A BIG WEEK:  WORLD SERIES, HALLOWEEN, and ELECTION DAY!

WORLD SERIES

It has been no secret that this principal has been rooting for the Giants to win the World Series.  What might surprise you…until about a month ago, I couldn’t have told you the name of one of the players.  In fact, when recently purchasing my Giants gear to offer my allegiance to this team, I purposefully didn’t select anything that identified a specific individual because if doing so, I wanted to be able to justify my endorsement.  Seven games later…I now know many of the player’s names, have learned terms like “tagging up,” and consider myself a fan that will pay much closer attention to all of next season.

So what was the tipping point?  What captivated me and brought me into Giants’ spirit?  Without hesitation, the ENERGY and PASSION of our students, families, and staff.  It wasn’t just from our diehard Giants fans, it came also from those rooting for the Royals.  Some of our youngest Eagles that were cheering for Kansas City taught me some great baseball trivia.  What tickled my heart most was their willingness to walk their own path by wearing blue on a day when many were covered in orange/black and their joyful smiles as they boasted with pride over their wins. 

In last night’s 7^th game, as I sat beside my daughters in the bottom of the 9^th inning, 2 outs, Bumgarner pitching (2-2 count), the Royals’ crowd going crazy…I couldn’t help but think of our Almond children and learning.  I marveled at the mental stamina that all the players needed to have to make it through that moment.  On the mound, Madison had to tune out all the noise, calm his own thoughts, believe in his abilities and fight through the pain of 5 innings ontop of 117 Game 5 pitches to...deliver excellence.  Catching, Posey had to keep laser focused for anything that came his way.  The infielders and outfielders needed to work as a team to ensure that Gordon, on 3^rd base, didn’t come home.  The end result, Perez hit a pop up in foul territory, Sandoval got into position and caught it to end the game.  Why think of learning at this time?  Because in order to be the best at something (as these gentlemen have all become), one must intertwine both PASSION and DEDICATION. Yes, there is an element of natural talent, but that goes nowhere without the hard work that accompanies it.  Whether our children become famous athletes, brilliant surgeons, renown engineers, selfless public servants (and more), they must LOVE what they do and WORK HARD to become the very best at what they ultimately choose to dedicate their professional lives to.

HALLOWEEN

Our staff has dedicated their lives to serving the learning of children and the families who support them.  At today’s Halloween Carnival you may not recognize some of them because some will be dawning pirate costumes.  Why?

In September, at the LASD hosted EdSummit learning conference, many Almond teachers had the great pleasure of hearing Dave Burgess, author of TEACH like a PIRATE.  With humor and an unmistakable zeal for his craft of teaching, he shared ways to increase student engagement (interest in learning) through out of the box thinking.  At the very end of his workshop he talked about how he drives some people crazy while he brainstorms ideas with them and asks detailed questions like, “when the students come in your classroom are the lights going to be on or off?”  That seems so trivial, but he argues that you must give a high degree of attention to absolutely every aspect of your lesson to ensure it’s engaging.  In that exact moment, after being in education for 19 years, all of a sudden I understood who I was and why I do what I do.  “Aye matey,  I am a pirate to my core!”  That’s why I dress up at Friday assemblies, that’s why I build ball pits, that’s why I incorporate music in my messaging that I’m passionate about, that’s why I think about how to support staff, students and families at 4am in the morning.

Neither David Burgess, nor myself, are referring to pirates that wreak havoc through robbing and pillaging ships.  No, we’re talking about the adventurous, risk taking spirit that pirate characters are known for and their unyielding quest to discover treasure and enjoy life.  In TEACH like a PIRATE, PIRATE is an acronym for Passion, Immersion, Rapport, Ask/Analyze, Transformation, Enthusiasm.  By combining these elements into our practice as educators, we can revolutionize learning for children.

Almond School is full of pirates.  Be sure to catch a glimpse of them at today’s Halloween Carnival.  Our staff brings their passions to their classrooms/campus, they allow the noise of the world to blur and hyper-focus on the present moment of meeting the needs of the children in front of them, they build relationships to deepen the educational experience for our youth, they incorporate questions and curiosity into their work, their rooms transform into hypothetical rivers where they test the strength of levees and dams, and they do it all with gusto.  Thank you Almond staff!  It is my pleasure to live the pirate life alongside you!

ELECTION DAY

While the life of a fictional pirate is full of adventure and at times involves creative interpretation of rules, our reality-based American society has structures in place to ensure that we work together as effective crewmates to navigate our many ships and journeys. 

Next Tuesday, November 4^th, is our day to exercise our rights as United States citizens to vote.  We are a very fortunate society to have the opportunity to have our opinions and beliefs factored into the outcomes of our elected officials and the various measures and initiatives that impact our daily lives.  Let us hold this privilege sacred and honor it by ensuring that we make it to that ballot box to have our voice counted.  I invite you to talk with your children about the various choices you’ll be making and what has lead you to your ultimate decisions.