Good afternoon IA families,
Another great week is in the books. I had the honor to induct our NHS members on Thursday night. Congratulations to this group.
I’m short on time this week, as I was trying to put my money where my mouth this week about always being a learner and a teacher, so I went with a group of students to learn about Version Control Systems. We were hosted by an incredible team of trainers from Improving Atlanta. I really enjoyed getting to be a student again.
I also hosted a session this afternoon on the new website I built for Flex Friday sessions. I’m proud to have been able to cobble something together that works, but the thing I keep dwelling on was how nervous I was to take the website live. I was pretty sure it would work after testing it exhaustively, but that didn’t help me sleep the night before it went live. It didn’t make it easier to share the actual code with students knowing it wasn’t coded well since I don’t have much experience in the professional world. So, as I got ready last week to bring the site online, I was filled with anxiety. It was my fear of failing in front of my students and teachers. It was taking the risk in front of everyone.
I asked my staff this question last week, but I’d also like to pose it to our families. Our students and children are asked to take risks every day, but they rarely witness our fears and anxieties. It’s important they see us as steady and in control for them. But if our students never see us anxious or scared, they don’t get to see anyone model the coping skills necessary to get through those moments. As we seek to build resilient and independent students at IA, I’d ask that we all be willing to let them know when we are nervous. We should share the moments with them and let them see how we handle it.
I appreciate the help from all of you during carpool. The new system is working well, and things are running smoothly.
Be on the look-out for information on our “Cultivate” event, where our students will cultivate their connections, confidence and curiosity. It will be a great day for them to learn professional and practical skills that will help them grow in their prospective fields. This will be held on February 24.
Lastly, I had hoped it would warm up, but it hasn’t, so please donate to my Polar Plunge to make it worth the pain! Fundraising for Alpharetta Rotary Club (classy.org)
Scott Kent