Do it anyway...

Last Sunday, October 23rd, was the ten year anniversary of the release of the iPod.  The iPod is one of my favorite inventions of all time.  In fact, we have four iPods in our family of four people,...but three of them are MINE, MINE, MINE!  My collection of tunes is extensive and ridiculously random. I have over 1000 songs and the artists range, literally, from Abba to ZZ Top.  An iPod accompanies me everywhere, but I rarely get to listen to it as much as I would like.  Sigh....

Over fall break, my family visited my parents in Port Saint Lucie, Florida.  It's around an eleven hour drive, which, in my opinion, is entirely too long to be trapped in a car...with two kids...and exactly two inches of leg room.  But, that twenty-two hours of travel time gave me many glorious hours of iPod time.  One of my very favorite things about the iPod is the "Shuffle" setting.  I love never knowing what song is coming up next, and half the time I don't even remember the song being on my iPod.  I also love the randomness of Shuffle.  At one point on the trip my iPod played Eminem's "Lose Yourself" (clean version, of course), followed by Luciano Pavarotti's "Nessun dorma!", followed by the Willie Nelson and Ray Charles duet of "Seven Spanish Angels", followed by Mozart's "Symphony #40 in G Minor", followed by Styx's "Come Sail Away".  Talk about musical variety!

Out of all the songs I heard on the trip, one particular song has stuck with me:  Martina McBride's "Anyway".  I didn't remember downloading the song, probably several years earlier, and I think I've really only heard it a few times (including Lauren Alaina's version on American Idol). 

You can spend your whole life buildin'
Something from nothin
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway
You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

God is great but sometimes life aint good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway

This worlds gone crazy
And it's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway
You can love someone with all YOUR heart 
For all the right reasons
And in a moment they can choose to walk away
love em anyway

God is great but sometimes life aint good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
Yeah I do it anyway, yeah,

You can pour your soul out singin'
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway

 

The lyrics made me think of several conversations I've had with students over the past few years:

"I can't take that challenging class.  I might make a bad grade and mess up my grade point average."

--Take it anyway.

"I can't try out for a part in the high school musical!  What if I mess up and everyone laughs at me?"

--Try out anyway.

"I can't talk to my parents about it.  They don't understand that I'm trying my hardest.  I'll never be good enough for them."

--Talk to them anyway.

"Why waste my time on that team?  I never get any real playing time." 

--Play anyway.

"I can't apply to that college.  I'll never get in!"

--Apply anyway.

"I can't ask her to Junior-Senior.  She'll never say yes."

--Ask her anyway.

"I want to talk to my friends about my problems, but I'm just not sure I can trust them to keep things quiet."

--Trust them anyway.     

"I can't ask for help during class.  My classmates will think I'm dumb."

--Ask anyway.

It's the "do it anyway" that's such a tough lesson for teens (and let's face it, adults).

It takes a lot of convincing that the tough way is almost always the right way.

The easier way just seems,...well, so much easier.

They are watching us to see how we handle life's "Shuffle" setting:  not knowing what's coming at us next. 

It takes us all...teachers, parents, administration, coaches, friends, siblings,...to persuade them to "do it anyway", and it inspires us all when they do.

I heard an interview with Steve Jobs's biographer recently.  He said that ten years ago the "experts" thought the iPod would be a complete failure. 

Thank you, Steve Jobs, for doing it anyway.

And...thanks bunches for the iPad, too.  

--Renee Hood--  

Infusion

 

One of the perks of my new position is getting to interview prospective students.  As a teacher I often met prospective students as they toured the school, but interviewing them is a whole new thing for me.  I've spent nineteen years teaching teens, but the dynamic of a one-on-one interview is less comfortable than the environment of a classroom.

The students are usually a little nervous during the interview, which I find endearing.  It tells me they haven't spent a lot of time in the principal's office (always a plus).  I ask each student several open ended questions and try to get to know them a little bit.  Most of the questions are pretty basic: Why do you want to come to Boyd-Buchanan School?...What is your favorite subject?...What hobbies and interests do you have?...Do you know any current BBS students?...etc.  I get a lot of similar answers to these questions, as you can imagine.

