Good morning Garden Spot!
As the cold weather subsides and the warmth of spring slowly comes back to our area, I am reminded of how much of a difference a smile can make in the lives of those around you. There are people all around you every day that could use a smile or a quick ‘hello’. It is common for someone who is having a bad day to be a bit rude or short in their responses… give people better than they deserve, and be kind to them even when they may not deserve it. You never know when your smile or kind greeting will help them to get out of their funk.
Reminders:
The end of the semester is rapidly approaching. Be sure that you are communicating with your teachers and taking care of things that may need to be addressed. The staff here are awesome, and if you take the time to not only say you want to do something about a class you are struggling in, but also follow that up with action, they will all go out of their way to work with you. You hold the key to your success… be sure to use it.
We are noticing an increase in earbuds and headphones in the hallways and the cafeteria. Earbuds and headphones are not permitted during the school day, unless a teacher instructs you to use them in their classroom. Please make sure that you have put them away before leaving any classrooms. We are going to start asking that you turn them into the office to be picked up at the end of the day, and if you are a person who we need to ask regularly we will begin assigning detentions. What a silly thing to have to serve a detention for. If you know you are not to have them outside of the classroom, then we should not have to ask you not to wear them. There are many reasons for this rule that I would be happy to discuss with you, but ultimately it is a rule. Disagreeing with it does not make it reasonable to ignore it. Please do not put us in a position where we are forced to begin policing earbuds. Thank you for your cooperation.
Teacher Spotlight:
The person I would like to spotlight this week has a way of working with students and speaking into their lives that is difficult to teach. He cares deeply about the success of every student he interacts with, and makes it clear that personal responsibility is a key component of being successful. He pushes his students to find something they love doing, and to work hard at it. Mr. Zamperini understands that each of you are different, and works to encourage each student to find that thing they love and use it as a motivator to be successful where they are at. If you have had Mr. Zamperini, thank him for his straightforward conversations about life, and the personal stories he uses to articulate his message. If you have not, thank a teacher who has helped you find that ‘thing’ that you want to do.
Personal Challenge:
I know you have likely heard me say this before, but I believe that the way that you learn to enjoy wherever you are at is to work hard at everything you do so that you can be proud of your actions and performance, and to treat everyone around you well regardless of your mood or whether they deserve it or not so that your relationships can be enjoyable even if some of the things in your day-to-day life are not.
It is not always that where you are at is where you want to be, but where you are at is definitely a part of the journey to where you want to be. You need to make sure you find the things that are enjoyable so that your journey to your destination is as wonderful as the destination itself. There will be times when life is hard, sadness and tragedy will occur, your job will not be as you were hoping it would turn out, and things may be overwhelmingly busy. I suggest that life is learning how to love your current situation no matter where you are at. If you learn to do that, and do it well, even when things are not right, you will still be able to be thankful for the things that are good. No matter who you are there are things that are very good that surround you every day if you allow yourself to see them.
These words hold true no matter who you are or where you are at in life. If more people could not just read them and shake their head in agreement, but live them out in their day-to-day lives, they would find life to be rich and fulfilling as it should be for each and every one of us. Be sure to focus on the good, as where you place your attention your mind will follow. If you dwell on all of the bad, your mind will follow. If you keep your head up and persevere through adversity, finding the good in what surrounds you, your mind will follow there as well.
Have a week that is as awesome as each of you!
Mr. Cox
Assistant Principal
Garden Spot High School