Merry Christmas!
Yesterday an event occurred that reaffirmed what Christmas is all about, as well as what being a Sheepdog is all about.
I received a phone call from Brenda McNamara, one of my bus drivers. She is one of the best of my drivers. She has developed great relationships with many of her students, and their parents. One of them called her to tell her that her two sons would not be receiving any Christmas presents. The woman's in dire financial straits, and wanted her children enrolled in a program called the United Christmas Service. However, despite several phone calls and letters, she never completed the necessary paperwork, and so there was nothing for her children. Brenda didn't know what to do, so she called me.
I called the school counselor in charge of the UCS program and got the background story on the family. The counselor didn't know what she could do, as the Toys for Tots program deadline had passed, as had the deadline of others. I then called Mark Kern, the principal of the children's school. He didn't answer his phone, so I left a message explaining what had happened, and started to make plans to go shopping. I live 25 miles away from New Palestine, but if I couldn't work anything out, I would go. Last minute on Christmas Eve didn't seem a good time for last second heroics.
Or did it?
Enter Dick Jefford, II. Dick is a retired police chief I first met when he joined our school's Safe School Committee. He is a former Marine, so of course he and I hit it off. He is also the Hancock County Director for Toys for Tots, so I called him up and explained the situation. He told me that he had family coming, and that things had been very hectic, then he paused. He then said, "We have a saying here, no child should be without a present at Christmas."
I gave him the necessary information, and within two hours, I received a call from Brenda thanking me. Of course I told her that the real hero was Dick. I then got a call from Mark. He was under the weather, and was on his way to a Minute Clinic when he got my message. He told me that he was about to call the mother and have her meet him at a Walmart to get presents for the boys on his own dime.
Brenda McNamara the bus driver, Mark Kern the elementary school principal, Dick Jefford the retired police chief. Three of the nicest people you know, three exceptional Sheepdogs who made sure that two boys had something to open Christmas morning. Three exceptional people who live my motto, "Non in meus vigilo" 'Not on my watch'.
Merry Christmas, Brenda, Mark, and Dick. Christ truly shone through you yesterday, and two lives were touched by your gentle Warrior spirits. Your love of children, and your compassion for others are core virtues of the Sheepdog, and it is an honor to call you friends.
God bless you all!
School Safety Shield
Non en Meus Vigilo!
Showing posts with label Warriors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Warriors. Show all posts
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Virtue #10 - ???
Mark Mireles has given us nine Warrior Virtues that I have tried to apply to Sheepdogs and Master Teachers. To understand the tenth virtue, Mireles reminds us of an old Greek aphorism, "know thyself."(p. 67) The Greeks knew that introspection was needed to internalize what they learned. So it is with us. Some of the best ways to teach is to use open-ended questions that force the student to bend their minds to increase their understanding. In the Bible, these types of questions were called parables. It is in this spirit that Mireles leaves the tenth virtue blank. It is for each person to come up with their own tenth virtue.
Mireles describes a pair of ill-fitting wrestling shoes that taught him his virtue. He realized that nothing will ever be perfect in the ring, and later in life, yet a Warrior will always give his best, no matter what position they find themselves in. He wore those shoes until they fell apart to remind him of that lesson.
My epiphany came on September 20, 2002, when a tornado touched down near my elementary school. When it ripped off some rooftop ventilators, and children and teachers began screaming, I found myself immediately running toward the tornado. Later, I would wonder why.
The realization I came to was not that I was afraid of not fulfilling my responsibility, nor was I afraid of being seen as cowardly, even though those played a small part in it. I was afraid of losing my people. The emotion driving that fear was, and continues to be, love.
When I am giving responsibility for people, whether they be children or adult, I cannot see them as a burden, I see them as people worthy of my life. That requires love. "No greater Love than this, that a man lay down his life for others." (John 15:13)
What is your tenth virtue?
Mireles describes a pair of ill-fitting wrestling shoes that taught him his virtue. He realized that nothing will ever be perfect in the ring, and later in life, yet a Warrior will always give his best, no matter what position they find themselves in. He wore those shoes until they fell apart to remind him of that lesson.
My epiphany came on September 20, 2002, when a tornado touched down near my elementary school. When it ripped off some rooftop ventilators, and children and teachers began screaming, I found myself immediately running toward the tornado. Later, I would wonder why.
The realization I came to was not that I was afraid of not fulfilling my responsibility, nor was I afraid of being seen as cowardly, even though those played a small part in it. I was afraid of losing my people. The emotion driving that fear was, and continues to be, love.
When I am giving responsibility for people, whether they be children or adult, I cannot see them as a burden, I see them as people worthy of my life. That requires love. "No greater Love than this, that a man lay down his life for others." (John 15:13)
What is your tenth virtue?
