Today we focused on the difference between bullying and leadership. If bullying is gaining power through negative choices, then the opposite of that - power through positive choices - is leadership. We discussed ways that students could take on leadership among their peers, including standing up for each other.
Funny story: The older gentleman (and by that, I merely mean non-student) pictured with me earlier in the blog is Principal Reinhart, formerly Assistant Principal at my old school. He has a longstanding tradition of doing a cameo in the school musical. During my 8th grade year I was playing Winifred in 'Once Upon a Mattress'. In my initial entrance I was coming out of the castle moat, so each night my dress would soak in a tub and I would hop into it right before my entrance. A water bottle was poured in my mouth so I could comically spew it across the stage. Each night, Mr. Reinhart would enter as the "castle janitor" and mop the water up as audience chuckled to see him dressed in medieval garb. No lines, no dance moves, just his presence got them laughing. One night, as he finished wiping the spit-water and went to exit, I grabbed my dress...and wrang it out onto the floor. Mr. Reinhart turned at the sound of the splash and, upon seeing the newly made puddle, looked quickly at the awaiting audience and then at me. "You missed a spot," I said with a cocky grin. The audience roared, as they were all parents and students who knew Mr. Reinhart well. He gave me a you-little-punk look and shuffled back over to wipe it. Ever the class clown, I stepped over stage left and gave my dress another wring. We soon had an act that brought the show to a stand-still as I squeezed my dress for every drop I could as we all laughed. I guess the moral here is to
seize the moment, and never be afraid to go off-script and do a little improv in life.
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