as a deadline approaches and you need more time. I use to say that the most common time to purchase poster board was on Sunday nights around 8:00 p.m. I said that because it was usually around 7:30 p.m. that students would remember that a project was due the next morning, and they would need some quick assistance from their parents.
Waiting until the last minute is a part of everyone’s life at one time or another. Sometimes it can be good. An example is waiting until the last minute before a Roller Coaster barrels down a 65-degree angle from 250 feet in the air. When that happens there is an adrenalin rush for most people. Another example of waiting until the last moment is if a person owes money to the IRS, they might wait until thirty minutes before midnight on April 15 to mail their tax forms in with a check.
Even though it can be good once in a while, a person should never get into the habit of waiting until the last minute. Life should be lived in a timely manner. You can plan things well ahead of time and take care to enjoy life and be prepared for a deadline when it approaches. For example, all of the eighth grade students should be able to grasp that four years from mid-May they will walk across a stage and receive a diploma making them graduates of their high school. That deadline should be meaningful, and it should remain important for life. Most people remember their high graduation date. Ask your parents or some of your teachers. I graduated on June 13, 1974 from high school. Are all of you aware that in the next 4-6 years you probably will be high school graduates? Waiting until the last minute won’t work.
Listen to what Nolan Bushnell says about deadlines.
“The ultimate inspiration is the deadline.”
Knowing you’re going to graduate should be motivating for most of you. Deciding to wait until the last minute will be disastrous. Stay away from the habit of waiting until the last minute. When you are notified of a deadline well in advance, let it inspire you to complete the task at hand in a timely manner. You will enjoy life much more. I promise.
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.
Do or Do Not
Monday, April 21, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Wonders!
A story that has kept its popularity for almost thirty years was again on television recently. My son and I talked about why it has maintained interest by different age groups. One of the reasons that the Star Wars saga has been so popular is that there has been a steady use of old wisdom by George Lucas in his story line.
I know of a group of high school students that got together on a Friday night of a long weekend and watched episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. They had pizza and ended up staying awake most of the night and going for donuts at 5:30 in the morning. They enjoyed the fun of being together and probably did not realize that they would pick up on some of the lessons that were ingrained in the films and storylines.
From another perspective, my son, Joshua has read all of the novels written by the additional authors that George Lucas employed to expand the ideas and stories. They have written more than thirty additional books that are 400 to 500 pages in length. My guess is that Joshua does not knowingly pick up on the many lessons of wisdom that are in the books, but he does so subconsciously. He has been too involved in enjoying the action and events as they unfold.
Of all the lessons that have been taught through the stories, the one that sticks with me the most was in Episode 5. Master Yoda was training the young Luke Skywalker to become a Jedi Knight. Luke was frustrated in his attempt at learning some new skills and when failing repeated often that he was trying. Yoda very clearly stated that the phrase, “I’m trying!” means nothing. Listen to his wise words.
“Do or do not. There is no try.”
Yoda was portrayed as a small, wise old creature. He wasn’t of immense size or fantastic strength. What he offered Luke was a new way to look at the world. When Luke attempts something he either does it or he doesn’t. There is no try. A couple of weeks ago there was only one NCAA Men’s Basketball Champion after the Championship Game. When Kansas won the game—they did it. For the Memphis Tigers that lost—they did not. Try meant nothing in the end, after the game. There is no try when it comes to the bottom line. As a team, you either do it or you do not.
The same wisdom holds true with something as simple as homework. When I was a teacher, I didn’t accept a student’s statement that they tried to do it. They either did their homework or they didn’t. The best word picture of Yoda’s wisdom is this. Put a pencil on the desk in front of you. Now pick it up. You cannot try to pick it up. You either do pick it up or you do not pick it up. There is no try.
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.
Know the Impact
Friday, April 18, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Cougars!
Listen carefully to these powerful words of inspiration from the Oklahoma City National Memorial and the National Memorial Museum.
“We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this Memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.”
