The first week is just about complete. I hope it went well! I had a chance to visit and walk through the buildings on Thursday. Everything looks great. The floors were shiny, the O'Rourke parking lot opened on schedule. Walls were freshly painted. The kids had smiles, new clothes, and lots of enthusiasm. Tara took a bunch of pictures that capture the moment.Of all the things that Murray [Guest speaker Murray Banks] said on Tuesday morning, the thing that hit home the most for me was the story he told about having surgery and watching the doctor standing over him as he drifted into unconsciousness. Imagine, he mused, how he would feel if the doctor was tired...yawning... not bringing his A-game that particular day. Most days he's great... just not that day.
We all got the point and was a good one. It is worth repeating. We don't stand in front of kids teaching them 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. That's not the way our profession works. Like the surgeon, like the actor, like the pilot- we work with kids in focused periods of periods of time. It is important that when we are called upon to do our thing, we do it with passion, fervor, and skill every day. It is critical that we get it right.
We have a school year that has ebbs and flows... times of intensity and times of refreshment. Now we begin one of those times of intensity. We will bring our A-game. As we prep our lessons, teach our classes, run our meetings, and interact with our kids, our parents, and our colleagues, we will give it our all. We expect it of each other. We expect it of ourselves.
I have heard teachers all over the district quoting the "Showtime!" theme these last few days... and that one phrase really captures the whole point. It is showtime. Happy New Year... Break a leg!
