Saturday, October 18, 2003
Morning Prayers
As you can see if you have read some of my previous entries, being a principal of a high school is a crazy thing to do. When I began my teaching career the last thing I ever wanted to do was be what I am now. Yet, here I am. I know I can't do this alone. Yes, I have secretaries and teachers and a superintendent, but God pulls me through the day. I have proof.
As I near my school driving East on Route 80 I turn off the books on tape or NPR and thank God for getting me here. I ask His forgiveness for my lack of faith. I pray for the students, the teachers, and for wisdom so I can administer the school. I also pray for my wife, my daughter, and my son.
Yesterday I needed God's wisdom. A violent hispanic girl accused two other girls of writing something foul about her on one of the stalls in the girl's bathroom. She was out to get them. I intercepted her and asked her for the names. She quickly gave me the names of the girl's that she was convinced did it and the name of another girl that saw them come out of a stall together. I told the hispanic girl to go back to class and asked her to trust that I would see to the matter.
I had an aide go into the bathroom and confirm that what she claimed was, in fact, on the stall walls. It was. I then summoned the custodian to clean it off. I went to the cafeteria and brought the girl that could supposedly witnessed the incident to the girl's bathroom. I asked her to go in with the aide to identify which stall the girls came out of. She picked the wrong stall. If God hadn't given me the wisdom to make her do that two girls would have been punished needlessly. Instead, I called back the hispanic girl and with the laision police officer and the Vice Principal convinced her that she couldn't assume someone was guilty, and that there wasn't sufficient evidence. We also pointed out to her tha she was on probation until she graduated because she got in a fight with another girl before and she could be home schooled for the rest of her high school experience if she were to fight again.
Immediately she calmed down and said she wouldn't be a problem. I don't know if that was a sincere response or a calculated move to ease our minds, but the result was that no violence occurred.
Did God give me wisdom in this matter? Well, I don't know where the idea of having the girl identify the stall came from. It just popped into my head. I didn't plan it and it came to me when I needed it. Principals have to make split-second decisions all day long; I wonder if I'm not the only principal that prays on the way to work each day?
As I near my school driving East on Route 80 I turn off the books on tape or NPR and thank God for getting me here. I ask His forgiveness for my lack of faith. I pray for the students, the teachers, and for wisdom so I can administer the school. I also pray for my wife, my daughter, and my son.
Yesterday I needed God's wisdom. A violent hispanic girl accused two other girls of writing something foul about her on one of the stalls in the girl's bathroom. She was out to get them. I intercepted her and asked her for the names. She quickly gave me the names of the girl's that she was convinced did it and the name of another girl that saw them come out of a stall together. I told the hispanic girl to go back to class and asked her to trust that I would see to the matter.
I had an aide go into the bathroom and confirm that what she claimed was, in fact, on the stall walls. It was. I then summoned the custodian to clean it off. I went to the cafeteria and brought the girl that could supposedly witnessed the incident to the girl's bathroom. I asked her to go in with the aide to identify which stall the girls came out of. She picked the wrong stall. If God hadn't given me the wisdom to make her do that two girls would have been punished needlessly. Instead, I called back the hispanic girl and with the laision police officer and the Vice Principal convinced her that she couldn't assume someone was guilty, and that there wasn't sufficient evidence. We also pointed out to her tha she was on probation until she graduated because she got in a fight with another girl before and she could be home schooled for the rest of her high school experience if she were to fight again.
Immediately she calmed down and said she wouldn't be a problem. I don't know if that was a sincere response or a calculated move to ease our minds, but the result was that no violence occurred.
Did God give me wisdom in this matter? Well, I don't know where the idea of having the girl identify the stall came from. It just popped into my head. I didn't plan it and it came to me when I needed it. Principals have to make split-second decisions all day long; I wonder if I'm not the only principal that prays on the way to work each day?
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