Monday, March 16, 2015

Why You NEVER Give Up on a Kid

I am sure you are expecting me to write about how I was able to be outside on St. Patrick's parade day in just jeans and a shirt but then had to use the snow blower the next day. However, I wouldn't bore you with those details....

Never Give Up: The best part of parade day for me was running into six of our graduates, who let's say got more familiar with my office than most of the other students. The first thing they did was reach out to shake my hand and then proceeded to talk over each other about how well they are doing now. They apologized for being "knuckleheads" when they were in school and thanked me for never giving up on them. I told them that I was so happy to have run into them and that they should be proud of themselves for where they are today.

Those students received consequences for their actions while they were in school but at the same time no one gave up on these kids and they were not allowed to give up on themselves. Seeing them on Saturday and knowing that they "made it" and are going to be successful, just continues to validate for me why you should NEVER give up on a student, no matter what!

West Genny Freshman is a National Champion: Congratulations to freshman runner, Carly Benson. She is the Indoor Track National Freshman Mile Champion! I have said it once, and I will say it again, we could all be following a future Olympian. By no means do I mention this to add any pressure to her. Carly works hard, still finds time to enjoy life, and is very grounded. Those are some of the ingredients needed to become an elite, high level athlete. Congratulations!

Talking to Government Students: This week I will be speaking with seniors in their Participation in Government courses, which is time that is well spent. I really enjoy having adult conversations with students who are only a few months from graduation.

Thank you for your continued support and enjoy the week!

Chris