What difference will you make?

The life and legacy of Nelson Mandela should cause us all to reflect upon our daily work. Further, it allows me to consider how critical our roles are as we aid in the shaping and molding of our young people - our future leaders. On Friday morning, we shared the news of Mandela's passing with our school and dedicated our moment of silence to this purpose.  We also encouraged all students and teachers to reflect upon the difference they can make by focusing more on helping others. 

This is something we must teach our young people, but most importantly, show them. Often times, it is easier to focus on what is wrong or missing, than to start with what is right, good, or present with our children. I had an opportunity to speak with a diverse, random sample of 60 students on yesterday during my student roundtables at each grade level. I'm reviewing that work will share out some of my findings. More than anything, I could sense that students want to be heard, valued, and offered a simple explanation for why things have to be the way that they are.  We discussed opportunities to change and enhance our current practice, and they seemed open to it. It also reminded me how self-conscious our teenagers are, and they are often reluctant to share their ideas for fear of scrutiny. Believe it or not, I had to keep prompting them to speak!

Try enhancing more conversation with your student by asking them:

1) What did you do well today?

2) What would you do differently tomorrow?

3) What was something interesting you learned today?

4) How can they make a difference in someone else's life?

5) What was a problem you faced today? Let's talk about how you handled it. 

Asking these types of questions will not only help your teenager communicate more, but it will also help they consistently think about the difference they can make in their school, their community, their world.

This week @ CMS!

--GREAT TO SEE SO MANY SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS FOR THE SCIENCE FAIR!

--Great band concert for 7th and 8th grade students!

--SCIENCE FAIR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY

--Wednesday: Wrestling @ MMS 5pm, Basketball vs Davis, 5:15pm

--Thursday: Jr. Beta Club Induction, 6:30PM - Theater

--Friday: Basketball @ Veterans 5:15

--Saturday: Wrestling Tournament @ RCHS

--Next Tuesday and Wednesday - District Benchmarks 

#CMSPROUDPRINCIPAL