I underlined ten words in the middle of the quote. It is a charge and challenge for each of us. It is required of us as citizens to be aware of the impact of violence. It doesn’t make any difference if the violence is between a couple of students in this school or whether the violence is an attack against the general citizenry with a bomb, we must be aware of the impact. The impact of the violence on April 19, 1995 did not end that evening when it began to rain. It didn’t end during the next few days as preachers, rabbis, other religious leaders, and grief counselors talked to thousands of people. The impact didn’t end after the dozens and dozens of funerals or after the implosion of the remainder of the Murrah Building or after the first anniversary of the devastating act of terror. Nor did it end when the Memorial opened or when the Memorial Museum opened with a record and time line of the events connected to the crime itself. The impact of the violence did not end when Timothy McVeigh was executed. The impact did not end when the new federal building opened. The truth is that the impact of that specific violent act will never end. Your children’s children will see the Memorial, read the books, and hear the stories. And they will find that they are connected to what occurred on April 19, 1995. Thirteen years have passed and the impact is just as present today. People are still responding to that one violent event. I encourage you to watch the news tonight and this weekend and think about the information provided about the bombing 13 years ago.
Visit the OKC National Memorial and the Memorial Center and take the challenge in the quote and accept it. Leave and know the impact of violence. And each time you visit, gain an additional awareness of the impact of violence. Only when everyone knows the impact of violence and understands the long distance repercussions, can the acts of violence finally come to an end.
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.
Pogo’s Lesson
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Proud Ones!
Every couple of years I give the teachers an essay to read in our staff agenda called “Pogo Revisited.” It is an essay by John Lounsbury based on a line that the cartoon character Pogo used with his friends. Some newspapers still carry the comic strip and so some of you may be familiar with it. Here’s the famous line.
“We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Think about those words and try to find out what Pogo may have meant. Listen to what they say to me.
This wisdom tells me that we create most of our own problems. I believe that thought to be true in most lives. We all make our share of bad decisions, and unfortunately those lousy judgment calls generate problems for us. The words mean that we are our own worst enemy. The words tell us that we struggle with ourselves, and the decisions that we are responsible for, more than some outside force moving upon us. Are there some very definite examples in history? President Nixon and his impeachment was an example. The high school student that stole a car a few weeks ago and now sits in a county jail cell because he can’t make bail is another example. Probably the best example of an entire nation being its own worse enemy is the United States and how much pollution we create. Major cities deal with air pollution daily from so many people driving in cars. There are billions of tons of garbage generated by the 330 million people in this country. That is a mountain of trash and junk produced every year.
On a more personal level it means that sometimes our own chosen mood drives our decisions around our friends. If we are rude or abrasive with others, then that will cause others to not want to be around us. Basically, our attitudes and actions design the majority of the problems with which we live. Bad attitudes and actions generate friction; good attitudes and actions lubricate life and make the ride smooth.
Now the great news is this. Just like we make many of our own problems, we have the gift and talent to solve our problems if we so desire. We are also really our best source for solutions. Whenever good things happen for any of us, we usually have had some responsibility for it. If you pick the right best friend, it becomes a long time friendship. If you study diligently, you earn good grades. If you don’t smoke and drink, your life expectancy increases by 12-13 years. If you contribute positively to society, you will be an appreciated citizen.
Remember when you have problems to first look and see if you are the enemy. Keep Pogo’s wisdom in mind; it can help with the solution to problems.
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.
Music for Life
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Dreamers!
A few years ago, when my son turned 21, we spent the very next spring break in Las Vegas, Nevada. We had a lot of fun, although I didn’t gamble and had no interest in getting started. One evening, I was sitting in the Hard Rock Café with many family members getting ready to have dinner. I came to this conclusion. It was a great place to get an expensive hamburger. The atmosphere was loud and the music was all tied to videos on the several flat screen monitors around the restaurant. I loved the history that it presented with displays of items from musicians that have contributed to the experience that is rock and roll. It had Jimmy Hendrix’s purple cape and well-used guitar on the wall. There were dozens of Gold Records by the Beatles displayed. Just inside the front door they had the four outfits that the members of Kiss wore in their concerts. They had sheet music showing the work of Buddy Holly, a concert outfit of Shania Twain’s and one of Elvis Presley’s suits. I also saw Bonnie Rait’s guitar from her first concert tour and a jacket that at one time belonged to Paul McCartney. It was a great experience with my family. My younger brother sat next to me and we were trying to figure out which item we would want to own if given the chance to receive one of the pieces of memorabilia. We both decided that we would like to have one of the guitars on display. In looking around the café closely we saw several other things to discuss. I saw this quote painted on the main ceiling beam in the middle of the complex.
“Music for Life – Take time to be kind.”
