There are times in life when we need to be reminded that life can be full of joy. As I attend lots of events on and off campus for our students, I have the honor of watching parents witness the joy of their child finding true joy in their activities. During this last week, there were several major events when I saw pure joy. After watching our fall play performance of “Once in A Lifetime”, I was able to visit with parents at the conclusion. The excitement and pride shown by the parents of actors, make-up artists, stage hands, and lighting folks was truly tangible. While congratulating our senior football players and parents before our last home game, the smiles, hugs, handshakes, and tears were the culmination of a joint venture between child, parents and coaches. As I watched our band perform at the State Marching Contest, our parents had brilliance in their eyes. At the conclusion of our last volleyball playoff game, there was a connection between parents and players that contained hundreds of emotions in a simple 3 to 5 second glance. As I visited with our PTO Executive Council on Monday afternoon, all of the parents had similar stories of emotions of joy during this first part of the school year, whether they were talking about choir, orchestra, cross country, TEC Crew, Robotics, etc. This district is special for the lifetime of memories we can create together in shared experiences. One of these shared experiences is Live Oak. My twin daughters attended Live Oak this week, and we are still discussing the events of the week. There is joy in these stories. I am including a couple of shots from this experience to remind us this week that our kids can bring us instant joy through their simple joy. The Westlake difference can be summed up by Reese’s statement on catching this fish, which is one of many she has caught during her lifetime: “Yeah Dad, I know we have caught fish before but this fish is from Live Oak. My friends saw me catch this one. My teachers saw me catch this one.” Never underestimate the strength of this district and the “joys” that may come along at any moment. Our community of students, teachers and parents is special. We continue to send you thoughts about resiliency this week as well. It's always a great day to be a Chaparral! Parents and Teachers of the Middles and Chaps:
As parents, we all struggle with the digital age and the impact technology can have on our children. Children learn self-management skills and resiliency by having the opportunity to think for themselves. Julie Lythcott-Haims notes in her book, How to Raise an Adult, parents who over-monitor their child’s grades electronically may possibly miss out on opportunities to teach children how to think for themselves, and/or take responsibility for their actions (Lythcott-Haims, 2015). Media Rules: Healthy Connections in the Digital Age is a parent education event that was held at Stanford University. A full recording of the event is available on YouTube. This article offers parents “specific advice on how to navigate the media revolution”.
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Steve Ramsey: WHS Principal BlogPrincipal's Weekly Reflections Archives
May 2019
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