Shhh... It's a secret!

I'm not sure that I've mentioned it before. I think I might have brought it to you from my husband's perspective, I'll just let you in... I LOVE FOOTBALL! Not many woman do, I can watch a lot of football on Sunday. I watch Monday night football faithfully, my favorite is the Fox Pregame show with Terry, Howie, and Jimmy. I am a football fan. Ask me a question, I bet I can answer. Here is another tidbit, sometimes, when I am commuting back and forth to work, during football season, I listen to ESPN radio. There I've said it, my secret is out of the bag!

So, you can imagine my elation when Santa brought my husband this book, "Quiet Strength" by Tony Dungy. Now there is nothing greater than Tony Dungy. He is coaching at his finest, more importantly, he is a fantastic father, contributor to society, and what an amazing football coach. Being from Indiana, loving the the Colts, wow, I am in heaven reading this book! Tony Dungy grew up in Michigan, the child of teachers. This upbringing taught him that he desires to hire other assistant coaches and personnel that are good teachers! He is very inspiring. One of the quotes I came across today left me inspired. I related it to our struggle as teachers, here is the quote:

The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it. VISION will ignite the fire of passion that fuels our commitment to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to achieve excellence. Only VISION allows us to transform dreams of greatness into the reality of achievement through human action. VISION has no boundaries and knows no limits. Our VISION is what we become in life.

-Tony Dungy

Another Tony Dungy saying that I think is very strong is, "No excuses, no exceptions." These words have really got me thinking about my vision, my improved future, that I am creating. A clear vision helps others perceive their expectations and their purpose. It allows them to take responsibility for their actions and propel them into changing their course. As we closed on this year, thinking about school I felt positive about the change that has begun within myself. My vision has fueled my commitment. I am ready to foster an environment that helps my students achieve their excellence.

That word VISION helps a person keep their eye on the prize, whatever the prize may be. I think that my new word for the year 2008 may be the word: VISION...