Up and running and bringing the heat!!

[Alan Sitomer]

So how did your kids spend their holiday break. Mine, let's see.

--They slept.
--They ate.
--They watched tv.
--They played video games.
--They were bored.
--They "chilled".
--They did "too much" homework.
--They did no homework.
--They went to the mall.
--They partied. (This is where my "don't ask, don't tell" policy comes into play).

A few of them travelled, some of them caught the flu and some of them went to the movies.

All in all, they got to be real people. Fine. Cool. Glad you enjoyed it. But after reading their papers (so sloppily written, I might add) and hearing their words, I am more determined than ever to "bring the heat".

January is a time when there is so much good work that can be done but I also know that if I spend the first week back allowing a honeymoon mentality to sink in -- as so many people often do -- I am just wasting valuable class time.

Class time I desperately need.

Yep, we are up and running!

But what scares me is the knowledge that across this great country not every educator in the U.S. thinks this way.

Mentality matters... and it starts with the person at the front of the room.

[Alan Sitomer]

Love it!

Pound the rock!!!

[Manuel Garces Jr.]

I'm pounding the rock this semester, one kid at a time, one crisis at a time, one portfolio at a time. Smooth and steady. I shrug the setbacks, reset myself, and pound the rock even more. Harder. Faster. These are the playoffs, now. I rely on my playmakers to set the tone, on my leaders to push the others foward. Just win, baby!