On Target....

Good evening!  I hope you've had a relaxing weekend.  These last few weeks are really flying by!  We are certainly in the part of the year where it’s a challenge to stay on top of everything.  Last week felt especially stressful for me as we have a lot of things going on right now.

                So what is the key for success during this busy and stressful time of year?  The most important thing for you to successfully complete this school year is focus.  There are so many things going on, so many field trips, end of year tasks like report cards, assessments, track meets, etc. that it’s hard to know what to focus on.  

I was reminded of this concept last weekend.  One of my hobbies, when I actually get some free time is to go skeet shooting.  My brother has a 6.5 acre farm, and we have a group of friends that bought a machine a few years back that throws the clay pigeons into the air for us.  The last time we went out, I was really struggling.  I couldn't hit many targets and it was getting frustrating, and embarrassing.  What I realized about 30 minutes into things was that I wasn't even aiming.  When the clay pigeon was launched, I would bring my gun up to my chin and then fire almost right away without taking the time to really focus on the target.  I was trying to feel  way through things.   Once I realized what I was doing, I began to take my time, find my aim point, and then hit the target.  In fact, in my last set of targets, I didn't miss one! 

                So, how did I get to the point where I was just pointing my gun and not actually aiming at the clay pigeons?  Well, it’s easy.  There are so many things going on, that sometimes you forget the basics.  I ended up falling back on “feeling my way” through the targets.  That’s what humans do when the cognitive part of us, our mind, is overwhelmed….we fall back on our feelings.  These feelings and instincts are good, especially when they are used in conjunction with our cognition, but when relied on only, they can lead us astray.  One of the biggest factors was the time.  Those clay pigeons are in the air for just a matter of seconds before they float to the ground.  I found that I was rushing myself and not doing a good job focusing on the target.  The same thing happens to us at school.  We’re feeling the pressure to wrap up a school year in the last few weeks of school.  We have an incredible amount of work left to do, and if we try to do it all right now, we lose focus, we lose our aim point.  We end up just trying to hang on, to “feel our way” through the end of the year. 

                So the challenge for you, the challenge for me, the challenge for all of us is decide what the target needs to be for the next three weeks, and focus solely on it.  Our challenge is to take the time to think through what we need to accomplish yet this year.  We have to spend some mental energy to ensure that we don’t just take the remainder of the year as it’s thrown out at us, but that we have a clear purpose for what we do these next three weeks.

So, what should our focus be?  Well, we have a good start already; we have a mission, a purpose.  Our mission is to inspire and equip all students to continuously acquire and apply knowledge and skills while pursuing their dreams and enriching the lives of others.  Our mission is our purpose!  So, the question for you to think about today is, what do I need to do over the next three weeks to inspire and equip my students?  You've already come so far with this!  I can tell you, our students are much more equipped than they were when they entered your class.

                My goal for the remainder of this year is to provide that clear direction for all of us.  I want to alleviate as much stress as possible for you and help you know that you are appreciated.  It’s my goal to clearly communicate in these hectic three weeks.  I don’t want you to be unclear about things like checking out of rooms, etc.  I could come up with a million things to work on over the next three weeks, but my goal is to be the best for you that I can be, so that you can be the best for our kids that you can be. 

                So, anyway, remember the word for this week; the word for the next three weeks is focus!  Have an outstanding day!