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Virtue #9 - Code
Mark Mireles begins his talk of Code by selecting the definition of integrity that he likes. "Core honesty imbued by a code of conduct." (p. 67) True Warriors have a well-defined sense of right and wrong, of good and evil. Many cultures throughout history have established a Code to delineate what is right and wrong, good and evil. The Japanese Samurai had Bushido. Arthur's Knights of the Round Table had the Chivalric Code.
A true Warrior establishes their core beliefs before they develop, or accept, a Code. Their personal experiences help shape this Code, and this Code extends into all facets of their life. Warriors use integrity in everything they do, and this integrity becomes a resource for the Warrior when things turn rough.
If you have not already done so, take time to think about what you believe, and how these beliefs can be expressed in a Code. Write it down. Think about it often. Live it.
Be a Warrior.
A true Warrior establishes their core beliefs before they develop, or accept, a Code. Their personal experiences help shape this Code, and this Code extends into all facets of their life. Warriors use integrity in everything they do, and this integrity becomes a resource for the Warrior when things turn rough.
If you have not already done so, take time to think about what you believe, and how these beliefs can be expressed in a Code. Write it down. Think about it often. Live it.
Be a Warrior.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Virtue #8 - Bravery
Bravery is the one most people think about when there is talk of Warriors. Most dream of being brave when the time comes. Mireles calls it the "sexy icon" of the Warrior. I have yet to meet a person that doesn't hold bravery in high esteem.
Mireles uses the story of Lenny Skutnik to illustrate his point. Lenny was a federal office worker who happened to see a tragedy unfold on his way home. The year was 1982, and Air Florida Flight 90 had crashed into the Potomac River, killing all but five people. One of the survivors was a flight attendant, who was floundering in the icy waters as a helicopter tried to rescue her. Enter Lenny, who doffed his coat and shoes, and dove into the icy water. He swam out, dove down into the river, pulled the flight attendant back up, and helped her into the harness from the helicopter. The few words here cannot adequately describe the bravery shown by Mr. Skutnik.
Mireles emphasizes what I think is a key point. He said that Skutnik acted without any obligation to do so. Or did he? This is a key question for the Warrior, the Sheepdog, and the Master Teacher. Do we have an obligation to help others? Is their a moral obligation to choose to help others?
For the Warrior, the answer is yes. It is a choice.
Mireles uses the story of Lenny Skutnik to illustrate his point. Lenny was a federal office worker who happened to see a tragedy unfold on his way home. The year was 1982, and Air Florida Flight 90 had crashed into the Potomac River, killing all but five people. One of the survivors was a flight attendant, who was floundering in the icy waters as a helicopter tried to rescue her. Enter Lenny, who doffed his coat and shoes, and dove into the icy water. He swam out, dove down into the river, pulled the flight attendant back up, and helped her into the harness from the helicopter. The few words here cannot adequately describe the bravery shown by Mr. Skutnik.
Mireles emphasizes what I think is a key point. He said that Skutnik acted without any obligation to do so. Or did he? This is a key question for the Warrior, the Sheepdog, and the Master Teacher. Do we have an obligation to help others? Is their a moral obligation to choose to help others?
For the Warrior, the answer is yes. It is a choice.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Virtue #7 - Gameness
Mark Mireles describes 'gameness' as having heart, of rising to the challenge and performing well under pressure. As Mireles writes, "This is a characteristic that warriors cultivate through training." (p. 65) He contrasts this with "room wrestlers," people who do well in training, but don't perform well in the match.
What sets these two groups apart? Heart. The Warrior does not like, or want, to lose, so when they compete, they do so with all their heart. Mireles describes this as an innate trait, and in many ways he is correct. However, I also believe that one can choose to never give up, to "bring it." That is not an easy choice, but it is one available to the Warrior.
Dave Grossman's Sheepdog Tip of the Day for Dec. 12, 2011 (http://www.simple-tech.com/sheepdog/tip.php?name=during%2F65.html), is about Officer Stacy Lim of the LAPD. While off-duty, she was set upon by some gangbangers looking to jack her car. When she ID'd herself as a police officer, she was shot through the heart with a .357 magnum bullet that tore a chunk out of her back as it left her body.
She returned fire, and chased after the shooter, while the reaming gang-bangers decided this Warrior was too much for them and ran off. The shooter died of his wounds, and Officer Lim died twice on the operating table. However, she came through, and returned to duty eight months later. She is indeed a gamer!
As LTC Grossman so aptly wrote, "Lim had a competitive attitude that refused to lose, and she had a plan, a visualized determination to win."
That is a virtue worth having, whether you are a Warrior, a Sheepdog, or a Master Teacher.
