A View from the Now-Retired Principal's Seat

How many phones are in your house?  Really...think about it.  How many cell phones, cordless phones, or even (oh my) corded phones are part of your home?  I did a quick check at our house.  Our two daughters, my wife, and I have 4 cell phones, 4 cordless phones, and 3 corded phones.  Our family of 4...our household---our home...has 11 phones! The Novi Woods staff, where I am principal, was asked this telephone question last week as part of our district-wide Leaderin Me Implementation Day training.  The facilitator helped illustrate for us the ever-widening gaps in cultural norms between recent generations.  Our daughters, for example, think having 11 phones is normal, but what about our grandparents, parents, or even ourselves?  My grandmothers were raised in homes where they either did not have a phone or only had one phone in the entire house.  My parents each had one phone in their families even though they had many, many siblings.  I, even though it was rare, was raised in a home

When you fall off a horse, you need to get right back on it! You know this saying.  In fact, I remember the day our daughter really did fall off a horse.  Over the years, we've encouraged our daughters to try all sorts of different activities.  In one way or another, our now 12 and 13 year old girls have participated in tap dance, gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, Spanish lessons, swim lesson, piano, and...horseback riding.  All kids seem to enjoy horses, and we are fortunate to live near several stables that offer riding lessons for kids.  The girls started when they were 4 and 5.  It's remarkable how big a horse looks - even a small horse - next to your 4 year old daughter!  Yet, with helmets, boots, and riding gloves, our youngest started riding lessons.  She, of course, had a grin from ear to ear.  I love that sense of immortality that all young people seem to have.  Parents, however, know better.  Let's face it; horses can hurt a kid.  Horses, I suppose, can even