I hate to admit it but I am a Facebook junky. I spend some time at the end of my day scrolling through the posts of friends and family members to see what they are thinking and doing as a way to wind down. I don’t post a whole lot myself and really respect people who inform their Facebook community that they are taking a break from the app to engage in the real world. I often save memes and quotes on my cellphone from different posts that I find inspiring. As I was reflecting on what to write for this School Bell article, it occurred to me it might be interesting to share with you the memes and quotes I have saved from Facebook. You might get to know me a bit better from reading what I have saved as these words reflect what I value and think is important. Here is just a sampling:
Meme 1: School Custodian: The quiet hero of the school. They are always the first to arrive each day, clean up messes no one dares to touch and befriend everyone that passes by. Teresa Kwant
Meme 2: Out of the public school grows the greatness of a nation. Mark Twain
Meme 3: One athlete of character will improve a team. One team of character will improve a school. One school of character can impact an entire community.
Meme 4: The kind of teacher you will become is directly related to the kind of teachers you associate with. Teaching is a profession where misery does more than just love company- it recruits, seduces, and romances it. Avoid people who are unhappy and disgruntled about the possibilities for transforming education. They are the enemy of the spirit of the teacher.
Meme 5: Most people don’t realize that special education teachers are really angels disguised as extraordinary humans.
Meme 6: No one should ever think that dance and music and theater are a luxury… because for so many of our students, they are truly necessities. They’re the reason these kids show up to school. Michelle Obama
Meme 7: Mathematics may not teach us how to add love or subtract hate, but it gives us every reason to hope that every problem has a solution!
Meme 8: When our little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it’s our job to share our calm… not to join in their chaos. FB/MyDayMyWay
Meme 9: It is easier to build strong children that to repair broken men. Frederick Douglass
Meme 10: If we expect students to be kind, we need to be kind adults. If we expect students to be cooperative, we need to be cooperative adults. If we expect students to be responsible, we need to be responsible adults. Model. Model. Model. Lisa Romano
(Note: I have given credit to the authors of the memes or quotes if they were provided.)
I challenge each of you to look at the memes and quotes you have saved. Why you ask? Because what we feed our mind, influences how we act. As Laozi, the ancient Chinese philosopher, stated: “Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habit.” And, let’s never forget that our children are always watching our words, our actions, and our habits.
If you have any questions or comments about the information and opinions expressed in this edition of The School Bell, please contact Cindy Zahrte, District Administrator, at cindyzahrte@tomah.education or 374-7002.