Lessons Learned

  I am Ok A former Manor student, from 20 years ago, made contact today. Every few years, he reaches out to let me know that he is ok and I am always thankful.  His life was never a joyful journey.  He did not have a childhood. He had a survivor-hood. Homelessness and struggling mental health are part of his journey, but today he is ok.  He is stable.  He has a place to live. He has food. He is ok.  He shared that he finds hope that when he struggled as a student that his teachers and one old principal always loved him and never gave up on him.  This is his anchor when the storm of mental health swirls.  I shared with my friend not to worry about his past  but to focus on where he is going.  He shared back, “If it is to be; it is up to me. They do remember our words.  I will always be thankful that former students reach out and make contact.  Sometimes to share joy.  Sometimes for support and direction. Sometimes just to l...

  My liberal friends think that I am conservative. My conservative friends think that I am a liberal.  The word friends is the key word in both statements. I appreciate and benefit from the  perspectives of my friends especially when their insights challenge my thinking. Sometimes, my friends and I find common ground. Other times, we just agree that we are friends with different perspectives.  I do not feel that I have a right to change the thinking of my friends and I appreciate that my friends do not attempt to change my views. We have dialogue. We discuss issues that impact us without hate. A person is entitled to think in a way that represents their values. My friends and I worry less about what divides us and more about what unites us. We are Americans with different views. We have faith, but may worship differently. We care about our families and friends. What unites us is stronger than our differences.  I truly appreciate my diverse group of friends....

Most of my 30 years in education was spent serving students in Title I schools. Title I schools have high percentages of students receiving federal free and reduced lunch.. Many students coming from homes that are proud but struggle to meet the basic needs of a family. Some students are not coming from supportive homes. These are my kids. We take care of our students. No kid goes with out. In return, we are rewarded by kids who inspire adults. Today, I am a proud princ ipal. Each year Columbus Children's Theater conducts a writing project. Over 1,000 entries are received from Ohio elementary students and only 20 are selected annually to be turned into skits which are then performed through out Ohio by the Columbus Children' s Theater touring company. Our schools students writing has been selected 12 of the past 13 years. Today, we learned two fifth grade students stories were selected. I cried when I learned that AK's story was selected. The odds are stacked up...

On a warm summer night, I sat at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario eating a hot dog with  ballpark mustard and cheering on the pride of Cleveland. The sounds of whipping balls and cracked bats were met with the cheers of “Let's go Tribe”!   The humid lake shore summer air was a balance of downward sorrow and uplifting hope. Baseball is a game of overcoming the grind and keeping hope alive when your back is against the wall. A Tribe pitcher, Carlos “Cookie” Carrasco, had his back put against the wall earlier in the summer with a diagnosis of cancer.   Cookie would endure chemotherapy in the morning, rest, and be at home games in the evening to support his teammates. He continued to train to prepare for the day when he would return to toe the rubber and throw his fireball past an opposing batter. Cookie, the father of five, was in the fight of his life. Northeast Ohioians from around the nation rallied to have his back. “I Stand with Cookie” s...

Gone Fishing A good man went fishing today. Picking up his rod and tackle, he walked the uphill path. Through the green tunnel of the old growth hardwood forest, Skeet could hear the rippling brook and see the light at the end the path. A good man was going fishing. He waded into rejuvenating water and cast his line skipping the fly into the still pool behind a rugged boulder. The streams’s cascading waters returning balance to his stance. A forgotten pep returned to his step as he waded along the rocks of the bubbling flow. The effects of aging washing away and youth returning to his footing and gait. As the warm sun peeked above the hardwood and cedar tree tops, a familiar silhouette appeared at the ox bow bend. Skeet rubbed his eyes and a smiled erupted across his face. There was a familiar fisherman on the water today. Decades of spring thaws have come and gone since he cast a line with the man on the river. Skeet was a young man again. He ran through the co...

The Ashtabula Harbor break-wall has stood strong since 1905. Battered by winter storms and summer thunderstorms that old break-wall stands strong protecting the Harbor.  Never moving, never surrendering,  the break-wall perseveres.   The older I get the more I understand the symbolism of that old break-wall. We all get battered from the storm of life from time to time. We catch a big wave and we can take on water.  Life just has stormy periods. We have our personal break-walls that stand to protect us from the storms of life. T he big stones of our personal break-walls are called family and friends.  Sometimes a stranger stands with us like a guardian from heaven.  Friends, families, and strangers often stand with us and most often in front of us as we weather the storm. I know that I am blessed with family and friends who sheltered me when the storm thundered and the waves crashed.  They held me up when I was stumbling.  Friends and...