It's a Thursday afternoon, and the bell rings for dismissal. Relieved to make it to the end of the day, I moved toward the main foyer to escort students and staff out of the building and wish them an enjoyable extended 3-day weekend courtesy of the Veteran's Day holiday. The calendar said Thursday, but everything in my mind and body was saying Friday. The scholars only had a 3-day week, (they had election day off while the staff participated in professional development), but it seemed as if the week was full and that everyone should be running out of the door. As one of my math teachers approached the main hall, I was caught off guard when he stopped me to ask for the keys to open up the Rebel Remix Room for him and a group of 9th graders. Now this teacher is one of the regular monitors for Behavioral & Academic Enrichment, (BAE), but after all, it was still Friday, sorta. He opened the door and returned my keys. I continued on with dismissal. It wasn't until I returned indoors from dismissal that the two things stood out to me. 1. The teacher choose to leverage a time window that he is scheduled to stay after school to get students to get extra assistance for his class. 2. These students willingly stayed behind on the last day of the school week for math enrichment.
Though this group of students was small, it represented something bigger to me. The door to the Media Center was ajar, so the teacher could be easily heard by whoever walked past the door. A group of seniors who'd previously had this teacher as instructor walked by the door to exit and one of them commented, "See, that's why he is one of the best teachers. Look at him in there making sure they understand Math." This brought me both introspect and joy. I thought to myself how this teacher could've easily left at dismissal since no one had officially been assigned to his program that day for behavioral support. After all, he drives a fair distance to get to work. I thought about that group of students, (all males), who could've easily come up with an excuse to leave for the day, or just simply wiggle out of the door. I thought about the impression the scene left on the senior who was going out of the door. I don't know what emotions the teacher nor the students were feeling that day. Perhaps they were all excited to participate or perhaps they were tired and felt like going home. Ultimately, I saw a group who made a choice to do what it takes to go in the direction that they were trying to go. As we continue to move toward success, make the choice to leverage your position, (be it student or staff), to do the things that it takes to move toward our goals. Some days you may feel like it, and some days you may not, but make the choice to do it anyway. The seeds you plant on those days may produce fruit that will continue to feed generations to come. May we all find the joy in teaching and learning! Have a week filled with forward motion!
In service of our scholars,
Brian Evans, Principal
