The “Word of the Month” in our schools is compassion. I attended a student-led assembly at Cottage Lane Elementary School this morning and was greeted by our friendly students. The assembly started and here’s what the students had to say: “We are how we treat each other and nothing more.” I had to let that sink-in a little bit. “We are how we treat each other and nothing more,” I repeated to myself quietly. After stewing on this a bit, I felt a wave of inspiration. I was inspired to see that our children understand that their personal identities (their “insides”) are directly connected to the way they treat the people around them (their “outsides”).
At the beginning of the assembly, Mr. Schliessman (our CLE Assistant Principal) introduced me to the students as a special guest. The elementary school kids mostly know me as the “snow day guy” or the man who dismisses the schools early in case of an emergency. Mr. Schliessman saw this relationship between the students and I as a teachable moment and told them these acts of keeping students and staff safe (e.g., snow days and early dismissals) are compassionate acts. I very much appreciated Mr. Schliessman for helping the students make that connection, not only for the students but for me. I also feel great compassion for families who rely upon the staff at SOCSD to keep their students safe from harm – it’s not enough just to be physically safe (which is of utmost importance) but there also must be a feeling of safety. This feeling of safety is the result of our collective ability to be compassionate and to make sure that our “insides” match our “outsides” in the best possible way.
I have only been truly scared three times in my life (in no particular order): First, the day that my son was born he and my wife went through a difficult delivery; second, I was the target of a rocket attack in Afghanistan; and third was when I was a superintendent in another school district and the buses were traveling during a snowstorm. I can’t say specifically what I do when I am truly scared, but in general terms, it involves making an appeal to a higher spiritual power. What I can also say is that in all three instances above, I typically vow to never put myself, or those who I care about, in danger ever again. So I appreciate the staff members who notified me on Wednesday that a snow squall was headed our way and for all of the staff and families who worked together to avoid an unsafe situation. It is truly amazing when we all work together in a way that reflects the compassion that we have for each other.
