My take away’s from 2016:

1. Life is short and no one is immune from this.
2. Unexpected outcomes are the new norm.
3. I am fighting the good fight with a bunch of great people.

Riddled with celebrity deaths, racial tensions and political mayhem, I could easily say 2016 was a disaster and a year we will never get back.  It was far from ideal and one that challenged me as a parent and an educator.

I found myself, along with my husband and staff, trying to find the perfect balance between sheltering our kids/students while still allowing them to learn and grow from the situations society immersed us in. I am not sure we ever found that perfect balance, if one even exists, but what I do know is that we learned a lot, grew a lot and discovered that we are in fact raising great humans who have a greater tolerance than many adults.  So while I wouldn’t wish for a redo of 2016, I don’t think it was a total wash.

Acceptance, kindness and respect for others is something we hold as a top priority on our campus.  We are fighting the good fight at Matzke Elementary as are many schools in our district, state and nation.  in 2016 we worked through the issues, overcame the tensions and came out stronger in spite of them. Is it a daily battle and one we can never let slip? Absolutely.

Here is an example of children modeling what we as adults can only hope to mimic.

Unity Day at Matzke

My One Word for 2017 is Inspire.  My goal is to inspire others the way that I am inspired by our students each and every day.