Improvement Movement

“If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges.” - Pat Riley

People often view the opening weeks of a new school year as challenging. Aside from the normal hurdles one requires to overcome, it coincides with a host of Jewish holidays, commencing with Rosh Hashana, the New Year. Standing at the threshold of what we anticipate to be another successful year of academic and personal growth, we are met with the most inconsistent school schedules possible. Between Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Succos, it feels to many that the month of September is primarily spent in shul rather than school.

Perhaps the most encouraging moments during this time is the sounding of the shofar. Its fleeting, yet powerful sound is designed to resonate within our hearts and souls, awakening us to contemplate our deeds of the past year in self-reflection and sincere penitence. Yet, this past week granted me an even deeper understanding, one that brought incredible insight into this meaningful custom. While I am unfortunately not well-trained in blowing the shofar, I had no choice but to step into the role this year. Before the very first time attempted to blow the shofar, I prefaced it in front of tahe Middle School that they should not expect a promising performance. Thankfully enough, however, I managed to go a few days with relative success.

This past week, however, there was one particular day in which I simply could not produce a single sound. The moments passed, I continued with all my might, yet to no avail. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, I managed to sound the shofar properly. As I placed the shofar on a chair, I picked up the microphone, and shared the thought I had while trying to blow the shofar with the students.

“While I stood here trying to fulfill the custom of blowing the shofar, I was quickly reminded how we each have our strengths and weaknesses. Clearly, blowing the shofar is not a skill I possess. And that is just perfectly fine. It makes me think how I have to work on it. How I have to practice. This is the message I can learn in this month of Elul. I can use this moment to reflect on the areas I must still work on; the areas of weakness that I must focus more on this year. We can all use this as an opportunity to consider what we need to improve in preparation for Rosh Hashana.”

As the martial arts superstar, Tony Jaa, correctly asserted, "Never be afraid to fail. Failure is only a stepping stone to improvement." Failure is part of life, yet so is improvement. I was thankful for the chance to fail so that I could be reminded of yet another area I must improve in the days and months ahead, G-D willing. By embracing failure, we recognize our humanity, bringing us closer to a greater understanding and meaning in life. We must never be ashamed of our shortcomings, rather they should inspire and motivate us to continue growing.

What a powerful way to being the new school year in Middle School - by creating an improvement movement.

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” - Vince Lombardi

Here Comes the Sun

"The Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger. Suddenly they saw a traveler coming down the road, and the Sun said: “I see a way to decide our dispute. Whichever of us can cause that traveler to take off his cloak shall be regarded as the stronger. You begin.” So the Sun retired behind a cloud, and the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveler. But the harder he blew the more closely did the traveler wrap his cloak round him, till at last the Wind had to give up in despair. Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory upon the traveler, who soon found it too hot to walk with his cloak on."
This ancient Greek fable perfectly portrays two distinctly different methods of interpersonal styles that people demonstrate in a wide range of scenarios. Whether at home, at work or at school, the Wind and Sun personify diametrically opposite approaches in the manner in which people attempt to achieve what they want. And while the Wind may even at times accomplish its goal, it certainly will not be actualized with warmth. Furthermore, it may produce a sense of animosity that will ultimately undermine the very objective it sought.
The lasting impression an educator has upon his/her students is truly priceless, and perhaps only secondary to one’s parents. In fact, a child’s future can often be set into motion due to a relationship with or statement made by a teacher. This unique power educators possess helps create the fate of students’ lives each and every day. In a Middle School environment in particular, where students deeply and infinitely thrive on positive, meaningful and inspirational relationships in their transition between the "little leagues" and the "majors," it is essential for educators to be fully cognizant in their choice of words and vigilant in their mode of conduct to be the Sun. Warmth and patience are indispensable tools that must always be employed.
The Mishna in Pirkei Avos teaches us that we must greet each person with a warm and joyous countenance. This is undoubtedly an imperative for this age. In the Middle School, we change lives with our smiles. With our encouragement and support, we make a timeless impression that will forever be etched into the memories and character of each student that we encounter.
“Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and I say it’s all right. Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.”