Long Time Coming

You have to make the time for blogging. Like anything you do well, you make time during your day to put down your thoughts and respond to others. I almost wish during a school day I could record all the feedback, guidance or thoughts I give people. Some of which they might want to hear.
So I am away from the office and the routine of school and I have effectively turned my brain off. Sleeping late and staying up later than usual, I have gotten out of the routine of blogging. Is that the worst thing? No, but to be a creative and forward thinking person, I need to resolve to be better in this area. There is my first resolution. I am sure I will have more but let's see how I do.

Ice

Gotta love New England. December and we already have had two days out of school. What does the rest of the school year have in store for us.

We can deal with snow but ice is another story. Even when the roads are passable, the trees and the power lines keep us from school and work. Talk about putting a weekend on hold. 50 degrees in the house with a fire going all day. I had it easy compared to others.

Let's see what this week holds in store for us. School in July, what a great idea! It will be too hot.

Time?

So I just started reading "A Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin and realized that I could spend hours reading this story of Abraham Lincoln and his presidency. I am reading about one of his rivals who avidly wrote in his journal when I thought, "when is the last time I wrote in my blog?" I finished the chapter and here I am.

Finding time is not easy. My mind is stretched in several directions all the time and my ability to read, write or talk coherently after 9:00 is often limited by the need for sleep. I don't know how I will find the time to read that great book or write in this blog.

Stealing time from other areas of my life isn't an option either. The kids are busy and my wife is working and there is that little job I have. When do I find the time?

Holding out for vacation or the possible snow day seem to be answer. Not too far off is the holiday break and maybe old man winter will lend me a hand but until then, old Abe is going to have to wait and this blog is nearly done. Pillow in my future and hope for more time tomorrow are all I can think of now.

Why Plaxico?

I am not a big Stephen A. Smith fan but he nailed it. When he said Plaxico Burris and the other young black athletes, who continue to do stupid things and break the law, were making it harder for future athletes who aspire to greatness, he spoke the obvious truth. Once they make it, these athletes think they are invincible and above reproach. Break the law, pay no attention to team rules, and use no common sense all seem to be the case for many.

For those of us not so fortunate to have been born with superior physical skills to get to the professional level, it is hard to comprehend how after accomplishing fame and fortune can be thrown aside for a night out on the town with our gun and friends. What possesses all this bravado? Is it a product of testosterone? Is it the need to validate their "maleness"? I don't think these decisions are made clear headed to say the least.

With our own kids, how do we instill "doing the right thing" when all they see the bravado on and off the field? Too many of us glorify our athletes and wish we had their money and opportunities. What about our kids? What do they think?

So why do we do with the Plaxico's of the world? How do we say making it to the top is enough? When will there be no need for a gun?

Fourteen

Do you remember being 14? Eighth grade was no small feat and my daughter reminds me of that all the time. She just turned 14 and has handled the drama pretty well thus far.

We had a little celebration on Friday with 6 other 13/14 year olds descending on the Pollet home for a movie and sleep over. With the bass of the latest hits on the iPod at 12:00 am, the father voice bellowed down the stairs to turn it down, way down. Sheepishly the reply came "yes" with several giggles from the peanut gallery. All that was left to listen to was the ongoing conversation about all that is being 14.

The conversation around being 14 is one filled with variety but usually comes back around to boys, girls and the associated theatrics. Changing friendships, relationships, and allegiances bring another set of hurt feelings or romantic concerns. How do they manage all the rest of their lives? Somehow 14 does manage to get through it all to be 15 and beyond.

So school has started again after the long weekend and 14 is back in the routine. New conversations outside class (I hope) will be filled with all latest gossip. It is what is important.

Thanksgiving thanks

I am sitting here with a full stomach at a laptop in a warm house. Two kids and a great wife fill my life with joy and wonder (ok sometimes stress as well). I know there are more than a few who aren't as fortunate.
Why does it take a holiday season to make me realize this? Sometimes the petty things get in the way and cloud what is really important in life. We get going in our daily life and the routine and we do lose sight of the worthwhile things.
So it does take holidays to make us stop and think sometimes. The trick in life is to think about these important things more often. Put them in the forefront of our lives and guide our decision making. Guide our lives and decisions with this knowledge and focus.
So it is true, I have a great many things to be thankful for in my life. I hope I don't lose focus of that after today.

Food For Many

I walked in my office and stepped over the box of Cheerios and the cans of chicken noodle soup this morning. The goal to fill my office with food for the local food pantry was definitely having an impact on my life.

I have been fortunate to never need assistance to put food on the table in my house. Neither did my parents or grandparents. My grandparents went weeks without paychecks during the Great Depression and still managed. What would it be like? I hope I never have to find out.

As a parent, you take on tremendous responsibility for you children. They are entirely dependent on you to put food on the table and care for them. We make sacrifices everyday for them, whether it be with a ride to practice, caring for them when they are sick, helping with homework, or just listening to their challenges. Kids shouldn't have to worry about whether or not they are going to eat that day.