But, sometimes a prospective student totally captures me with an unexpected or particularly thoughtful answer.  I think often about an answer given by a lovely young lady I interviewed a few days after school had started.  She had planned to attend another private school in the area this year, but just didn't feel good about the decision.  She knew a few BBS students and begged her parents to call the admissions office to see if she could possibly attend this year even though school had already started.  When I asked her why she wanted to come to Boyd-Buchanan instead of the other school she had planned to attend, she gave the most inspiring answer: 

 "I don't want to go to a school that is only a place where Christians go to school.  I want to go to a school that is infused with Christianity throughout.  That's what I've heard about Boyd-Buchanan, so I want to come here."

 

Wow!  What an answer!  I couldn't admit the girl fast enough and I smile every time I see her.   

 

The Merriam-Webster definition of INFUSE:  (verb)--to cause to be permeated with something (as a principle or quality) that alters usually for the better; to cause (as a person) to become filled or saturated with a certain quality or principle.

 

What a great reputation for Boyd-Buchanan to have:  a place infused with Christianity...permeated...saturated.  

It's also a lot for the teachers, students, parents, and staff to live up to...everyday. 

I am so happy that this young lady wanted to come to BBS because it is a Christian school and not just a school where Christians attend.  I hope many others share her opinion.

 

May we all be infused with Christianity every day.

The world would certainly be altered for the better. 

 

--Renee Hood--     

          

"You Learn By Living"

I have had to come to terms with a few things as I've gotten older.
 
First:  I don't bounce back from injury as quickly as I once did.  In fact, "bounce back" may not even be the proper term.  I think "learn to live with the pain" might be more accurate.
 
Second:  My taste buds have changed as I've aged.  I never liked blueberries, coleslaw, or hummus when I was younger.  Now, I enjoy all of these and I may possibly be addicted to hummus.  I'm glad I decided to try these foods again.  I've also developed a taste for coffee at any time of the day.  You know you are "getting old" when you enjoy coffee at lunch.

Third:  I am, what the students would call, a nerd.  I was probably always a nerd, but hid it well (or no one bothered to mention it to me).  I don't care if I'm labeled a nerd.  I embrace nerdhood (get it:  Nerd Hood) with a ferocious gusto.  Nerds are "in" right now.  Being nerdy is "hip"(but saying "hip" isn't "hip"). 
If you are unsure what I mean by nerd, I will explain in the personalized list below:

1.  I thoroughly enjoy documentaries.  Not only do I enjoy them, but I want others to enjoy them.  So, I tell all sorts of people about the documentaries I watch and then follow up to see if they've watched them based on my glowing recommendation.  I'm always a little disappointed when they choose to watch Vampire Diaries or Pretty Little Liars instead.  I'm sure my enjoyment of documentaries has a lot to do with my complete love and passion for history since many documentaries feature historical topics.  I guess loving history adds to the "nerdhood".

2.  I read a lot.  Books are everywhere in our home.  I have no restraint in a bookstore.  I completely believe that Amazon.com chose to move to this area to be closer to me.  As you can probably guess, I tell people all about the books I'm reading and try to persuade them to read them, too.  And, yes, I'm always a little disappointed when they choose People Magazine instead of East of Eden, but at least they are reading.  I currently have 413 books on my Kindle e-reader and probably that many "real" books around the house.  I just hope I live long enough to read them all.

3.  I love quotes and random facts.  I have quotes and random facts written down everywhere.  I used to keep a file folder full of them in my classroom to "dazzle" the kids with.  Google kind of stole the "dazzle", but now I can find millions more quotes and random facts than before Al Gore invented the Internet.  I just wish I could remember them when I need to use them.  Random fact:  Ronald Reagan had a file drawer filled with hundreds of note cards on which he wrote quotes, jokes, and facts to use in his speeches.  They were recently published.   I should take a cue from Reagan and put all of my quotes, notes, and facts in one place. 
  

Several months ago, I caught part of a documentary about Eleanor Roosevelt on PBS.  Because I taught American history for many years I knew a bit about the former First Lady, but not very much about her life before marrying FDR or her life after his death.  I did not realize that Eleanor Roosevelt wrote several books and thousands of newspaper and magazine articles in her 78 years of life.  One of the books written by Eleanor Roosevelt is You Learn By Living.  It was published in 1961, just a year before her death.  I added this book to my huge collection of must-reads.  After reading just the introduction, I decided this was a book I needed to take notes from as I read (on my handy-dandy iPad2, of course). 