What sets these two groups apart? Heart. The Warrior does not like, or want, to lose, so when they compete, they do so with all their heart. Mireles describes this as an innate trait, and in many ways he is correct. However, I also believe that one can choose to never give up, to "bring it." That is not an easy choice, but it is one available to the Warrior.
Dave Grossman's Sheepdog Tip of the Day for Dec. 12, 2011 (http://www.simple-tech.com/sheepdog/tip.php?name=during%2F65.html), is about Officer Stacy Lim of the LAPD. While off-duty, she was set upon by some gangbangers looking to jack her car. When she ID'd herself as a police officer, she was shot through the heart with a .357 magnum bullet that tore a chunk out of her back as it left her body.
She returned fire, and chased after the shooter, while the reaming gang-bangers decided this Warrior was too much for them and ran off. The shooter died of his wounds, and Officer Lim died twice on the operating table. However, she came through, and returned to duty eight months later. She is indeed a gamer!
As LTC Grossman so aptly wrote, "Lim had a competitive attitude that refused to lose, and she had a plan, a visualized determination to win."
That is a virtue worth having, whether you are a Warrior, a Sheepdog, or a Master Teacher.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Virtue #6 - Testing
In Warriors, Mireles starts off his comments on Testing by writing, "A Warrior tests himself everyday to hone his skills physically, mentally, and spiritually, in a disciplined ritual of rigorous training that defines who he is." (p.63) This is also true for the Sheepdog and the Master Teacher.
Warriors are constantly honing their combat skills through drills, exercises, and personal workouts. Their goal is to be the last man standing. While the goals of the Sheepdog are different, they also hone their skills through drills, exercises, and personal workouts. While the Warrior's personal workouts include physical conditioning and weapons training, the Sheepdog researches the latest in emergency preparedness/response methods. The Master Teacher reads professional journals, attends conferences, and is constantly seeking to hone their teaching skills.
While Warriors, Sheepdogs and Master Teachers may test their skills against others, their true competition is with themselves. It does not mean that they cannot work with others. Often they are at their best when doing so, and in the case of the Sheepdog, their work cannot be done alone. However, Mireles warns that if they do what they do in order to prove something to someone else, their work will have a negative effect. A Warrior does what needs to be done, because it has to be done. There is no room for self-serving in the work of protecting others.
Push yourself. Always strive to be better than you are. You are needed at your best.
Warriors are constantly honing their combat skills through drills, exercises, and personal workouts. Their goal is to be the last man standing. While the goals of the Sheepdog are different, they also hone their skills through drills, exercises, and personal workouts. While the Warrior's personal workouts include physical conditioning and weapons training, the Sheepdog researches the latest in emergency preparedness/response methods. The Master Teacher reads professional journals, attends conferences, and is constantly seeking to hone their teaching skills.
While Warriors, Sheepdogs and Master Teachers may test their skills against others, their true competition is with themselves. It does not mean that they cannot work with others. Often they are at their best when doing so, and in the case of the Sheepdog, their work cannot be done alone. However, Mireles warns that if they do what they do in order to prove something to someone else, their work will have a negative effect. A Warrior does what needs to be done, because it has to be done. There is no room for self-serving in the work of protecting others.
Push yourself. Always strive to be better than you are. You are needed at your best.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Virtue #4 - Nobility
This virtue has the most meaning for me. As a child, I not only grew up with stories of Ivanhoe, Robin Hood, John Wayne and Superman, I had the real-life examples of my grandmother taking care of my bed-ridden grandfather, slowly dying of emphysema, and my dad taking care of my mom and us kids so my mom could go to school and get her nursing degrees (Three of them!). In all of what they did, I never saw complaint, nor did they shy from doing what needed to be done. My grandma and my father did what they did out of love for their spouse. That love ennobled their efforts.
Mireles writes that the virtue of nobility "sets the warrior apart." Warriors do not do what they do because they have to, but because they have chosen to do so, a noble choice. However nobility, as Mireles describes it, is not about that choice, but in how the Warrior relates to others. A police officer demonstrates nobility when he/she treats their prisoner with respect. A Warrior demonstrates nobility when they treat a prisoner with respect. A master teacher demonstrates nobility when they treat the at-risk student with as much professionalism as their top student. It's a matter of basic respect.
Mireles writes this about respect:
"True respect is caring about people at a deep level, a caring
that is related to nobility. Respect is manifested through the
warrior's action, and nobility is his persona. one cannot exist
without the other. Warriors carry these virtues in their hearts,
and it is what separates them from mercenaries." (p. 61)
This describes the Warrior's Paradox. In the Sheepdog analogy, Sheepdogs are described as having a capacity for violence, but a love for their sheep. Thus, Sheepdogs have to have a deep respect for humanity, even while they may have to engage in violence against those who seek to harm others. Those who are able to do so demonstrate true nobility.
