I am a science fiction fan. Pretty sure it began as a kid with Star Wars. But the galaxy far, far away was not alone. I enjoyed Buck Rogers, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, and I have especially enjoyed episodes where they mess around with time (see The Next Generation’s “Yesterday’s Enterprise” and “Cause and Effect”). The top one, I believe, is “Tapestry,” where the main character travels back in time to change a past mistake. In case you want to check it out, I will not ruin the ending, but I will say that this episode explores one’s life choices and how they weave together to make us who we are, who we become. Making a change to that past changes who we become in the future.
The Lord of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Ring also addresses time. The character Gandalf says, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” This year’s bell schedule is 6 periods every day with a few classes at the middle school every-other day and some classes for all levels either one, two, or three trimesters in length. The change from semesters is still being figured out, still definitely being felt by everyone. And while maybe the overall time in a course has not decreased, it is the pace, it is in what we do with the time that is given us. Teachers are figuring this out, students are figuring this out, leadership is figuring this out, and families are figuring this out.
Life can be seen as a series of positive and negative events strung together. I call this a polarity as most events have both. Perspectives, choices, and actions lean these a little more one way than the other. Time is a variable that can change that balance or at least what we think about that balance. Positives do not necessarily mean “good,” or negatives equal “bad.” Negative events can be a catalyst for positive outcomes. Who is to say? I think we are all deserving of our opinions; they are all valid and therefore “right.”
A month into this new school year and, somewhat shocking to me, a third of the first trimester is already complete. I encourage us all to not have an opinion yet, but to give it time. Believe that communication and collaboration will result in those positive outcomes. In the Star Trek: Generations movie, there is once again a quote about time: "Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. But I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey, and reminds us to cherish every moment because they'll never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we've lived.” Trust that with time, we all have the abilities to make things great.
Weeks at a Glance
- Teacher Professional Development Day - Spectrum Elementary/Middle School, Monday, September 22
- You're Not Alone begins - Spectrum Elementary, Tuesday, September 23
- You're Not Alone begins - Spectrum Middle School, Tuesday, September 30
- Student-athlete Eligibility Suspensions - Spectrum Elementary/Middle School, Wednesday, October 1