Is There a Lost Camaraderie of Teaching?

19 Friday Aug 2022

Posted by The Book Chamber in Camaraderie, Family, Friendship, Listening, Relationships, Sincerity, Teachers, Thankful, Time, Trust

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In writing last week, I mentioned I attended the memorial of one of my mentors, Dr. Gerald Hasselman. During the memorial, I looked around and realized I was sitting in an ocean of educational greatness. More importantly, I realized that these people’s friendship and camaraderie have stayed and tested time.

Riding home, I thought about my teacher friendships that have also moved with time. Yes, these core friends will drop anything to help. I also realized that teacher friendships and relationships are becoming a “thing of the past.” I remember early on in teaching, at the end of the day, we would “hang around and visit” for a little while. Slower days, they were, I guess.

I asked one of them the other day, “Reckon why?” As we talked, we came up with several ideas.

Teachers…

Did not move schools as much as they do today.

Lived in the community of the school.

Went to the same church.

Children were the same age.

… and a few more I’m sure you can come up with.

More than anything else, we decided that our lives did not have the hustle and bustle they do today. There are so many “things” we are involved in with ourselves or with our families. What’s an average day going home…? Get to the bank or the cleaners before they close, run by the grocery store to pick up something for supper, get children to practice for whatever sport they are in, check/go over your children’s homework, etc. And… the best school taboos… An hour and a half faculty meeting, get home to get tomorrow’s lesson ready, grade papers, etc… Before you know it, it’s time to shower and go to bed (and don’t forget to ask how your spouse’s day went).

Now, I want to get home as quickly as anyone, but… we are losing one of our greatest educational strengths – each other. Who better understands us than other teachers? At the end of the school day, the bell rings, and we hear, “See you tomorrow.” Social media and texting have taken the place of conversations that includes the going on’s of your family, not the smack talk of gossip. Having another teacher listen and ask questions, connect mentally, provide realness, offer help, and celebrate is the camaraderie we are missing.

As the school year begins, make an effort to have camaraderie with your colleagues. There will be some you do not “click” with, and that’s ok. However, you will appreciate the social and emotional side of your well-being when you do find those with whom you do “click,” and your friendship stays intentional.

Two more thoughts for this blog stand out as we close…

For the Andy Griffith fans out there, the episode of “What’s Your Hurry” comes to mind.
For the “Toy Story” fans, with Andy and Buzz… “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”

Both of these practiced intentionally, can be of great help.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

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Nature’s Touch of Time

19 Friday Nov 2021

Posted by The Book Chamber in Memories, Reflection, Rest, Thankful, Thanksgiving, Time

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Happy Thanksgiving

If you would like to download a printer friendly version of this with a washout watermark background, click here: Nature’s Touch of Time

Nature’s Touch of Time

The sky, more vibrant...
Hues, only Fall can bring.

A new scent in the air,
A smell earth and wood...

Trees different colors,
Showing time, once again.

Wind pushing warm breezes,
Held over from summer.

Leaves - blowing, falling...
Creating whisper sounds.

Blanketing the ground,
Nature's mosaic of color.

A harvest of memories to rake,
Piled high for enjoyment.

Reflections kindling the heart,
Small fires to warm the soul.

Fall, a season of change,
Restful...

Thankful for time.
The time of Thanksgiving.


©2021 J Clay Norton

To view previous year’s Thanksgiving thoughts, download here:

2018 – Thanksgiving Grace

2019 – Home

2020 – Pause and Reflect

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

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Twitter @thebookchamber

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Stop all the noise, I’m distracted and can’t hear myself think…

03 Friday Sep 2021

Posted by The Book Chamber in Captive, Classroom Leadership, Deciding, Decisions, Distractions, Importance, Intentional, Leader, Leadership, Teachers, Time

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Two ideas got my attention this week… One, I was listening to a radio segment this past Saturday morning. The topic was about freedom and being held captive; we can be captive to others, and we can be held captive to ourselves. The other idea is from a statement our pastor said this past Sunday about how we allow noise of the outside world in our lives. If we are not able to set it aside, it will hinder our focus. When I combined these two ideas in my head…

Well, as you know… it got me thinking…

We now live in a world of instant information. What one time took days and months to reach our ears are now at the touch of a button. I will confess, I am fascinated with news of what all is going on “out there.” If I let it, it will distract me, and it does to an extent. Our willingness to put that aside, in some ways, speaks to our mindset. And it does not have to be technology distractions. There are so many things that distract us; other people, family, your job, financials, sports… that putt I missed last Saturday morning, etc…

That said, it now leads to what holds us captive. Are we held captive to our distractions? Individual freedom can only exist when we are no longer captive to the distractions of our own minds. At some point, they can very well become weapons of “mass distractions.”

Don’t get distracted 🙂 stay with me here…

As educational leaders (by the way, that is what all people in education should want to be), are we distracted from doing our jobs? What interferes with us so much that our minds are held captive? If they keep us from doing what we are supposed to be doing, it is not good. For me, one distraction is idle curiosity. I will Google almost anything. I will chase rabbits with or without meat on it. Does it benefit my life? In my world, yes, but big picture, not really.

Nonetheless…

As we educate, as we lead, our minds really need to be clear of distractions. I know, easier said than done. Can we hone in on our objectives? There is a clip in the movie “For the Love of the Game” where Kevin Costner’s role is a baseball picther. When pitching, he mentally says, “Clear the mechanism.” It is often very hard to do this, but I believe we are at our best when we do.

Bottom line… distractions disengage us. I would suspect that most people would want us to be engaged and the flipside of that as well. I guess, in the end, it boils down to what we are willing and not willing to control in our minds. What do we want freedom from? Don’t be held captive to the noise.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on…

Twitter @thebookchamber

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Gimme A Break… Spring Break That Is…

06 Friday Mar 2020

Posted by The Book Chamber in Family, Rest, Spring Break, Teachers, Time

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This week is one of four weeks we all long for as educators… Yes, I said, educators. The other three include the week before Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the end of school. As I listen in the hallway, I hear teachers say, “Four more days; Three more days; I will be glad when Friday gets here…”

The need for Spring Break is real, even for teachers. That long break between Christmas and now… The hard thing, though, is making Spring Break last. Joking, at my house, at noon on Wednesday, I say, “Well, Spring Break is over.” I immediately get “fused at” by my family, but it is fun nonetheless.

So, how do we make Spring Break last? I believe it is by not focusing on what you have to do when we come back. Look at what you get to do next week (if you want to)…

Sleep late
Wear anything you want
Go anywhere you want, when you want
Eat when you want
Go to the bathroom when you want
Stay up later than normal
Take care of that much needed “stuff to do” around the house
Did I mention sleep late…?

You get the idea. What you do not need to do is think about the things that you do not have to do. By now, we are at our “wit’s end” trying to keep everything and everyone on the same page. Too often, we cannot rest, relax, and rejuvenate because of our lack of planning beforehand. Get what you need to be done for when we come back today and leave it. The goal is for you to leave the classroom mentally. You know the students do…

Being an educator is exhausting. The 10-12 hours a day get long, and that is just inside the building. What about the time outside the building? Yes, you need a break too. Go ahead and actually take it. Your family will probably appreciate it as much as you do.

I hope each of you has a great one. We will pick back up with the blogs AFTER Spring Break.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on…