Last Week Before Winter Break

Good Morning Deep Creek Family,

It was really nice seeing or staff relax, laugh together and enjoy some time together.  Being an educator is difficult and it is refreshing to see that we have a staff that has "each other's backs". Often frustration and stress seeps in and having others to assist, share similar stories, or just listen is so important. I know our staff shares in comfort that you have each other for support as I always feel comfort in knowing I have the rest of the core team for support.  I hope you know and feel that our core team is here to support you as well.   It's always easy to feel and appreciate this support during the holiday season when spirits are up.   The real test is making sure we continue during the second semester of the school year.

I do not want to get into dates, events, and tests that we will be conducting when we get back from break, but I do want to make sure we come back from winter break with this same momentum.  When we feel like everything becomes overwhelming and too much remember you have co-workers and friends to rely on.  In coaching terms, you are always stronger as a group.  I always feel there that there are lessons to use from sports teams because in the course of one game there is so much adversity, constant change, adjustments, and finally success or failure.  Often the best team at the end is the one that has had to experience failure along the way.  Below are some quotes that Adrienne passed my way that I feel are appropriate:

There are powerful lessons about professional knowledge that teachers can gain from sports teams and the military, as well as from business:

•"None of us is as smart as all of us."

      (quoted in Warren Bennis, 1997, Organizing Genius)

•Continual learning and improvement drive success.

•No individual team member can succeed without the rest of the team; distributed teamwork is critical for improvement.

•We do not know what we don’t know. We do not know what we know.

      (paraphrased from U.S. Government 9/11 Commission report)

•“In times of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves beautifully equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.”

      (Eric Hoffer)

 

I want everyone to have a terrific Winter Break.  I want to come back and be prepared for the challenges that face us and have a great 2016 year.  Together we can reach our goal of Deep Creek being the best school in the county and a great place for children to come to school each day. 

Nothing Less Than Our Success!

 

Thank you for all you do,

 

James