It’s Time to Turn up
the Heat!
Some
children experience “Lethargitosis” around this time of year. After spending sunny days at the pool or
going to summer camp, late August arrives way too soon. This ailment brings on extreme symptoms
including complaints about going to bed early, protests about getting up early
and an overall distaste for having a routine.
My boys have had the worst case of “Lethargitosis.” It has resulted in, “Where are my shoes?”
“Where is my lunchbox?” "Where's my project?" This has resulted in an overall frustration as we leave
for school in the morning.
Recognizing
these symptoms, I explained to the boys the other morning that we were going to
turn up the heat! My youngest son, look
puzzled; since it has reached the 90 degree temperatures for the past week. Certainly I should be turning the air
conditioner on instead of talking about turning on the heat. I went on to say, “We need to turn up the
heat to 212 degrees before we’re able to create the steam necessary to change
our morning routine.
The other
evening, we met as a family to discuss how our actions were creating chaos in
the morning. We decided on a plan for
going to sleep earlier, sitting down for breakfast, and making sure that we
allow enough time to be relaxed, instead of rushing out the door. As I hugged the boys and said good night, I
expressed how proud I was that they were willing to make the extra effort. I knew we could do it. We were going to definitely turn up the heat
to reach our full potential.
“To get what we’ve
never had, we must do what we’ve never done.”
This year,
you will notice your child’s teacher “turning up the heat” in the
classroom. The staff at WM consists of
the finest group of educational professionals in the country. There will be a 212 degree focus in every
classroom activity. Our expectations at
WM remain high as we embrace the uniqueness of your child. We ask that you continue to partner with us
as we foster student growth and prepare leaders for the 21st
Century. We must continue to search for
innovative ways to evaluate and solve real-world problems, understanding that
we are held accountable and evaluated with a variety of tools.
Just as I
recognized that I needed to make a change with our morning routine, we ask that
you evaluate how you might make daily changes within your routines to foster
the best environment for learning. As a
parent, wake and act each day with the understanding that your actions will be
absorbed by your children. …and your children will grow to be contributing
adults to the level of your influence.
Be bold and incorporate the 212 philosophies into your daily routine.
Having a simple,
clearly defined goal can capture the imagination and inspire passion. I can cut through the fog like a beam in the
night.
Later in the
evening, as I read several books to my boys, I reflected upon the hard work we
had done that evening as a family. I was
proud of my boys, but also proud of myself as a parent because I had the
courage to embrace the 212 philosophy.
At 212 degrees, water
is hot.
At 212 degrees, it
boils.
And with boiling water,
comes steam.
And steam can power a
locomotive.
Welcome back
to WM! Small things make all the difference.
I challenge you to make each day one degree hotter!