Master teachers learn to look beyond the behavior and see the hurt underneath. That doesn't mean they don't hold the child accountable for their actions, but they are still human beings, and are still due respect. Master teachers will do this, and try to address the hurt at the same time. They don't take such actions personally. After 23 years of dealing with middle school students, I know that if I were to have taken everything that happened personally, I would have gone insane long ago, or I would have quit and sought a new career field.
Society has given the Warrior, the Sheepdog, the teacher, a tremendous amount of trust by putting us into positions in which we protect others. By maintaining respect for others, by holding ourselves to a higher standard, we demonstrate nobility, and thus maintain the trust that society has given us.
Are you up for that challenge?
Mireles writes that the virtue of nobility "sets the warrior apart." Warriors do not do what they do because they have to, but because they have chosen to do so, a noble choice. However nobility, as Mireles describes it, is not about that choice, but in how the Warrior relates to others. A police officer demonstrates nobility when he/she treats their prisoner with respect. A Warrior demonstrates nobility when they treat a prisoner with respect. A master teacher demonstrates nobility when they treat the at-risk student with as much professionalism as their top student. It's a matter of basic respect.
Mireles writes this about respect:
"True respect is caring about people at a deep level, a caring
that is related to nobility. Respect is manifested through the
warrior's action, and nobility is his persona. one cannot exist
without the other. Warriors carry these virtues in their hearts,
and it is what separates them from mercenaries." (p. 61)
This describes the Warrior's Paradox. In the Sheepdog analogy, Sheepdogs are described as having a capacity for violence, but a love for their sheep. Thus, Sheepdogs have to have a deep respect for humanity, even while they may have to engage in violence against those who seek to harm others. Those who are able to do so demonstrate true nobility.
Master teachers learn to look beyond the behavior and see the hurt underneath. That doesn't mean they don't hold the child accountable for their actions, but they are still human beings, and are still due respect. Master teachers will do this, and try to address the hurt at the same time. They don't take such actions personally. After 23 years of dealing with middle school students, I know that if I were to have taken everything that happened personally, I would have gone insane long ago, or I would have quit and sought a new career field.
Society has given the Warrior, the Sheepdog, the teacher, a tremendous amount of trust by putting us into positions in which we protect others. By maintaining respect for others, by holding ourselves to a higher standard, we demonstrate nobility, and thus maintain the trust that society has given us.
Are you up for that challenge?
Source:
Christensen, Loren W.. Warriors: more on living with courage, discipline, and honor. Rev. ed. Boulder, Colo.: Paladin, 2010. Print.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Virtue #3 - Knowledge
"Knowledge is power." This old adage applies to Sheepdogs as well. Mireles writes about two types of knowledge, universal and specific. Universal knowledge is common knowledge. This type of knowledge helps the warrior better understand Man and the world around him. Specific knowledge has to do with the area in which the Warrior works. There is a specific skill set in that area in which the Warrior must be proficient, so time must be set aside in which to acquire that knowledge.
For the master teacher, knowledge is obtained in numerous ways. College courses, professional conventions, professional journals, and personal research are some of the many ways a master teacher can develop their skill set. Networking with other educators is another way. A master teacher is open to new ideas, and is able to use their knowledge and experience to assess ideas to see how to integrate them into what they do.
When it comes to applying knowledge, the Warrior and the master teacher should keep things simple. The KISS principle means Keep it Simple, Stupid. Sometimes the tendency is to employ too much knowledge, and create complex solutions that are doomed to fail. Keep the bridge between knowledge and emergency response as clear of clutter as possible. When you are responding to a crisis, there will be enough challenges, without you adding some of your own.
Warriors must know the tools of their trade, just as master teachers need to know theirs. Remember that such leaning is a process, not a goal. Use what knowledge you can develop to protect others.
Knowledge is power.
For the master teacher, knowledge is obtained in numerous ways. College courses, professional conventions, professional journals, and personal research are some of the many ways a master teacher can develop their skill set. Networking with other educators is another way. A master teacher is open to new ideas, and is able to use their knowledge and experience to assess ideas to see how to integrate them into what they do.
When it comes to applying knowledge, the Warrior and the master teacher should keep things simple. The KISS principle means Keep it Simple, Stupid. Sometimes the tendency is to employ too much knowledge, and create complex solutions that are doomed to fail. Keep the bridge between knowledge and emergency response as clear of clutter as possible. When you are responding to a crisis, there will be enough challenges, without you adding some of your own.
Warriors must know the tools of their trade, just as master teachers need to know theirs. Remember that such leaning is a process, not a goal. Use what knowledge you can develop to protect others.
Knowledge is power.
Source:
Christensen, Loren W.. Warriors: more on living with courage, discipline, and honor. Rev. ed. Boulder, Colo.: Paladin, 2010. Print.
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