Something Remarkable

Don't live down to expectations.  Go out there and do something remarkable. 
~Wendy Wasserstein

Wow, I am blown away.  I posted yesterday about enthusiasm and today I was hit with a keynote speaker at our school that demonstrated exactly what I meant.  He was hooping and a hollering about how awesome it was that the students arrive in 6 more days.  His enthusiasm bubbled and boiled over for about 45 minutes.  I usually fall asleep in teachers meetings but not today.  He shared his excitement about turning a school around.  He was a principal at one of the tougher schools around Los Angeles, California. One of the stats used was a 0% improvement.  He bolstered his teachers by telling them that the only way they had to go was up.  He talked about having the elementary kids come to the high school graduation to show them what they had to look forward to.   The last year that he was principal they had 91% graduation, a very high percentage for any area.  By the end of his motivational speech, he had a room full of school employees excited and shouting "6 more days until the students come back."  I was impressed with how the enthusiasm spread through out the auditorium.  I cried, I laughed, I am excited about the new school year.  I felt encouraged when he put up on the big screen you are not "just" an instructional assistant.  He did this with teachers, custodians, office staff, and administrators.  Telling us that what we do makes the difference in the lives of the students we come in contact.  I am so excited for this new school year to start. 

Enthusiasm