Well, you students should know me well enough to know that I wrote it down on my napkin. I wanted to remember it and take it with me. After writing it down, I just set it aside and continued my conversation with my brother and family. Later when we were served, a very cute waitress asked me, “Have you taken time to be kind to someone today?” She caught me off guard with the question until she pointed to my napkin. So I explained that I was a middle school principal in Oklahoma, and that I collected quotes to share with the students at Sequoyah in the form of daily letters. She was quite kind and friendly, and yet she asked me another question that again caught me off guard. She asked, “Are there any kind middle school kids in this world?” and then she explained that she had a younger brother that was in the 7th grade and was somewhat of a pest. I told her that some of the kindest people in the world happen to be middle school students. I also told her that if she was ever in Edmond, Oklahoma to stop by Sequoyah and I could prove it to her. My conversation with this girl made me think about how few people only know middle school kids if they are in the family. If they were in the middle schools, they could see an abundance of kindness, because I do everyday. I encourage you to continue to make my perception of middle school kindness true. Take time to be kind today.
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.
So You Want Change?
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Great Ones!
Change is a fact of life. Some people want it, thrive on it, and look forward to it happening, and some people avoid it and hate it that things can’t stay the same. How does change impact people the least? What causes change to be difficult for some and easier for others? I think that it falls back to an old bit of wisdom my parents use to give me. When I didn’t want to experience change for some reason, they would tell me to just take a deep breath and do it. Don’t think about it too much, just do it.
My observation tells me that that must be right. I don’t watch these reality shows, and never have, that dare people to do strange things, but I have seen the commercials promoting them. The only way that people are able to eat some of the gross stuff they do is by not thinking about it. How else could they eat a handful of bugs? That is an instant change to a diet in the worst way for most people.
What about things that require slow change? How will people who do not get along, learn to respect one another? Whether it is two kids at odds here at Sequoyah or the leaders and people of two nations at conflict, like the Palestinians and the Israelis, they have to talk. Communication makes slow change easier and much more effective. Sometimes it is as simple as two people sitting down and talking through the issues of change. A week or so ago, news channels and the history channel had shows about Martin Luther King, Jr. Reverend King was a man that initiated much needed changes and spurred them forward. He was an amazing communicator. The messages he sent people are still radiating today after four decades. He knew that talking with people was important to creating change that was significant. Six or seven years ago, a movie about change was released that was very popular. I liked it so much that I purchased the DVD and have watched it several times. Remember the Titans was based on a true story. It was about difficult times when change was slow and, at times, near to being impossible. What caused the change to occur successfully was that people eventually started talking to one another. Athletes had to share dormitory rooms with people that were not their friends, and because they started talking and communicating with each other the needed change occurred in a glorious fashion. Watch the movie, you’ll see.
Listen to this quote from a wise businessman named Jim MacLachlan.
“Dialogue is the oxygen of change.”
What MacLachlan means is, just like we need oxygen to live successfully, change needs dialogue to occur successfully. How do you resolve conflict between two middle school students? You must talk and continue to dialogue in a genuine manner. How does the Middle East find lasting peace? The nations involved will need to dialogue and communicate with each other in a respectful way. Dialogue is the oxygen of change. Remember those words, and change will be something you can handle. Also remember what my parents said too. Take a deep breath and just do it.
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 True to Your School
Monday, April 14, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Cougars!
A wonderful song that was popular when I was in junior high and high school was performed by the Beach Boys. It was titled “Be True to Your School.” What I understood that to be in the late sixties and early seventies was to be loyal to your school in a number of ways. One way was to respect the other students in the school. It didn’t mean that we liked every person; it just meant that we would respect each other’s presence on the campus. And it meant that if another school was challenging any of our friends or classmates, then we came to their aid and defense.
Being true to our school meant that we got along with all the teaching staff whether we agreed with them on their techniques or tactics, or not. It meant that we cooperated with each other and the teachers.
Being true to your school meant you enjoyed seeing the victories that occurred by athletes on the boys’ and girls’ teams, and you shared the energy of seeing the academic team do well, and the music performances and contests being successful. It meant that when things didn’t go well for the school that everyone shared in the let down or the loss. It meant being proud to be associated with anything to do with the school because you could be sure that the school was represented well. It meant celebrating being part of something that was bigger than any of us individually.