Yet there are too many kids who are facing that issue. This should not be. The tremendous wealth that exists in this country is amazing and yet there are still households that struggle mightily. I am not a socialist promoting redistribution of wealth but it does seem ridiculous that we see the disparity we do. When pro athletes with tremendous physical ability and great agents are quibbling over the question whether they will make 18 or 20 million dollars for three or four years with teams that are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, it doesn't seem right.

So, my challenge is stepping over the donations in my office for another week. I know I can handle it. I can only hope my office becomes to filled to work in and that kids don't face an empty dinner table at this time of year or any for that matter.

Football in America and the loss of "the event"

I remember being a kid and loving Monday Night Football. Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, and Frank Gifford were in the broadcast booth and I couldn't wait to see it. If I was lucky, my parents would let me stay up late (10:00 pm) and watch a half or so. The Pittsburgh Steelers were the team and I, of course, loved the underdog (Minnesota Vikings). I would always hope that the Vikings would be on that Monday night game.

The anticipation of one game during the week and two on the weekend was great and limited at the same time. That anticipation made the game an event. There was something about it.

Today, we are inundated with sports. ESPN has made it possible to see every highlight from every game. There are Sunday afternoon games, Sunday night games, Monday night games and now Thursday night games. I can see teams I don't really care about and the games mean nothing. There is not an event to be found. Even the Super Bowl has become more of a spectacle than a game. We could feed a country for the money spent on a 30 second commercial.

This is the world kids are growing up in and to share my fond memories of the anticipation of Monday Night Football must seem absurd to them. They don't have a clue about the waiting for the "big game." It seems a shame from an old Monday Night Football stalwart.

That's enough reminiscing. I have to go and adjust my Fantasy Football roster. I have to see who is matched up against the awful Detroit Lions.

Winter Approaches

Did you spend any time outside today? Winter is not too far away.

Yes, I admitted it. I was hoping that I could fend the cold weather for a month or so that I could still play golf or run without three layers on or even shovel snow. But I could feel it today.

The air has a different feel and smell as it comes out of the North. It creates images of snowflakes and skiing in your head. Even as you look at green grass and the last leaves on the trees, you see the winter images in your head.

It is inevitable, I know. I wish it wasn't because there is so much left to do. But I have resigned myself to the fact we are almost there. Is it time for a trip South?

Veteran's Day and my father

My dad was a veteran. Never saw any combat but served during the Suez Crisis in the 1950's. My father was straight forward and easy going and didn't strike me as a military man. It was the coolest thing that he was in the armed services because if you knew him, the rest of his life was far from the military life.
My dad pointed to his years in the military as the years that turned him around. Left UConn to enter the Army with "C's" and came back to get "A's". I am sure that has been the case for many people but it seemed to mean more coming from my father. It was a real and uncomplicated answer; a dramatic change in his performance due to that one experience. I sometimes wish I could point to an event like that in my life. But actually, it was the time he spent learning about himself that changed his direction and effort.
So I will think about different people on this Veteran's Day but first and foremost my father. Veteran's Day is a day to be thankful for the men/women who changed the world for the better and I am thankful for the world that changed my father.

Students for the 21st Century (Kids or Us?)

In his recent article "Footprints in the Digital Age" for Educational Leadership (ASCD, November 2008), Will Richardson said "our students must be nomadic, flexible, mobile learners who depend on their ability to connect with people and resources." He drew an image of a bus with "students standing in the front, most of the teachers are in the back, hanging on to the seat straps as the bus careens down the road under the guidance of kids who have never been taught to steer who are figuring it out as they go." Is that really where we are?

There is a level of communication between students that we adults very rarely attempt to get to in our lives. Kids are still talking, albeit underground at times. We have to first be willing to listen and then secondly listen to them in the way they are talking to us. Be it blogs or UTube videos, students have unique ways to talk to us and they are saying a lot.

For students, we have to help empower them in the most important technology for learning that has ever existed. How do we help students to navigate their way through individual networks? How am I supposed to help with this when I am a novice myself? There is so much changing at a rate that is unprecedented that I question whether I can keep up.

There is also the part of me that doesn't want to keep up. I want to keep it the way it was when I was young and it was simple. Communication was face to face or over the phone. You actually hand wrote letters and notes. Come to think of it, I have changed. It was a long time ago that I wrote a letter with a pen as the tool.

I also worry about the lack of balance in our lives. we need to take this challenge on in earnest. Help students appropriately network with friends and peers. Empower their positive communication and willingness to do good things. But also, students need to enjoy the world around them and the human/natural world. Have the ability to slow down and catch their breath just like we need to at times.

Where does it all fit and how do we keep moving forward with information and knowledge? How do we find the time, the energy and sometimes the desire? I will let you know if I ever figure it out.

