August 17, 2014
The
first of Joy’s 10 Rules, You’re the
Driver of Your Own Bus, is a great place to begin to unpack not only the
common professional and personal challenges of George’s life, but it also serves
as a fitting mantra to remind ourselves about the power of positive and willful
thinking. In the world of philosophy, it’s the Existentialists who posit that each
individual provides their own meaning, passion, direction, and energy to their
life, as opposed to any external forces. Joy
the Bus Driver attempts to explain the same to George. In our world of Education
the innumerable accountability measures, policies, procedures, and mandated
programs make it easy to lose site of the power we all truly have over the
circumstances within our own classroom, team, school, and with our students.
Our challenges in Education are real, and always seem to shift somehow. Yet the
mission of service to our families is undaunted and constant.
In times of my own frustrations, I
harken back to my days as a 22 year old first year high school history teacher
(much like George remembering himself of yesteryear in Chapter 6). I recall
being ready to light the world on fire! I recall feeling like my entire destiny
was before me, and I was prepared to embrace any challenge, any unforeseen circumstance,
and any curveball my career as an urban high school teacher in Los Angeles could
possibly throw me! Then of course, those things eventually did happen, from
unspeakable student tragedies, to the never-ending cycles of poverty, crime,
and systemic low expectations. Some of those challenges temporarily frayed my
enthusiasm, but I was always reenergized by our students’ resolve to do
whatever they could to advance their circumstances by completing their
education, and often becoming the first of their families to graduate from
college.
Chapters 2-8 remind me of many of
my students in those early days of my career who were the drivers of their own buses. I was also reminded of my own personal Joy the Bus Driver from that era in my life:
Mrs. Sonja Davis, the principal who
hired me out of graduate school. Mrs. Davis was the eternal optimist, the eternal
believer in the undefeatable power of teacher-driven innovation as the avenue
to solve every systemic challenge schools face. Our high school eventually reached
previously unforeseen heights for an urban public high school in California,
based on her endless supply of optimism, forward thinking, and positive energy.
I was pleasantly reminded of those times by these chapters of our book.
In closing I want to invite all
Barnwell staff members to consider joining us on Thursday December 11, 2014,
for our Service Holiday Party. In lieu of our traditional holiday party, this
year I would like to invite you all to consider your availability afterschool on December 11, as we celebrate the holidays together serving those in need at
North Fulton Charities from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. What better way to live out Joy the Bus Driver’s mantra of the power
of positivity?...
If you enjoyed reading Chapters 2-8 in The Energy Bus, you
may also appreciate the article linked below. The article provides some further
insight on thought awareness, and rational and positive thinking:
-Norman
