Endurance is defined as the fact or power of enduring or bearing pain, hardship.  The second definition is the ability or strength to continue to last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions, stamina.  This is the time of year when the stress can cause you to question if you can make it to June 10^th.  Some of you might also wonder why you do what you do and if you might have missed your calling.  This is a natural place to be.  When stress invades your world, things seem to be lined up against you.  Stress can cause your view to become warped and view life as something you have to battle instead of something you have control of.

I encourage you to take on a spirit of endurance these next few weeks.  Athletes train to have endurance and I feel that top teachers do as well.  These professional teachers have an arsenal of exercises that have strengthened their endurance and they are able to thrive during the last weeks of a school year.

Want to endure and thrive? Here’s Three Easy Steps to Endure the Next Seven Weeks:

1. Take Time For You: So, take one day a week to NOT work from home.  How about truly taking a Saturday for yourself and /or your family? No Facebook responses to parents/co-workers, no papers to grade, no reading about  Behavior Management Plans or How to Deal With A Difficult Co-Worker.  Just time to replenish your spirit and soul.
2.   Focus on the BIG GOAL: Where do you want your students to be on June 10^th?  What accomplishments can you celebrate this year that your couldn’t last year or even earlier this school year.  Rest in that and continue to move forward and run your race.  Those moments will come when you don’t perform as expected and you do not measure up.  But rest assured that if you keep your “eyes on the prize” you will endure those moments and be a better teacher because of the struggle.
3.  Remember the Past:  Each of us have had disappointments and received news that basically said to you that the dreams, goals and desires you have in your life had to wait or were denied.  Hopefully you didn’t give up and those delayed blessings came to you later or in an entirely different form.  As a wise school counselor shares with me often, the best predictor of future behavior is someone’s past behavior.  Look back at those moments where endurance paid off and use those opportunities to remind yourself that if it happened before it can happen again.

Thank you again for all you do and I wish you an awesome week.

Angela

Week of April 25-29, 2016

Monday, April 25

• Mid Term Grades are due at 8:00 AM! No Exceptions.
•  One on One Meetings with Homeroom Teachers; Please see email for your time.  You’ll need to bring anything we discussed at our last meeting (if you had an assignment to bring something to the meeting).
•  Staff Meeting at 3:30

Tuesday, April 26

•  Arts PLC at 1:45

Wednesday, April 27

• Math PLC K/1: 10-11; 4^th-6^th: 11-12; 2^nd and 3^rd: 12:15-1:15
•   IS for WCL/Drama: 1:45-2:45
• Department Chair Mtg at 3:30

Thursday, April 28

• EC PLC at 12:00
• IS for V. Arts/ Music at 1:45-2:45
• SST Mtg. at 3:30

Friday, April 29

•  Progress Reports Issued
•  IS for Media Arts/ Dance at 1:45-2:45

Next Week:

EOG Administrator Training on Monday, May 2 at 3:30

EOG Pep Rally on Tuesday, May 3^rd at 2:30.