Safe. Respectful. Responsible.
I’m bad at being sick. I know that.
None of us like it. That’s not what I mean.
What I mean is that I don’t do it so well. I don’t appreciate not working. I don’t take naps. I like to be moving, doing, and being productive.
I was sick this week and I took three days off. Three Days. It was an eternity.
Guess what? Meadow Brook was intact when I returned. In fact, it was thriving!
Fun run plans were moving forward. Collaborative thinking around instruction, intervention, and enrichment was happening. Kids were learning and laughing. Ideas were being bantered about. Door were opening. Phones were ringing. Books were being read. Stories were being written. Equations were being solved.
Can you believe it? The Meadow Brook world continued to turn while I was in bed blowing my nose and eating chicken noodle soup.
Of course you can.
We share an amazingly vibrant school community with one another. We share leadership and learning roles and responsibilities. We share a common student-centered, optimistic, and partnership-enhanced SCOPE of vision, and while we each contribute in unique and immeasurable ways to student wellbeing and achievement, no one among us stands alone.
Meadow Brook is a health and family first organization. That means we each understand how important it is to be healthy and balanced. We know that’s what makes us ready to care so well for the kids we serve each day.
I’m not suggesting that we take three days of each week, only that we never lose sight of our own health and wellbeing as we pour our hearts and our minds into making our school community second to none.
Thank you to all who made it alright for me to take care of myself this week, from an RCS leadership team who checked in on me regularly and reminded me of our district’s core values with support and encouragement, to an overwhelmingly supportive staff and parent team who always stand by one another through any challenges.
You amaze me! I couldn’t be more proud of us.
Please make sure you are taking time to rest and rejuvenate this weekend. Play, laugh, and celebrate with the people and the things that balance out your life. Put the phones and computer aside, go to the cider mill, do some crayon leaf etchings, go for walks, toss the ball around in the yard. Whatever it is you love to do, do as much of it as you can.
Get some intentional rest and feel good about it. You need it. You deserve it. The world will continue to turn and it may even feel enhanced with some self care in the mix.
Thank you for your patience and your partnership…in it together for the kids!
Wishing you a joyful weekend,
Seth
Seth E. Berg
Principal
Meadow Brook Elementary
Call: (248) 726 -4101
Click: sberg@rochester.k12.mi.us
My Reflective Journey: Berg’s Eye View