Dance While You Still Can I cant dance anymore, but if I could, I would.

With these words, 94 year old Edwina Elbert punctuates the recurring theme of Cornell University Human Ecology Professor Karl Pillemers new book 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans. In a novel take (that really shouldnt be so novel) on the self-help book, Dr. Pillemer basically interviewed over 1,000 Americans ages 65-94 to get their advice on what happiness and success truly mean. The results are somewhat predictable, yet still very interesting. Among the points made: Slow down; savor the moment. Dont worry so much about things you cant control. Find a job you like - but if thats not possible, make the most of the one you can get. Be curious; explore. Live freely and adventurously. Do not end up with regrets for things you wish you did to the extent possible, do them. This book came to my attention at a particularly good time as my mind had been stuck spinning about news and images from Newtown, Connecticut. Never mind that I have a 5 year old of my own at home who looks like and shares common interests with many of the victims. Forget that I give my best everyday to keep the 656 beautiful young people at Dudley Middle School physically and emotionally safe. The part that stuck with me the most is the fact that another evil person had been able to shatter another piece of the societal innocence that has so consistently been chipped away at by bad people in our world over the past several decades. I guess put more simply, it seemed, as it does sometimes, like the bad guys were winning. But deep down, I dont really believe that. I know there is more good in the world than bad (It just doesnt play well in the media so we rarely hear about it). To my point, did you ever notice the overwhelming outpouring of affection and assistance that follows every tragedy? Whether its a tsunami in Southeast Asia, an earthquake in Haiti, a tornado in the American South, a super storm in New York City, a shooting rampage in Connecticut or anything else, reassuring stories of the kind nature of humanity always follow. Some of that kindness is far away and untouchable. Some kindness, however, is closer to home, like the many students at DMS who check in with me daily to see if we can do something to help a particular group you name it homeless pets, children of battered women, victims of natural disasters, children in underfunded schools, etc. - Ive had a kid ask me if we can do something to help. This phenomenon will always remain among the things of which I am most proud. Every day, including the difficult days following the Newtown incident, our students show me that there is still so much hope in the world. Though sometimes it seems things are getting worse, they remind me that the good still very much outweighs the bad. And so, as we try to make sense of difficult things, and as we work really hard to think positive in the face of adversity, 2013, like a welcoming new dawn, arises filled with the wonder, hope and possibility of a school aged child. As I write this, it is December 27, and I do not yet know what my professional New Years Resolution will be. One thing I do know, however, reinforced everyday in my time with my 5-year old kindergartner, is that kids are extraordinarily beautiful, pure and pumped up about learning when they are young, and thats the way it should be. Anthony (my son) is so excited about everything its all a huge adventure for him. He regularly says things like, LookI can write my nameI can color within the linesI can spell sight wordsI can read a little bitI can finger paintI can run fastI know capitals from lowercase and the list goes on. Every day is a new discovery of things that we adults

have long since taken for granted. Its awesome and its energizing! To some degree, Id like to be that way, toowouldnt you? But where along lifes road do we lose our innocence and enthusiasm? Its almost a foregone conclusion that the more we learn about the world, the more jaded we become. Instead of feeling childlike wonder about new things, we sometimes treat new things as another inconvenienceanother formidable impediment to our contentment. Our middle school students are not immune to this phenomenon either. By this time in their lives, many of them have lost their love for learning, their feeling that each new unit of information is a grand journey. Id like to try to bring that back for as many of our students as possible. Toward this, I will continue to work with our staff on a daily basis to navigate the standardized testing culture we operate in; this one-size fits all educational environment that can serve, as my niece would say, as a major fun sucker! We will work together, within an MCAS improvement culture to which I myself am guilty of having contributed, to make learning as joyful and adventurous as possible for our students. Why not try to keep them pure, excited and eager, in a learning sense of course, as long as humanly possible? That, to me, is a worthy ambition. And it is best accomplished when worked on both at school and at home. How do we infuse our children with positive energy? Well, though it may be slightly different for every child and family, maybe these 7 if/then scenarios will help at least a little: 1. If we show enthusiasm for our lives, then maybe our students will show enthusiasm for people and learning. 2. If we compliment students when they deserve it, then they will feel better about themselves and compliment others. 3. If we give children permission to laugh and have fun, then they will bring more joy to others. 4. If we are willing to try new things, then our children may be willing to take appropriate risks like learning new material in school, making new friends or trying productive new hobbies. 5. If we express gratitude outwardly, then our students will become more appreciative of the good in their lives. 6. If we can reject the allure of negativity, then our kids may become more positive, hopeful people. 7. If we constantly remind students about lifes infinite and still wonderful possibilities, then, just maybe, they will grow up believing that great things are possible for them in life...and aside from parents, that belief is the most powerful factor I know of in the life of a child. If you read the above list carefully and gave it some thought, you realize the simple irony here that we make our children more curious, kind, courageous and enthusiastic by being all those things ourselves. Our children get happier when we are happier. Though there are exceptions, this simple formula almost never fails. And so as I write this at the brink of a new year, I ask you to join me in heeding the advice of a 94 year old woman who has seen it all from the Great Depression to the I-Pad Mini life is short; lets dance while we still can.
Please allow me to express gratitude for all that you do for our students and our community and for the support you have shown for our school. You have my very best wishes for a happy, healthy 2013.