Being true to your school meant that you gave your best to it. It meant that you tried with a sincere effort on your tests and homework. You were true to who you were and to who you could potentially be. It meant that you were a better person leaving the school than you were when you entered. It also meant that the school was a better school because you invested yourself and time in the institution. You contributed to it while you were going there. You left your mark in a positive and permanent way.
Listen to these five words and respect these five words.
“Be true to your school.”
I challenge you to be true to your school whether it is Sequoyah Middle School or North High School or Oklahoma State University or The University of Oklahoma. Your school deserves your loyalty. Just look at the number of adults that continue to be supportive of their universities, and in a few cases, their high schools years after they have finished their schooling and have graduated. School loyalty is something to have and keep in your life. It helps each of us to identify with an organization bigger and more complicated than we are by ourselves. Be true to your school.
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.
It’s What’s Inside that Counts!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Golden Ones!
Have you ever heard the phrase; “It’s what is inside that counts”? Do you think that it’s just something that adults say? You probably have heard it said by your parents in some fashion and I would expect that you have heard a teacher or two make a similar comment. Even adults that you have no direct connection with may have said something about it’s what is inside that counts. Most of the time they are talking about acceptance of other people and what makes them unique.
Sometimes they use inanimate objects to send the same message. Most people if offered the choice of two gifts, one that is wrapped in extraordinary, beautiful paper with trimming of a rich-looking, colorful ribbon and another gift wrapped in old newspaper using duct tape, would choose the first gift. The newspaper one could be a box with some gift certificates, a few dollars, some framed photographs of your friends and family, tickets to Disney World, your great grandparents’ wedding rings, a pair of your baby shoes, and a book that has been in your family for 120 years. The beautiful gift may be nothing more than a big box of Oklahoma red dirt. It definitely makes the point that it is what is inside that counts. It also states that value is applied on a multitude of things in a multitude of ways.
Do you understand that when I ask you each day to reflect on things that that is when you are working on the inside of yourself? You are choosing to fine-tune your value system. That is when you are creating the valuable differences between yourself and other individuals. Reflecting about things is when you choose what is important in your life, and how you’re going to react to things in the future. Reflection leads to maturity, and maturity leads to appropriate actions and reactions.
Listen to how this quote ties reflection into examination. They are six words written 2,500 years ago in the Talmud.
“Examine the contents, not the bottle.”
When we look at people we have to try to see all of them, and that requires more than just our physical vision, more than our eyes. The kids in your classes are the students that you will graduate high school with in the next 4-6 years. They are your fellow citizens. Examine the contents of each other. Find out what is inside the hearts and minds of people with which you walk the hallways. And for teachers, if we are going to work together for years, please take moments to examine your colleagues and friends. It is important to all of us.
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.
It’s Easy to Blame Others
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Truth Seekers!
It has been something that I have seen over and over in the office. Every time I have a couple of students that have an argument or a disagreement and end up in my office, they almost always blame each other. It is a rare occasion that a student looks at me and says, “It was my fault, Mr. Edwards. I was pestering him and he must have just got tired of it.” Another example I wish I could hear is, “I’m the one who caused the problem because I was spreading rumors about her. They were unfair untruths. I’m sorry for saying those things.”
As students that are 12-15 years old, you have a clear understanding of what I am trying to say here. It is not a foreign language. It’s because as humans, it is always easier in our mind to blame someone else than it is to accept that we did something wrong. It is always more comfortable to transfer the problem to someone else.
When I was a kid, I did that most often to my sister and two brothers. Now why would I do that to three people that I loved and enjoyed being around? Why would I put the blame on my own family members? I did it because it was even easier to dump fault or cause with them.
One of America’s great writers of humor was a man named James Thurber. Listen closely to these words and the idea they express.
“Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?”
He shows us in a humorous way, how a person can immediately place his own mistake on the shoulders of someone else, even a stranger. The problem with blaming others is two fold. First, it can become habit if we are not careful about doing it. The more that we blame others will build momentum so that we blame others even more. Secondly, when a person does it too often they tend to start believing their own lies. They start convincing themselves of their innocence. I have actually met people that believe they haven’t ever done anything wrong. That amazes me when it happens. I have even had a couple of students deny doing any thing wrong even though I have it recorded on the video camera hard drive.
What I want to encourage everyone to do—is to be careful about placing blame and misplacing blame. If you do something wrong, instead of wasting time and energy blaming someone else, stand up to do what is right and be responsible for your own actions, and take the blame when you have committed the error. Don’t blame someone else for answering the wrong number if you are the one who called it!