Here are some of the jewels I found in this book:

*"It is never enough, it seems to me, to teach a child mere information...What is essential is to train the mind so that it is capable of finding facts as it needs them, train it to learn how to learn."

*"It is the ideas stirred in your own mind, the ideas which are a reflection of your own thinking, which make you an interesting person."

*"If the child's curiosity is not fed, if his questions are not answered, he will stop asking questions.  And then, by the time he is in his middle twenties, he will stop wondering about all the mysteries of his world.  His curiosity will be dead."

*"The kinds of things with which you surround a child will sink into his consciousness."

*"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face...You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

*"One of the problems all parents face is that of bringing up their children to be as free of fear as possible.  Certainly you can't accomplish this unless you have developed a philosophy for yourself that is freed from fear.  If you can give them a trust in God, they will have one sure way of meeting all the uncertainties of existence."

*One of the secrets of using your time well is to gain a certain ability to maintain peace within yourself so that much can go on around you and you can stay calm inside."

See what I mean?  Eleanor Roosevelt was a smart lady and obviously highly valued education.  All of these quotes from You Learn By Living could have been written in 2011 instead of 1961.
 
Sometimes I think we get caught up in all the new "stuff" and forget that some things just don't change.  I enjoy reading about new trends in education, but education is still, and always should be, about feeding curiosity, instilling confidence, and training the minds of our students to learn for a lifetime.  The ultra-tech-savvy kids of today are really not that different from the students several decades ago.  They still have imagination, interest, and a sense of adventure of life.  Experience is still the master teacher; you truly learn by living.  At Boyd-Buchanan School, we just try everyday to fill in the gaps. God willing, we fill those gaps with the right things so that our students can achieve their dreams and be lifelong learners.  This nerd is in this for the long run, and I'm in good company.

--Renee Hood (a.k.a. Nerd Hood)--  

         

Buccaneers Got Talent

I don't normally watch America's Got Talent, but I did happen to tune in Wednesday night as TEN YEAR OLD Jackie Evancho sang my favorite opera piece, Nessun dorma from the final act of  Puccini's opera Turandot.  That's right...she is ten years old!  At ten I was reading Nancy Drew books and riding my bike every afternoon.  This girl has performed before millions of people.  Her talent is obviously awesome and the fact that she sang that piece quadrupled my chill bumps while I watched her sing (I think I have four versions of Nessun dorma on my iPod). 

I have always been a little envious of supremely talented people, especially the artistically talented.  I have not one shred of artistic talent.  I can't draw, sculpt, paint, sing...well, I can carry a tune, but you know what I mean.

What must it feel like to sing like this girl?  Her voice moves people to tears.  I will never know a Jackie Evancho type of talent.

What must it feel like to paint and draw like Victoria Witt, a BBS senior?  She's amazingly talented, as you can see.  I will never know a Victoria Witt kind of talent. 

What must it feel like to write a novel that moves people, makes them think, makes them laugh, and makes them cry, like Kathryn Stockett did with The Help?   I doubt I will ever know a Kathryn Stockett kind of talent.

It's easy to be envious of people with incredible talent.  But, it's also easy to forget how much time, energy, thought, and hard work people like Jackie Evancho, Victoria Witt, and Kathryn Stockett put into their talents.  I'm sure Stockett wrote a lot of rough drafts before publishing The Help.  I'm sure Jackie Evancho has missed a lot of notes in her hours and hours of practicing.  I've never seen anything that Victoria created that wasn't incredible, but I bet she's started over on a piece a few times before.  The talent doesn't replace the hard work.  It is enhanced and perfected through the hard work.

When I walk the halls and classrooms of Boyd-Buchanan School, I see so many talented kids and teachers.  Some kids don't think they have any talent, but they just haven't figured it out yet.  They all have God-given talent.
Most of the talents I see at school aren't the artistic talents highlighted above, although we've got some amazing artists, singers, and writers.

Some are gifted with humor and wit.  They make the routine of a school day much more fun.
Some are gifted with athletic skill.  They make us proud to be Buccaneers as we cheer them on.
Some are gifted with leadership skills.  They bring out the best in those around them.
Some are gifted with the art of friendship.  They are supremely loyal and dependable, and people just like being with them.