Fatigue

When did I get so tired? Was it when I woke up this morning? Was it after a day of work? When I ate dinner and then sat down? I just can't remember.

I used to be able to stay up late but here it is 9:15 and I am ready for bed. Not even an election can keep my eyes open. I am getting old or I already got old and missed it.

It must be daylight savings time that did this to me.....

Election Day

The election looms but a day away. I remember being a kid and wanting to stay up and see how the colors filled in the US map as states' votes were tabulated. The commentators were so serious and it seemed so important to a much younger version of me. In today's technological world, it almost seems that the decision is made earlier. But if the last two elections are any indication, it can come down to a small number of voters. So once again, I will stay up to see how the results come in.

Do kids have any insight into the election? Students around the State of New Hampshire have been voting in their schools and at the State Visitors Center. I would love to know over the years how the student vote as it relates to the actual vote. I would venture a guess they have a pretty good record.

Halloween

Another successful night out with my eight year old doing the trick or treating thing. Indiana Jones was a very successful trick or treater. As long as I have been alive, the celebration of Halloween has been related to collecting candy and trading with your siblings. Now I promote the sharing with your parents. But for those of you who would like to know a little about Halloween's history in America, I found a great little site.

http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=715&display_order=1&sub_display_order=2&mini_id=1076

Being in a bit of sugar haze, I am done for tonight.

Commercials, Paul Pierce and Halloween

When did television get taken over by commercials? I am in the midst of watching the most unique World Series game in history and all I am seeing is commercials. Money does make the world go round (or so I am told) but this is ridiculous. I would love to have the time to think (like the managers) about all the possibilities when it comes to this game. Who pitches when? Who hits when? Should I have him steal? What about a pinch runner? I cannot imagine being in the manager's position for the last couple of days.

How about the Celtics Championship Ceremony last night? Nice to see genuine emotion in pro sports in this day and age. I am now completely a Paul Pierce fan. So can they repeat as champions?

Finally, why do go out for Halloween on the 30th? My kids now get to go out two nights (aunt's house the second night). Just what we need is more candy!

Going to class

I am fortunate to supervise several great teachers who make their subjects come alive. Their understanding of their subject and how to best get their students engaged in the subject. Teaching is not the singular challenge of instructions in the traditional form; adult standing in front of students and students soaking everything in that the teacher says.

The world is different today and therefor we are different. The work that teachers do today has to be different than ever before. For those who are doing the same thing as 20 or even 10 years ago, they have missed out on so many changes, so much progress and a higher level of understanding of adolescence. The good news is that teachers are always improving and keeping up with the newest research and teaching strategies.

So I get to go into classrooms and learn the best lessons. Whether it is a lesson on photo realism or a chance to see students present their best work in front of their classmates, I feel lucky to learn all I do. I wonder if I was 12 or 13 today, how different I would be. I guess I should keep going to class.

Beautiful Sunday

With the election just over a week away and the economy struggling to right itself, our thoughts are diverted from all the importance of relaxation and refocusing. Well I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy a real gem late in October. I spent 4 hours on the golf course today and enjoyed a warm wind and few good shots. Soon there won't be these days of sun and warmth and I will need to find another way to prepare for a work week. For all of us, we need a way to get away from the routine of work and school. To rejuvenate is to succeed through our week.

Fall in NH

The crisp of the air makes me shudder with the prospect of winter around the corner. But then I look around at the trees and the blue sky and I forget the upcoming winter. It is a great time to live in NH.

School is settling into that nice routine where students get a great deal done. Missing the beach and the family vacation has long left the thoughts of our students and the challenges of school are undertaken with great zeal.

Teachers are trying new ideas and improving the tried and true ones. The use of technology is everywhere and the commitment to good instruction is evident.

PE is outside and students move quickly to stay warm. Why don't they wear sweatpants or even coats to school? Oh to be young again!


It really is great to be in NH in the fall.

First Time Blogging

So here goes... This is my first time blogging and I am not quite sure what to make of it. I guess this serves as several things for me. First, it is my technology goal as the Principal of Rye Junior High School. I asked all my staff to come up with a technology goal for the year and so here is mine. Second, my Principal's Message on the RJH website has been lacking lately. I am hoping this will be an active and vibrant message that is changing. Third, RJH has been engaged in Rachel's Challenge which includes 5 Challenges for all students to undertake. I think the hardest one to do for me has been to "Keep a Journal." I hope this can be my journal. A journal I can share with you. So, this is pretty important for me to do and to stay with.

So here are my first thoughts, not related to school. This could a good World Series despite the fact that the Yankees nor the Red Sox are involved. The Rays are a great story and the Phillies have held off the Mets, the Brewers and the Dodgers (even with Manny!). I hope it goes seven games and we have some moments to remember. Baseball in October and November is always exciting.

So now, I am going to go and find some things to spruce this thing up and try to make it look like I know what I am doing.

Mr. Pollet