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.
A Lost Culture
Monday, April 7, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Amazing Ones!
Following up a little from last Wednesday’s letter, I want to become more specific about what happens to a world or culture when thinking goes haywire. During the 1930’s, the Nazis came to power in Germany. They wanted to control all thought, so they went first to the universities in the country and started to remove all books and materials. They knew that if they controlled the education of the people then they controlled their ability to think and examine ideas. It reached a point where they were actually having huge bonfires with books on the school grounds. Books were being pulled out of the school’s library and classrooms and being piled on the fire. Even some students and professors got wrapped up in the emotions of it and burned their books. The only thinking allowed in the country, was controlled thinking. Thoughts were given to the citizens through the Nazi press and the Nazi controlled radio. They even passed laws about what could be discussed or what kind of thinking was right thinking. The ruling party took the freedoms and thoughts that the citizens had originally possessed. When that happens in a society, the door to real evil is opened. Listen to this quote by philosopher, Heinrich Heine.
“Wherever they burn books they will also, in the end, burn human beings.”
The sad truth of history is that the Nazis did literally burn humans. They are responsible for the deaths of 12 million Jewish people in concentration camps, and 1 million protestant religious leaders, Eastern European gypsies, and mentally challenged citizens in prison camps. Their war against the world led to the loss of 20 million soldiers in conflict and battle from around the world, and listen to this number carefully, approximately 52 million civilians from the U. S. S. R. died at the hands of the Nazi war machine.
When I read Mien Kampf by Adolf Hitler, it was very clear that his master plan required the Miseducation of the general public. He knew that to achieve the Miseducation, he actually had to encourage people to reach the rage needed to burn books. He was successful to the point of death to millions of people.
I encourage you to read every day. Find time to commit to educating yourself. Don’t just depend on teachers and parents. Read books for your mind as often as you eat for your body’s existence. If we choose to give up reading then we are choosing to become a lost culture.
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.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Peaceful Ones,
I have seen some powerful images of individuals and actions in my life. Forty years ago one occurred that broke the heart of Americans. News interrupted the television programs that evening with reports that Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated. For me this was huge, because the only other assassination that I could relate it to was that of President Kennedy five years earlier. Dr. King’s assassination created sadness and despair, but it also generated a great deal of anger. America was confused. Why had someone killed a man that had preached non-violence all of his life?
Dr. King was just 39 years old when he was slain. He was a husband to a loving and supportive wife, and a father to four beautiful children. He was the pastor of a Baptist Church, and the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Although he preached and portrayed non-violent actions throughout his life, he was unjustly arrested more than once. His family’s home was bombed by bigoted, cowardly terrorists. Dr. King was constantly submitted to personal verbal abuse, and yet he was recognized as a genuine leader for all people. He pursued improving the rights of every human that walked on the planet.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. valued education and knew that it gave real power to individuals seeking it. When he was just 35-years-old, he became the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. He made the decision that he would give the money that is given to each recipient to further the efforts of the civil rights movement.
Most of you do not know the name of the man that shot Reverend King. But understand this—you’re children’s children will know about Martin Luther King, Jr. and what he stood for in the rights of all people.
I think these are the most powerful words that he ever shared with his fellow citizens of America. I think that they are words that he truly lived by to his last day. Listen to them carefully.
“Non-violence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding. It is a sword that heals.”
If we could just accept, believe and practice his words our school, our city, our country, and our world would be a better place. Think about it.
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.
A Teenage Poem
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Grateful Ones!
I don’t usually press poems on middle school students all though they are some of the most powerful messages sent to people nowadays. Teenagers mostly hear them in the form of raps, but poetry has always been beautiful and as one of the greatest poets said “they are the overwhelming overflow of powerful human feelings.” Listen carefully to this poem written by a teenage girl. It is called “Slow Dance.” Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round? Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight? Or gazed at the sun into the fading night? You better slow down. Don’t dance so fast. Time is short. The music won’t last.
Do you run through each day on the fly? When the day is done do you lie in your bed? With the next hundred chores running through your head? You better slow down. Don’t dance so fast. Time is short. The music won’t last.
Ever told your child, we’ll do it tomorrow? And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die Cause you never had time to call and say, ‘Hi’ You’d better slow down. Don’t dance so fast. Time is short. The music won’t last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere You miss half the fun of getting there. When you worry and hurry through your day, It is like an unopened gift . . . thrown away. Life is not a race. Do take it slower. Hear the music. Before the music is over.
