3 weeks

There are 3 weeks and counting until Winter Break, and we are all excited to wrap up our 1st semester of this school year. The next few weeks will be busy with many holiday events: concerts, dances, and parties. Our students are working hard to prepare for their final exams, and teachers are busy finalizing grades. It is the most wonderful time of the year, and I look forward to all of the upcoming events! Stay Ranger Strong.

My Many Blessings

It is Thanksgiving week, and as I prepare for the arrival of my family, my Thanksgiving meal, and Black Friday, I want to take a breath and remind myself to be grateful for the many blessings in my life. As I count the many blessings I have been given, I always include my students at DMS. They give me hope for the future, and they remind me everyday about the power of education. I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your time with your many blessings! :o)

Fear

I have been asked many times what my greatest fear is. I usually grimace and say, "Snakes!" However, if I am to truly reflect on this question, my answer would have to be, "My greatest fear is that something would happen to my children that either compromises their quality of life or causes them to be taken from me." Yesterday, I learned that "my children" extend to my students and faculty, and it would devastate me if something terrible were to happen to any of them. As I ponder this further, I have to ask the question: is fear necessarily a bad thing? I suppose in the context of using fear to exert power over another person, it is bad, but there are circumstances where fear is a good thing. It is my fear of snakes that reminds me to wear long pants and boots when I go hiking in the woods. It is my fear that something will happen to my children that causes me to know who their friends are, to know where they are going, to know phone numbers and addresses of their acquaintances, and to make sure they wear a seat belt and check the safety of their car. It is also my fear of something happening to my students and teachers that causes me to pause and reflect on procedures that keep them safe. We often have the mentality that something terrible can't happen to me, and then we are shocked when it happens to someone we know. What happened yesterday at school reminded me that there is evil in the world, and we can not be complacent when it comes to school safety. So, I will keep that fear with me to remind me of everyone that is trusted into my care and to never take their safety for granted.

8th grade field trips

8th grade field trips were amazing today--our students really made me proud by their exemplary behavior visiting St. Edward's University, University of Texas, and Southwestern University. We have remarkable young men and women at DMS, and I they give me great hope for our future!

Veteran's Day

My dad was born in 1928, he was second to the youngest of 13 children. He was 12 years old when his older brother joined the navy and was stationed at Pearl Harbor. My dad, who grew up extremely poor and never went anywhere, once told me that he was so jealous that his brother got to "see the world and have fun hanging out in Hawaii." On December 7, my uncle was on the USS Oklahoma when Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan. (My uncle survived, but he really never talked about that day.) My dad wanted desperately to join the war, so at 16, he quit school, lied about his age, and joined the navy. Although he never saw a battle like Pearl Harbor, he proudly served our country for 6 years. He came home to a country that was proud of him, but without an education, he never found a solid career. My father-in-law, a college graduate and a father of 2 small children, was drafted at the age of 25 to serve in Vietnam. He was a canine handler, and he and his dog were trained to seek out "boobie traps" before sending troops in to an unknown territory. He saved hundreds of lives. He came home to a country that was divided by war, and he was not celebrated as the hero that he was. He missed 4 years of his young children's lives. My son joined the army because he didn't like college. He was chosen for military intelligence, and he currently seeks out terrorists' cells. I haven't seen him in a year, and I haven't heard his voice since Mother's Day. He still has another year before he finishes his commitment. My sister's husband was recently deployed to a clinic in Egypt where they send wounded soldiers from Afghanistan. He is a medic in the Army National Guard, and this is his 3rd deployment in 4 years. My 4 year old niece and my 2 year old nephew tell me every day how much they miss their daddy, and my sister has had to raise her children pretty much alone. I am proud of all these men, but their service to our country as come at personal costs to their families. Every day I can say that I don't agree with our government, or I can protest some new law. I can choose where I live, own a gun, raise my children in my religious preference, read uncensored literature, attend school, earn a living in a profession of my choice, travel, and do countless other things that I take for granted. We say that we are proud to be Americans, and we enjoy our freedom, but do we really understand what that means? Do we really appreciate all that we have in this country? Do we really acknowledge the men and women that serve in our armed forces every day to secure our way of life? So as we celebrate Veteran's Day, I challenge all of us to thank our country's heroes--the men and women who leave their families to serve our country. I challenge us to not just thank them on November 11th but to thank them every day. It is their sacrifice that keeps us from having to sacrifice our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Ahhh November

This morning I woke up, and it was 51 degrees outside. I am so excited to see the cold front move into our area because it reminds me that it is November. The month of October is done and is now a memory, and November brings a new energy to the school as we prepare for the upcoming holidays. This Friday is the end of the 2nd six weeks, and now we begin the shortest six weeks of the school year--it is only 5 weeks and 2 days! This six weeks will go by so quickly, and before we know it, it will be time for winter break. Our last volleyball game is this week, and Ranger football will be a memory after next week. Fall is almost complete, and soon we will be in the middle of basketball season. This time of the year goes by so quickly, so I for one will take time to enjoy this month. In fact, I can't wait to hit Starbuck's tomorrow and have my first hot chocolate of the season! Before I close, I need to give a special "shout out" to my 6th grade students for winning the spirit contest at the pep rally last Friday! The 6th graders rocked the house, and I am so proud of them for being Ranger Strong! :o)