Two Game Changers I learned from the Google Pre-Certification Bootcamp

#1 Get the Chrome Extention called tab cloud.  It lets you open up a series of tabs that you might need all at once and save them.  Then with one click on the tab you can open all of those tabs at the same time. (Yay!)

#2 Command+F for mac users.  This allows you to search for something on a web page. Click anywhere on the page. Hit Command+F and a search box will appear.  You can then type what you are looking for in the search box and it will find everywhere that word appears on the web page.  No more mindless scrolling reading every single word until you find your answer. (Love It!)

I Knew I Liked Abe Lincoln!

As I sat in the doctor's office with my floppy, ear piercingly loud, coughing, sniffling child my eyes wandered around the tiny room and landed on the small framed piece of artwork that read: "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." -Abraham Lincoln

I thought to myself, "What a fitting place to post such a quote." When I was angry because our appointment was at 1:45 and it was 3:30 and we still hadn't seen the doctor, I chose to be happy. When they asked us if we would rather see a nurse practitioner because the doctor is soooo far behind, I chose to be happy. When my son was "wollering" all over the table and rolling around in the chair that I told him ninety-five times was designated for the doctor only, I chose to be happy...... happy that I have my son and husband, happy that we are healthy, despite a cold now and then, happy that we live in a country where we can choose to say and do pretty much whatever we want because of people like Abraham Lincoln.

That night I pulled out the picture that I took of the piece of artwork and read Abraham Lincoln's words again..... Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be..... "Wow!" I thought. This quote is so powerful and so relevant to many aspects of my life.

As my husband and I were driving my son to school yesterday, he was complaining to us how things just weren't going his way and he wished that he could wait until Monday and start school, I pulled out the picture and read the quote to him..... Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.... My husband looked over at me and asked, "Who said that?" I replied, "Abe Lincoln, I took the picture in the doctor's office." As he rolled his eyes at me he nodded his head in agreement and said, "Abraham Lincoln is right son, you are going to school!"

I hear Abraham Lincoln didn't really say much, but when he spoke he had a way of making people listen. As I sit and type this blog today with my sinus infection that I inherited from my son, who can't seem to keep his face out of mine, I am choosing to listen to the words that he said so long ago, and choosing to be happy and thankful for the many blessings I have been so fortunate to receive.

I knew I liked Abe Lincoln!

"Mix It Up At Lunch"

In an effort to encourage tolerance, Mrs. Tara Dickie has initiated several school activities where students build relationships.

Her most recent endeavor was called "Mix It Up at Lunch".  She, Mrs. Angela Hightower, Mrs. Leila Higginbottom and members of our Middle School Key Club organized activities for our students to do while sitting with students they might not necessarily sit with on a regular basis.  Our science teachers (Mrs. Misty Martin, Mrs. Chas Neal, Mrs. Tammie Caldwell and Mrs. Paula Jones) also aided in the project by allotting some of their class time for students to work on the project.

Mrs. Dickie asked the Mrs. Patricia Hinds and the High School Key Club to come over to our campus and help with the activities.

On October 29th our 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade students demonstrated "extreme tolerance" while stepping out of their comfort zones and participating in the "Mix It Up at Lunch" activities. The results were remarkable.  Some comments I heard......."I had no idea people felt that way"......."I can't believe I'm not the only person who..."........."It's sad that people in our community go home hungry"......  I could list countless others.  What's so great is that those comments were not only from students, but any adults who witnessed the activities taking place.

Here is a picture of the wall the students created during the course of their lunch periods.

Mr. Carey Byers allowed one of his television students, Lucas Barber to capture footage of the activity. He tells me it will air on Caveman Radio Thursday, November 7th at 7 pm.  He is also sending a copy to the middle school which I plan on posting on our middle school website.

For more information about "Mix It Up Day" see the link below.

http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-44-summer-2013/feature/how-will-you-mix-it-2013

If you see any of the people listed above, give them a word of encouragement for all they did to make this day possible.  I think it was a very successful event.

The Building of a Mantra, the Building of a Family

The Middle School Teachers felt that having a Mantra would build a sense of community and act as a deterrent from bullying. We all wanted the students to "get along" and we all wanted them to feel like this is a safe place. Before school began, the Middle School Teachers contributed ideas for the creation of the Middle School Mantra. The teacher contributions were combined to create the following Mantra:

The me I SEE is the me I will BE.

I am: a LEARNER, 

a HELPER, 

a ROLE MODEL, 

a DIFFERENCE MAKER

I am: COMPASSIONATE, 

TOLERANT, 

and KIND.

I am a MEMBER of the Cave City Middle School Family

Every school day the whole Middle School, led by two of our 8th graders, says The Pledge of Allegiance, The Middle School Mantra and pause for a moment of silence.

What an impactful start to a day! I have heard teachers discussing that the time we set aside for these things, sets the tone for the whole day. Students have stated that they feel like we are all "one big family". And I will have to say, I feel a sense of camaraderie with the teachers and the students as we all bind together for a moment and remember what we are trying to accomplish.

Thanks Middle School Teachers
Thanks Middle School Students
Thanks Middle School Family

Lori Laman, Assistant Principal
Cave City Middle School