Reflections on 15-16 School Year - All About People

One my favorite hobbies is hiking. @krysshayes had recently conquered Etiwanda Falls and it inspired me to take my family on the hike over Memorial Day weekend.

My wife (Felicia) and I studied Biological Sciences in college. Felicia took a Botany course and loves to identify plants along our hikes. My daughter Kaylee posed for this picture of the parasitic plant witches hair (Cuscuta). 

The three mile hike ends with a stream that cascades into a fall. As I watched the peaceful, cool water flow down to the thirsty ground below I reflected on the past school year. 

In education our chief goal is to impact lives and change futures. The projects, events, deployments and upgrades that have mattered the most have been the result of working with amazing individuals. I came across this video from Jerry McGuire that reminded me of this. 

Dale Carnegie gives some great advice on working with people in his classic book, "How to Win Friends and Influence People." 

1. Don't criticize, condemn or complain.

2. Give honest and sincere appreciation.

3. Become genuinely interested in other people. 

4. Smile

5. Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language. 

8. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

9. Talk in terms of the other person's interest.

I coach basketball for my kids (Kaylee - age 13, Jacob - age 8). This Saturday was the first Saturday in months that I've been able to sleep in. I spent the morning catching up on a verse that also reminded me of the importance of others in my life. 

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4. 

This year has been an amazing ride! My 7th grade English teacher Mr. Garcia told us, "Find a job that you love and you'll never work a day in your life." I love my job! I look forward to coming to work everyday to work with great people: @veronicajusd, @Jheckman, @edtechgypsy, @krysshayes, @pfordjusd, @joseramirezedu, @aalaniz, @nriverajusd, @jusddwhitman, @mgarciajusd, @netspecjusd, @matthahnjusd. Many more to list that I have time for at the moment. They mean a great deal to me. Their talents, passion and desire to give their best everyday for the students and community of Jurupa inspire me.