I see gifted musicians...poets...speakers...storytellers...photographers...builders...decorators...actors...

You name the talent, I can probably find you a BBS kid who has it. 
Those who couple their talents with hard work and passion are unstoppable.

One of the most rewarding parts of being a high school teacher is seeing how students move past high school with the skills and talents they've developed during high school.  We're blessed at a Boyd-Buchanan School to be able to say to these kids, "Look what God has given you!  Now, go use it to the best of your ability."

Erma Bombeck said it best in regard to talent:  “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything You gave me.”

--Renee Hood--

Remembering...

It's hard to believe that this Sunday is the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.  Sometimes the attacks seem like a lifetime ago.  Some days it feels like it just happened.
 
I will never forget getting the phone call in my classroom from the office a little before 9:00 that morning in 2001.  A member of the office staff said, "Renee, something is happening in New York City.  A plane has crashed into the World Trade Center.  You better turn on the television."  I turned on NBC as Matt Lauer was trying to decipher why a plane had hit the World Trade Center North Tower.  They were discussing the event as an accident.  Just about a minute after I turned on the coverage for my Advanced Placement U.S. History class to watch, the second tower was hit.  We all collectively gasped.  This was obviously not an accident.
 

Some students began to cry while others were stunned into absolute silence.  Some of them asked me, "Why is this happening, Mrs. Hood?  Who would do this?"  I, of course, had no idea.  I can still see their faces in my memory.  They needed answers and I couldn't give them any (an uncomfortable position for a teacher).  Throughout that awful day, the class bells rang and students filed in and out of my room.  They just sat in silence and watched the events unfold. 
Some cried.... 
Some were angry and voiced words of revenge.... 
Some slept because they didn't know how else to handle it....
I just watched and cried with them as the towers collapsed and New York City was thrown into chaos.  I couldn't help but flash back to my senior year when I visited NYC, including the World Trade Center Towers.  I had stood in that building, and so had some of my students. 

All of the students were sad.
All had unanswerable questions.
All were affected.

We, as Americans, were all shaped by the tragedy of 9/11, as we have been by many other historical events.  I would give anything to be able to have another conversation with my grandparents about the Great Depression and WWII.  My mother can tell me everything about the moment she heard on the radio that President Kennedy had been shot.  I remember watching the Challenger disaster on a black and white television in the BBS cafeteria in 1986 with my classmates.  And so on , and so on.... 
   
I would like to ask that the parents who read this blog share something from that day with your children this Sunday.  It doesn't have to be a deep, philosophical, political discussion.  In fact, it probably shouldn't be.  Just share where you were, how you found out, how you felt, what you were thinking....  Ask them what they know about it.  The seniors would only have been about seven or eight years old, so most of the high school students should have very little memory of that day.  I'm sure much of the horrible details were kept from them because they were so young. 

The events of 9/11 will always be available online for these students to watch and many of the questions about that day are now answered for them. But, what they are possibly missing is the personal touch that you can provide.  Your history.  You may think they never listen to you, but they will listen to this.  Someday they will even tell their children about where you were when the 9/11 attacks happened.  Your memories will become their memories.

I pray the families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks find some peace this weekend.  I know millions will be lifting them and this country up in prayer as we remember together.

--Renee Hood--
  

"The way we do at school."

This is a picture of Garrett, my four-year old son, taken at the home football game against CCS.  While I do think it's an adorable picture, that's not why I'm posting it on this blog.  It's what happened right before I snapped this shot that's the real story behind this sweet photo.  Let me back up a bit.

  

If you've ever been to a BBS home football game (in the past decade, that is), you are probably aware of the "Spirit Tunnel" formed on the field for the Buccaneers to enter the "battle arena" in style.  I can't imagine the opposing team not being totally intimidated by this awesome showcase.  It's the highlight of each game for many an elementary boy and girl.  Garrett, of course, must be a part of the spirit tunnel, but is still a little afraid of going out there by himself.  (Have you seen how big some of our players are?  Try being 42" tall and having those giants run by you.)  In fear that he would be squished, squashed, or worse, I accompanied him, hand-in-hand, onto the field to be a part of the tradition. 

