Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. ~Robert Frost
Week 31 in Review
It’s April Fool’s Day. What an excellent day to talk about rumors. Actually, one could almost say this is the season for rumors. Rumors about Prom. Rumors about people we work with. Rumors about rules. Rumors about elections. After hearing too many rumors and reading several interesting quotes about rumors, I guess I can see that rumors are timeless. Some actually really are, but what I am referring to here is rumor telling. I think Benjamin Franklin said it best when he said, “I resolve to speak ill of no man whatever, not even in a matter of truth; but rather by some means excuse the faults I hear charged upon others, and upon proper occasions speak all the good I know of everybody.” Mr. Franklin was a wise man. We should take heed. I know that when I hold others up, I feel better. Imagine what would happen if we joined together to hold each other up during this crazy season? It’s definitely the road less traveled by. I’ve heard it can make all the difference. 
And so, rumors and fool’s day aside, I feel this is the “proper occasion” to share with you feedback from the UMKC consultants who were at Benton on Friday to complete a pre-assessment of our school. It’s always interesting to hear what outsiders see and say about us when they visit our classrooms and with our staff. Some of what they shared was what I think we already knew – our data teams work is solid, but we have areas we can focus on to improve for next year. But what really grabbed them by surprise was how incredibly polite and friendly our school was. From teachers to students, they were amazed at our climate. And they felt it from the moment they entered the building and were greeted by our student at the tech help desk. They said everyone was kind and welcoming, no matter where they went. I guess I acted surprised by their comments, because they said I should tell our staff that very few schools they have worked with were like us. They said our kids were really amazing – going to class, greeting visitors, working on their studies. They said our staff was happy, joked with each other, and spoke so positively about our school. Talk about spreading the word! We have worked on improving climate for years.
It’s great to have an outside source voice what we would probably not know in our own trench. Our relationships are good, but we all know on our journey toward excellence that we can and should be better. I think Benjamin Franklin may just have the shocking key in his words of wisdom. It’s a short week this week. What positive difference will you make?
Week 32 – A Look Ahead
Hold onto your kites, friends. Short week or not, it’s a powerful time. Monday – Benton staff election rally, 3:00-5:00 p.m. at Hoof & Horn. Please drop in to rally and snack on hors d’oeuvres provided by your ever-grateful administration and our dear friend Roy, owner of the Hoof. It’s a great time to take a minute and bond. This election is for us. Tuesday – Make sure you remember to send kids to CAMP Congress, support students in ACT Academy and vote (please).Wednesday – Early Out – CAMP lunch (please send in your order)
~Excellence is a journey, not a destination.~
Images available in CC from Flickr: “Enchanted Wood” by Skinnyde; “Key 3” by ~Brenda-Starr~; “Draken-Kite” by Gertrud K.