Mrs. Catoe’s Chronicles

I finished reading The Excellent 11 almost a month ago, and I have been spacing out my blogs until tonight to finish the book chat.  Wow!  What a powerful message that this book holds.  After visiting the RCA this summer and reading this book along the way (before and after my visit), I see firsthand what this message truly means.  Each chapter began with a quote….Chapter 11 heralds the famous Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”  Truly powerful…Oftentimes, leaders (those who take risks) are viewed as being overzealous or overenthusiastic. I have been accused at times of “overreacting.”  I can understand why someone would say this…but I try to “see the big picture” when I am working to solve a problem.  A very dear colleague of mine, Morgan Lee, shared this quote with me when I became Interim Principal last year….”Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.” (Maggie Kuhn)  Well, being
5′2″, I sometimes feel that I have to speak loudly so that people will listen.  We, as educators, must be resilient to all of the challenges that come our way in our profession.  We are truly at the mercy of legislation, taxes, etc., but we truly can make a difference if maintain our “focus on your students” (p. 241).  As we begin a new school year tomorrow, I am sure that we will face many obstacles and challenges.  However, we must not get bogged down in the administrivia of the daily grind.  Instead, we must “remember that the work they (teachers) are doing is changing lives, and in many cases they (teachers) have more impact on the children in that classroom than any other person in their lives” (p. 241).  We must be passionate about our work and maintain our hope for the future of these children.  We have a great challenge, but I guarantee that working together and having a little (or a lot of) fun along the way will make us all more resilient to life’s curveballs.

Thanks for reading along with me this summer and chatting - sharing your thoughts, memories, and stories has been insightful to me.  As a matter of fact, my former high school World Geography/AP History/Yearbook Advisor emailed me on Friday.  She was headed back to school, saw a great friend of mine who mentioned my blog, and responded.  Her email recollection of my high school class and friends brought tears to my eyes.  I shared this email with my teachers on Friday to show that we do make a difference….not just in the lives of children, but in the lives of teachers, too.  I printed out a copy of her email and saved it in my “Sunshine File” for days when the times get tough.  Being resilient is the final message that Ron Clark shares….a meaningful and serious one.  I look forward to a great year!