While we were lined up waiting on the team to enter, the announcement came from the press box to please stand for the invocation.  I leaned over to Garrett and told him it was time for a prayer.  He promptly yanked his hand from mine and said, 

"I have to pray the way we do at school."  

I couldn't help myself...I had to take a picture during the prayer.  The Lord completely understands.

What a beautiful statement:  "I have to pray the way we do at school."  

How many parents in this country would love to hear that statement from their children?  

How many never will because their children don't have a Boyd-Buchanan School or one like it?

  

My four-year-old reminded me that humid evening why I value BBS so much.  

I'm thankful for "the way we do at school".

Renee Hood

                    

Principal Matters: Who Am I?

Even though I am beginning my twentieth year as an employee at Boyd-Buchanan, I thought it a good idea to do an introductory biography of myself in my first year as high school principal.  I'm not sure if any of the information I provide will be valuable to any of you, but it should give you an idea of what BBS means to me.

I was born and raised in Chattanooga.  I think Chattanooga is one of the best and most beautiful places on earth with many of the best people on earth. Quite a few of these best people on earth work at BBS, attend BBS, send their kids to BBS, or once attended BBS.

I came to BBS as a frizzy-haired, huge plastic glasses-wearing, fifth grader in 1979.  (I would insert a picture here, but I think I've destroyed them all.)  Before my parents brought my sister and me to BBS, I had never even heard of the school.  I wasn't unhappy at my public elementary school, but my parents wanted an environment where Christian principles could be applied to every academic subject and where Bible was taught every day.  My first teacher at BBS was June Bowling, and fifth grade still ranks as my favorite year of school.

I worked hard as a student at Boyd-Buchanan.  My parents had reasonable expectations for me, but I had very high expectations of myself.  There were many times I disappointed myself, but my parents have never been disappointed in me as a student.  I knew how hard they worked to send my sister and me to BBS, so I tried to say thank you by doing my best.  I truly valued being at Boyd-Buchanan and, every now and then, I say thank you to my parents for the sacrifice they made.  I'm sure they never tire of hearing it...and they would do it all over again.

I played every sport they would let girls play while a student at Boyd-Buchanan. Some of the best experiences of my life happened representing BBS on a court or a field. Some of the best friends I've ever had (and still have) were my teammates. I was an average athlete, but I loved playing with all I had for my school and my team. I was even a member of the first Boyd-Buchanan team to win a state championship:  the 1987 Lady Bucs softball team. Throughout my time playing sports at BBS we lost much more than we won, but the lessons I learned through school athletics have given me victory after victory in life.

In 1992, I joined the BBS teaching staff.  I was overwhelmed with how hard the job of teaching really is.  It took a few years to find the balance I needed to feel confident and competent in the classroom.  I planned to teach until I retired, died, or got my dream job as a tour guide at the Smithsonian.  The moments in my classroom over the past nineteen years when students made me laugh, inspired me, made me want to pull my hair out, awed me, and, especially, when they found a love for social studies that made us kindred spirits will never be forgotten. 

I never saw myself in the role of principal and I will truly miss being in the classroom.  I love my new position, but I'm humbled by the huge responsibility it carries.  Here are some of the things I've learned at Boyd-Buchanan that will help guide me in the position of high school principal:
*If students know you love them and care about their futures, they'll do just about anything for you.  I learned early in my teaching career that building relationships with students is really what it's all about.   
*Boyd-Buchanan is very much like a family.  Some students can't wait to "leave home".  Many students grieve the loss of this place when they leave.  They continue to come "back home" to see the people who made an impact on their lives.  It never ceases to amaze the teachers how many graduates continue to show up when they no longer have to...they just want to.  We have frequent "family reunions". 
*People at BBS pray for one another...and it works.  I've seen many amazing things happen in the lives of our students, parents, and teachers over the years.  When someone at BBS says they are praying for you, they mean it.

I am truly honored to have been chosen for this position.  I know that God has blessed this school and I am only a small part of it's past, present, and future.  I am excited to do whatever I can to make BBS an even more amazing place.  With the wonderful staff, students, parents, and alumni that love this school as much as I do, the best is surely yet to come.  I'm just happy to be a part of it.

--Renee Hood--