Hello Garden Spot!

As I am writing this email, I find myself feeling a bit sentimental… another year has come and gone, and they seem to fly by faster the older I get. I have been asking myself whether I spent this past year investing in things that will make the upcoming year better than the one before. There are some areas I certainly need to improve on, like making sure I have enough energy left to give my family the best of me each day. It is easy to lose sight of what matters in life, and I believe that the best investment of my time is to be sure that the people around me every day know how much they matter. I know I have told you this before, but I want to tell you again how much I enjoy being around you each day. Every single one of you make me a better person, and I appreciate having the opportunity to be around such a wonderful group of young adults.

I want to take a moment to encourage you to touch base with your teachers before the break about any assignments you may be missing or did not perform well on, ask permission to do some work that will demonstrate that you have learned the material, and then complete the work well over break so that they can see your desire to do well is more than just words. Follow through, and finish strong. I also encourage you to take some time over the next two days to thank your teachers for their dedication to each of you. Write them a note of thanks, or thank them personally.

Reminders:

• There will be no iSpartan placements for the last cycle of semester 1 that will begin on January 5, 2015. You will report to Homeroom for iSpartan on the days that there is iSpartan. There will be no iSpartan on many of the days because of Keystone and final exams.
• Have a great holiday season, Christmas, and New Year. Be safe, treat others well, and enjoy your break.

 

Teacher Spotlight:

• I have appreciated having the opportunity to see this individual step up into a leadership role this past year as a 9th grade team leader. He is dedicated to the students he serves, and refuses to give up on any student in his classroom. He makes himself available for any student that needs help, and is a positive influence on the students in his classroom. If you have Mr. Miller, you likely have noticed his dedication to the students. I encourage you to take some time over the next two days to make sure he knows that his efforts are appreciated.

 

Personal Challenge:

As I consider what the next few weeks will hold for all of you, with Keystone and final exams, the word discipline continues to pop into my mind. Discipline has to do with the ability to postpone the things we want today with the understanding that perhaps other things need to take priority so that we are able to enjoy those things more tomorrow. Discipline is our ability to control our behaviors. Discipline is doing the things we know ought to be done today so as to produce a better future.

Discipline is a fundamental premise of any solid foundation upon which a successful future can be built. Those who become professional athletes discipline themselves to train harder than anyone else around them so that they can remain the starter in their position. They also must discipline themselves with the money that they ultimately earn so that it is there for them to live on after they retire. You have seen many instances of professional athletes who have no discipline with their finances and end up in financial ruin even though they have made tens of millions of dollars in their lifetime. This same type of discipline is necessary in all areas of our life. When others stop working, or claim something is too hard to be done, remember that someone will get it done. Discipline yourself to work harder than those around you so that you can experience the rewards of not giving up.

Discipline yourself to do what you know you ought to do is never easy because there are so many other things that may seem more enjoyable today, but putting off the things we need to be doing only leads to us being overwhelmed by how much we need to do. This is the situation that many people find themselves in, feeling overwhelmed by all that they have to do, but the reason for that is often that they have dug a deep hole to get out of by not disciplining themselves to take care of the things that will make tomorrow a little easier. It would be great if all we had to do in life was play, but that is simply not how life works. The sooner we realize that, and learn to discipline ourselves to do what needs to be done, the more likely it is that we will experience success and be able to feel more optimistic about the future. Doing what needs to be done makes the future easier to handle, while neglecting the things that need to be done generally make the future more difficult.

I challenge each of you to discipline yourselves over the next few weeks to set your priorities on the things that you know you should be doing… focus on your school work, and finish the semester strong. If you take care of your schoolwork, next semester will be a little better as you will not have to worry about retaking courses or whether or not you will be able to graduate with the rest of your class. I challenge each of you to think about where you want to be in ten years, and to discipline yourselves to do the things necessary today to help you to get there. Create a vision of a better future, and discipline yourself to get there.

 

Have a wonderful couple of days,

 

Mr. Cox

Assistant Principal

Garden Spot High School