Bright Future Campaign - Week 7 Rewind
Humor
me if you will, but I had to dig up one of the classic tv moments of all time
to assist with this weeks rewind. We have all been there, stepping into a
situation we were unfamiliar with and expected to perform at a high level, but
come up short. The saving grace for this inspiring communications major was his
coined phrase, "boom goes the dynamite" which led to his ten seconds
of fame all around the world. (Happens at 2:30 into the video)
What
I didn't know at this time was what exactly the word dynamite meant or where it
had come from. While we know it's dangerous and has the potential to send
things to kingdom come, did you know the word dynamite comes from the Greek
word dunamis, which means power?
I
couldn't help but relate this new word, dunamis to my reflection of our Bright
Future Campaign at Sigler as each of our staff hold the power to inspire change
in our students' futures.
I
was able to see this change first hand this past week as I entered a third
grade classroom where a fourth grade student had come to see her former teacher
to share just how much she had been accomplishing in fourth grade, specifically
on a writing assignment. Her third grade teacher from last year and her fourth
grade teacher his year, obviously have the power!
How
about the students I observed in third grade who were rotating through math
stations working on their problem solving as they were challenged to find a
specific amount of money, using a specific number of coins. Students may not
have realized it, but the power was building in them as they each successfully
found ways to make the change they were asked to find, almost surprising
themselves at times.
Yet
another example of power was witnessed in 5th grade as students were determined
to find the least common multiple of various numbers as they worked on solving
real world problems that revolved around a couple of ferris wheels. Students
started the problem thinking here was no way, the ferris wheels would ever have
a common stopping point when they were different sizes, but when given the power
to figure it out successfully, they quickly realized, there was an answer and
therefore began to realize what the term, least common multiple was all
about.
The
moral to my story, each of you holds the power or possesses the
"dunamis" and transfers that potentially powerful "boom" to
each of your students daily! So, as you prepare to share just how much
potential our students have with parents, towards the end of the week, remember
it only takes a spark to set the dynamite off and we all know just how powerful
the dynamite can be when ignited.
"Boom
goes the Dynamite"
Matt Arend
Principal
Sigler
Elementary