Lessons Learned

There is something calming about the woods. My greatest childhood moments were walking through the few acres of secondary growth maples, pin oaks and pines adjacent to my parents yard. An area simply known as “The Woods” if you grew up in the near by neighborhood. Something calms me when I am in the woods. My continuously racing mind slows. My over stimulated senses release and refocus. The changing pattern of the woods limits your vision to your immediate surroundings. The woods makes the business of daily life seems like its miles away. For an Audubon Christmas Bird count, my son walked through the woods with temperatures below zero. The briskness of the air burned the inside of my nose. The snow turning the brown forest floor into a bright white blanket. Something special about the snow covered woods. On a Scout Hike, we left the parking area with temperatures in the eighties to enter into an old growth envelope of green. The temperature dropped. Shade is the greatest...

Nurturing an Eagle's Heart August, 2007 I was once a little boy in my Cub Scout Uniform. My mom held my hand as I crossed the street. She nurtured and loved my tender heart. I am now a young man in a Boy Scout uniform. My mom's hand pinned on my Eagle Scout Medal. Her touch is always kind and caring. My mom taught me by example. My mom showed me how to treat others. My mom taught me the most important lessons. My mom taught me to be: LOYAL to my family and friends; HELPFUL and to do things willingly for others; FRIENDLY and respectful of everyone; COURTEOUS by using good manners; and to be KIND by treating others with care, I love my caring mom. I am now a young man in a Boy Scout Uniform I am no longer a little boy whose hand she holds. I am a young man whose heart she nurtures and loves. -Richard Doyt Oxley, Eagle Scout

How Can I help you? How can I help you? Compassionate, empathetic teachers intuitively ask this question. School supplies, a warm coat, or snack is bought with their own resources because no child should be without. Time before school, during lunch or after school is routinely volunteered to help a struggling child. Teachers help even if they are not asked. How can I help you? is a question asked thousands of times by a teacher we affectionately call “Mother Theresa.” Each year a young adult stands in my office asking if they can visit their former teacher. Where once stood a scared or struggling child now stands a confident young adult. They come back to share their latest accomplishment, their fiancé or a new baby. She greets them with the same smile they fondly remember from their fifth grade teacher. “How can I help you?” is a question Mrs. Miller-Wiard asked a young lady this week. Her tender heart let go of the burden as she told her teacher “my mo...

Humor – Lost – Resilience My heart ached as my secretary shared that Dalton and Laurie’s mom passed away on Good Friday. I just talked to her a few days ago. Death has a way of bringing back emotions from previous experiences. My sorrow was compounded by the fact that for the second time in my career students found their mom dead. Children don’t deserve such a terrible burden. Laurie lights up a room with and endless smile and a radiant personality. She enjoys life to it’s fullest. Eager to learn, Laurie strives to do her best. Laurie’s deep marble blue eyes sparkle as she dances around with endless energy. Dalton is a Clevelander. Our first conversation was about the Indian’s trading C.C. and debating if Grady should bat lower in the line-up. Dalton is a wisecracking knucklehead with strong skills in building friendships with kids and adults. Dalton is “all boy” and because he is “all boy” he is familiar with my office. I knew our staff would ...

“Do Your Duty” Dear Brothers: Larry believed in the “old ways” and would be pleased that a “band of brothers” served as his pallbearers. I can see him nodding his head in agreement that a friend, a son, his son-laws, and most importantly his grandsons escorted him with honor and grace. Larry would not want a frilly epitaph on his tombstone. A physical memorial is something he would consider to be frivolous. Larry was a working-family man who would want his “band of brothers” to carry on his “old-ways” legacy. A legacy of “doing your duty” that he learned from his father and the men of influence in his life. A legacy of: Working hard: Larry would not want to be remembered as a manager. He was first and foremost a worker. When I first met him, he worked at MFG, cleaned offices, and mowed lawns. He knew the only way a man makes a life for his family is to work hard. Practicing self-reliance: Larry was a working-class kid who knew that the only wa...

Bring on the Rain “I wouldn’t want your job” is a comment I hear often. Why would anyone want to be a principal? A principal works in a constant “storm” of chaos, crises, and conflicting demands that makes the job feel like your steering a sailboat through an Atlantic Ocean northeaster. But I like the “rain and wind. “ I don’t know if I could work in calm waters. Jo de Messina sings, “Tomorrows another day, I am not afraid, so bring on the rain”. I could not agree more. I am confidant in stating bring on the rain because I am not alone. My sailboat has a crew of teachers, staff, and community members who weather the storm to “be there.” We are there to feed the hungry and cloth the cold. We are there to comfort the hurting. We are there to shelter the abandoned. We are there to encourage and challenge. We are there to hold them as they cry. We are there to recognize their achievement. We are there to teach character and connect feelings...

Note: I have been blessed in my life to know a number of autistic children and adults who teach me more than I will teach them. The following is a reflection of my friend Walt. I ask simply that you read my simple words and share an awareness of the gifts offered by special needs adults and children. An old timer declared through his crooked smile that a wise man listens longer than a person speaks. I must admit I didn't truly completely understand what he was saying until I met Walt. Walt is a tool guy. He uses his skills to turn scrape materials into things important to him. Walt sees usefulness where others see waste. Trash day is one of Walt's favorite days of the week. He acquires toys or tools. He cleans and repairs them adding value before selling. When most people work to get paid, Walt understands that you get paid for adding value to a product, service or organization. Walt is a person of his word. He doesn't have an agenda or say something with dual meanings....