I work at the BEST school ever ...

I really do believe that I work at the best school in the entire world. We're a family. We support each other. We hang out together. We all really do love each other. It's a happy place to be. Yes, we've had a lot of new (and old) things thrown at us this year, but we stick together through it all.

We also have an amazing administration who supports us through anything. I wanted to share this email from one of our assistant principals that we received tonight.

How awesome is he?

--------------------

The following is a public service message:

All hard working and dedicated teachers, please read the following. I am very worried about you Mr./Ms./Mrs. Hardworkingdedicatedteacher. You always do your job to the utmost of your ability, no matter how hard, no matter how long it takes. You are always reading way too much into emails, directives, and requirements. You always take low scoring kids and make them show high growth on their EOC. And, every year, you always believe that you can't do that again. You always ask me questions about the proper way to evacuate during a fire drill, or apologize to me for asking me to do my job and send in a work order. When Ms. Owens wants it turned in on Friday, you hand it in, perfectly completed, on Wednesday and apologize that you didn't hand it in on Tuesday, You volunteer to do traffic duty every year just to be helpful to me, You always believe that every admonition from the administration is about you when you are, in fact, an exemplar of the right way to do things, You donate money to everyone who is out of work for medical reasons, And, you bring a wheel barrow full of artifacts to your post conferences.

You are also always here late at night and on weekends: running copies, grading papers, coaching, doing laundry, watching film, putting up posters, mowing fields, pressure washing, waiting for kids rides to show up, drilling cadets, arranging classroom seating, working on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, picking up after kids, scheduling events, creating a yearbook, directing a musical rehearsal, feeding animals, running a dramatic production, watering plants, blowing entire Saturdays at tournaments and contests, putting up decorations, planning trips, driving activity buses, counseling kids, planning an art show, re-imaging computers, holding club meetings, filling out DECs 1-225, researching a new website, painting murals, and taking up tickets at ball games.

In short, you Mr./Ms./Mrs. Hardworkingdedicatedteacher, are a wonderful employee. You are a major reason why Northwest is so great. However, your inner drive to do everything perfectly, is slowly killing you. More specifically, your desire to perfectly complete the new teacher evaluation, TeachScape, new EC Read Aloud requirements, a mentoring program, counting money 25 times and signing your life away when you take up tickets at a ball game (Which, by the way, you always volunteer for), PLCs, Parent emails (Email is a boon to cowards. It makes people who wouldn't normally complain feel brave and fiercely complain.) and the Marzano strategies is actually killing your morale. My advice to you folks is to lighten up a little. You are far too valuable to this school, and these kids to get burned out and leave the profession. Ask McKinney, or Hardin, or Patterson, or Basinger, or Vernon, or Sloop, or White, or Proffitt. They'll all say "This too shall pass." Do a good job, and do what is right. However, don't stress yourself out over these things. It isn't worth losing you over.

In keeping with tradition, the NCHS STAFF is, by far, the best staff in this system, making NCHS the best school. As a token of her appreciation, our leader Ms. Rhymer, (There really should be an equestrian statue of her out front.) will be providing you with some food tomorrow:

During the PLC training you will be provided with drinks and snacks.

For lunch there will be pizza, salad, dessert and drinks in the downstairs office conference room. (The hall door will be unlocked).

Treats, made by our own OCS program, will be in your mailboxes.

On Friday, the PTSA will be serving BO-Berry Biscuits in the teacher workroom.

It isn't much, but it is all presented to you with love, admiration, and respect.

Regardless of how the public treats us, we do one of the most important jobs there is. Hold your head high. You are a teacher at the greatest high school in the World. Hooyah.

JV

----------------------

Love my school!

---------------------

Also, here is a reply we got from a veteran teacher:

I was told when I first began teaching in 1981 that there were 3 things that every true teacher must possess: the heart of a child, the mind of a scholar and the skin of a rhinoceros! The most valuable is the "heart". Without thick skin, you just get wounded, but you will recover. Without a sharp mind, you just appear stupid, but you will live through the humiliation. Without your "HEART", you can not survive.