Good morning Garden Spot!

I’d like for you to imagine a world where students always treated each other kindly, were quick to smile and praise, and slow to make fun of and mock. Where students treated their teachers respectfully, and always used their manners. A world where everyone sought to forgive, and were willing to admit when they had done wrong.

Imagine a world where teachers treated their students with respect and dignity, even when the student’s behavior may deserve something less. Where all of the teachers were part of one team, with one goal and one desire in mind, that of helping all students to find their way in this world. A world where their behaviors were not in response to a situation, but rather a modeling of how we want our students to behave in all situations that arise in their lives. A world where the same use of manners and demonstration of respect we expect from our students are modeled day in and day out, by all staff members in our building.

It would be almost impossible to argue that a world in which we interacted like that would not make everything a little bit better, and dealing with the difficulties of life a little easier because those we are surrounded by are more apt to smile and less likely bite your head off during the times in your life when things are difficult. A world in which you are greeted with smiles and support, even when everything else in your life seems to be full of bad.

I believe it is possible. Not believing that it is possible would continue to propagate the problems that often cause people to behave like this in the first place. We are selfish, and see others as an inconvenience. If they annoy us, or don’t have the same ideas in mind as we do, we become annoyed that we are forced to interact with them. If we stopped being annoyed with the attitudes and behaviors of others, and instead smiled at them and treated them well regardless of what wrong they caused us, those people would slowly start to change because they would experience fewer people behaving that way toward them. When we are having a bad day, or a difficult time in life, we often allow that to translate into how we treat others around us. I believe that how we interact can help to pull others up out of those tough times instead of making them more difficult. It isn’t that good does not exist in the lives of these folks, it is that they choose to get hung up on the negatives in a situation or the problems within a set of circumstances as opposed to letting a positive attitude and genuine concern for others be more important than their own comfort and happiness. Putting others above yourself… a novel concept indeed! This is the idea behind the “doing for others” section of The Spartan Way. Are you going to be a person that builds others up, or someone that tears them down?

Continuing with The Spartan Way, “doing your best” is a matter of attitude. Do you give up when things become difficult and/or lash out at others when your life becomes stressful, or do you work harder than you ever had, hold your head high, and talk about the good in the situation so that maneuvering through it is not as difficult? In almost every instance, the situation will not go away just because you have a bad attitude about it, but your bad attitude certainly effects your ability to enjoy the rest of your day as you maneuver through the situation… that is a fact. Approach life differently, and all of the situations you must live through on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis leave a different stamp on your life, and on the lives of every person that interacts with you as you maneuver through those events.

Another part of the Spartan Way has to do with “doing what’s right”. Doing what is right involves letting the wrongs that others heap on you pass without retaliation. The reason I know this is the right thing to do is that the lives of those who are good at this are so much more peaceful, with less stress, less broken relationships, and more happiness. It doesn’t mean that they don’t get upset or hurt, but they refuse to be held hostage by hostility. Think about it… how much sense does it make to talk about how much of a jerk someone is, how unreasonable they are, how much of a gossip they are, or how negative they are when you turn around and do the same thing in return because you are mad at them, or were hurt by them. Someone needs to stop the cycle, and those who are happiest are those who are able to treat others in a way that is better than what they deserve. We all need to do our part to be the change that everyone here deserves.

Let’s be these things for each other… let’s believe in each other… let’s give each other the benefit of the doubt… let’s forgive even when the other person’s behavior really made us mad… let’s prove that it is possible to treat others better than they deserve, and in doing so improve the interactions that we have with each other on a daily basis.

We are well on our way to making this a reality for all who enter Garden Spot High School, and I encourage you to continue to work at making yourself the best person that you can be. Put others first, work hard, admit when you are wrong, bring a positive attitude to all that you do, and smile more often. Build each other up instead of tearing each other down, and expect more out of yourselves than others expect out of you. I am so proud to be able to work in a place with so many awesome people, and am confident that as we continue to get better at lifting each other up will create an environment where all know they are valued, supported, and meaningful.

Have a wonderful week,

Elias M. Cox
Assistant Principal