How closely did you listen to the poem as your teacher read it? Did you listen carefully because a teenager wrote it? What if I told you more about her? This young girl has inoperable cancer and only has a few months to live. She wanted to send this message to whoever would read it and then to encourage others to live life to the fullest. She will never make it to a prom. She will never graduate from high school, or get married and have a family of her own. I encourage you to listen to it being read a second time and see from the perspective that this young girl views life.
Like her, I encourage you to thoroughly enjoy the dance of life. Listen to the last four lines.
“Life is not a race. Do take it slower. Hear the music. Before the music is over.”
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.
Reading or Burning
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Readers!
Do you know that the majority of people in the world can’t read writing in any language? Our world population is, in the majority, an illiterate population. Almost 100% of the United States population over 10 ten years old is termed literate. Success at making sure everyone can do some reading and writing has been so great that now we have another level of literacy that our schools aim to achieve. It is called functional literacy. It means that people can learn almost anything if they can read and write at an eighth grade level. An emphasis on new programs is bringing this goal closer to being reached and probably will be in the next 15 years.
Regardless of where our country is in terms of literacy, we must make a choice to read. We are going to accomplish little if, as a society, we stop reading books. In world history over the last four hundred years, some governments and rulers that have wanted to rule by ignorance have kept their citizens from reading. Some have even gone to the extreme of burning books. Listen to this quote from science fiction author Ray Bradbury.
“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
When older adults talk about the way things have changed in their lifetime, I think they forget about how much the value of reading has changed. In the forties and fifties, reading in free time was still a common practice. The majority of adults received their news from reading a daily newspaper. Children spent time in the evening during the school year sitting in the family room reading books. Kids valued a personal library card with their name on it. Lazy days in the summer would allow students to consume book after book after book.
Based on Bradbury’s quote, a person has to wonder if we are, in a sense, destroying our own great culture by refusing to read on a regular basis. Let me ask you these questions, “Would you read books without being required to do so?” “What books are important to you?” “Are there any books that you would hate to see burned?” “Is there one particular book that you would hate to see sit on a shelf and slowly rot?” “How much time would you be willing to invest in reading daily?”
I encourage you to read more this spring. Gear up so that this next summer is the most productive summer you have ever experienced when it comes to reading. I challenge you to set some personal reading goals and then pursue them with energy and unyielding intent.
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.
Our Most Significant Choices
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Fantastic Ones!
Here is a wonderful quote from J. Martin. I use it in my closing of the letters from the principal each day. Listen to it again with a fresh ear.
“The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose.”
Over the last couple of weeks it seems that I have had to ask more students than usual, if they understood what the power to choose meant in their life. I read a great book about choices. It is called 20 Things I Want My Kids to Know by Hal Urban.
Mr. Urban encourages his children to live by choice not by chance. He writes about the most important choices a person has to make. If people would be asked what they thought the most important choices are, they might say who a person marries, or where they live, or if they should have children or not. Listen to what Mr. Urban claims are the most important choices his children and we will make.
He says that we choose what kind of character we will have. He means that we choose who we are, what we’re known for in life. We can choose to maximize our life or minimize it. We can choose to access our potential or leave it alone and let it waste away. He reminds us that we are free to choose our values. We can choose to make valuable that which our parents do, or that our friends do, or neither. We can choose to let the media and entertainment world over influence us or not.
Listen to this truth. We can choose to base our standards on what someone says or what we know and believe to be right or wrong. We are able to choose how we treat people. Whether they are family or friends or even enemies, we get to choose how we want to respond to them or how we want to ignore them. We can choose to be a bully or we can choose to be an active witness against bullying.
Mr. Urban reminds us we get to choose how we respond to bad things happening to us. Adversity happens to all people at different times in their lives and everyone chooses how to act or how to handle it. We can choose what we learn or how much we learn. We can be open to understanding things or we can choose to close our minds to insight and understanding.
Very importantly, we can choose why we are on the planet. We are permitted to seek and choose our purpose for existence. Our life long search can be as deep or as shallow as we choose.
I encourage all of you to use the greatest power that we possess, and to use it with wisdom. Like Mr. Urban said, “Live by choice not by chance.”
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 @ 04:49am · 0 Comments |
|
|
|
|
|